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Hit More Greens

Make Consistent Contact With Your Irons

This Article Features Photo Zoom

TEE-FLIP DRILL
HOW MUCH OF A DESCENDING BLOW YOU NEED? Now that you know you need to clip the ball first before you make contact with the ground, how steep should you be?

A great way to practice the perfect descending blow into the ball is to try to mimic my position in the photo to the right. See how my hands are just ahead of the ball, my hips have rotated, and my head is slightly back? This is the position you want at impact, but getting here is going to require some practice.

To get started, try the tee-flip drill. Take a tee, and place it in front of the ball (toward the target). Push it into the ground so it’s snug and doesn’t pop out too easily.

From this position, make a swing! If you execute the proper downswing, you should not only hit the tee, but also be able to pop the tee out of the ground.

Practice this drill anytime you feel as though you’re hitting it too fat or too thin. You’ll quickly be on your way toward making crisper contact.

SETUP VS. IMPACT The reality is, there’s actually a big difference between the setup and impact position. At impact, the weight is on the forward side (target side), the hips and lower body are open, and the shaft is leaning forward.

WALL CHECK
MAKING A GOOD BACKSWING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DIFFICULT. A simple way to check and see if you’re taking the club back straight along the target line is to check with a wall behind you.

The goal is to make a ¾ backswing and a ¾ followthrough. (Eventually the club will hit the wall, even with a good swing. So, stop
the downswing ¾ of the way through the forwardswing.) If you take the club back too far inside, you’ll hit the wall on the backswing. If you do the opposite and take the club back too far outside, you’ll likely come over the top and hit the wall through the downswing.

As a bonus, this is a great tip to ensure you retain the needed spine tilt toward the ball.

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