[PHOTO: Dom Furore]
The instinct to help the ball into the air on iron shots is understandable: the ball is sitting on the ground, and you want to hit it way up in the air. But trying to lift the ball often produces the opposite – low, skulled shots – because the clubhead is rising at impact and catching the top part of the ball.
Until you trust that the loft on the clubface will send the ball up when you make solid contact, trying to lift it can be a tough habit to break. Here are three keys to focus on:
- Make sure the ball is not too far forward
- Shift to your front side to start the downswing
- Lean the shaft towards the target at impact
Sometimes the simple fix is ball position. To make solid contact on iron shots, play the ball a few inches inside your front heel [above]. Lifters tend to let the ball creep forward. Moving it back will help you hit the ball first, then the turf as you shift forward on the downswing.
Next, you have to make sure you’re actually making that forward shift and not getting stuck on your back foot. On the backswing, you turn behind the ball so you have to drive your body towards the target on the downswing to create a downward strike. A good visual is that your chest is ‘on top of the ball’ or ‘covering the ball’ at impact.
The last part is to keep your hands leading the clubhead into impact, which is the opposite of trying to lift the ball by flipping the club upward. Keeping your hands ahead is how you hit with the shaft leaning towards the target and squeeze the ball off the turf for a crisp strike.
Here’s a practice drill I give players who are fighting the instinct to lift. Take your normal stance with a short iron, but before you swing, angle your back knee towards your front knee, letting your trail heel come off the ground. Make some practice swings, then hit some half and three-quarter shots from this stance, with your weight staying on your front foot.
You’ll start to feel what it’s like to hit down on the ball, even taking a divot after impact. When you strike it flush, you’ll see there’s plenty of loft on the clubface to send the ball up. Groove that feeling of hitting down and trusting the loft to do the work.
