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 In a perfect world, every shot in golf would be the same distance, and we’d only have to use one club the whole round. Instead, we have 14 clubs to choose from, mostly made up of irons of different lengths and lofts. Some instructors say that you should make the same swing with every iron, play the ball in the same spot and, lastly, expect the same results with each club. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not necessarily the case. Depending on which iron you use (we’ll simplify things by breaking it down into short, middle and long irons), the golf swing will be a little different each time. This is because no two irons are exactly alike. For instance, the longer the iron, the more you need to stand away from the ball and the flatter your swing will be.
Conversely, the shorter irons have the opposite effect and produce a more upright swing. This phenomenon is why some golfers can hit their short irons well and struggle with their longer irons. They most likely don’t know that they have to swing the long irons a little flatter! The key is to understand how different irons affect your swing, and then make the proper adjustments. The following tips will help clear up any confusion and get you on the right path, right away.
Ball Positions
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Short Iron
Here, you can see three lines. The bottom one indicates my swing arc;
the arrow pointing down indicates the bottom (apex) of my arc; and,
lastly, the red line marks the center of my stance. Note that the right
ball position with a short iron is dead-smack in the middle of my
stance. The apex of my swing is a couple balls forward, meaning I’m
going to hit the ball on a steep angle and produce a big divot. You
can’t tell here, but my feet are closer to the ball than they are with
longer iron.
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Mid- Iron
Unlike the short iron, where the ball is in the middle of the stance
and the club is slightly behind it, now the club is in the middle of my
stance and the ball is slightly forward. Remember that the longer the
iron, the more the ball should move forward. It’s not a huge jump, but
rather an incremental increase. As is the case, I’m still hitting the
ball with a descending blow, but it won’t be as steep as my swing with
the short irons. My divot will be shallower as well.
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Long Iron
With long irons, I encourage people to sweep the ball as opposed to hit
down on it, meaning I’d like to see golfers hit the ball right at the
apex of the swing arc. Here, you see my ball is played right on the
apex, which allows me to catch it crisp with little or no divot after
the ball. From here, I don’t need to force the ball upwards by
attempting to hit the ball on the upswing. Instead, the ball becomes
airborne automatically, due to the relatively level angle of attack
into the shot.
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