Do you want to cut strokes from your golf handicap?
How about break 80 consistently?
Or win more matches in your league?
If you said “yes” to any of these questions, it’s no surprise. We all want to shoot lower scores, break 80, and win matches. But to do that, you must hit great approach shots. Great Approach shots come from hitting accurate iron shots.
Even if you drive the ball and putt well, you won’t shoot lower scores unless you’re hitting you’re irons well. They’re the great equalizer—the all important link between putting and driving.
Below is a five-step process to hit crisper, more accurate iron shots.
It includes golf tips that will have you hitting better iron shots the next time you go out:
Step 1: Execute your pre-shot routine
If you don’t have a pre-shot routine, develop one. Pre-shot routines serve many purposes. They focus you on the task at hand. They build tempo for a shot. They help you play more instinctively. And they build confidence. Put simply, they prime you—physically and psychologically—to hit a shot.
Step 2: Set up for accuracy
The key to a good setup is to hinge the upper body from the hip toward the ball. Players with high golf handicaps often bend from the waist. This prevents them from making a full turn, robbing them of power.
Bend as much as you need to so your arms hang naturally. You also want to neutralize your weight over both feet and line up your left arm with the club’s shaft.
If you’re in the right setup position at address, you shouldn’t have to reach for the ball. You’re back shoulder should also be slightly lower than your front shoulder.
Step 3: Hinge your wrists for control
You must choose the amount of hinge at the top of your swing that suits the shot. If you create a ton of hinge, al la John Daly, you’ll generate power, but lose accuracy in the process. When you don’t create enough hinge, you rob yourself of the power you need to reach your target.
Ideally, you want to hinge your wrists so that your left arm and the club shaft form a 90-degree angle. This gives you good separation between the club and your head, with your weight predominately over your back foot. You have just enough hinge to generate power without losing control of the club.
Step 4: Make a good transition
If you release your hands too early at the top, you short-circuit power and prevent solid contact at impact. The key for making a good transition is simple: move your weight forward while maintaining the hinge in your wrists as long as you can.
This creates lag. Lag in turn generates power. Making a good transition also helps you control the shot.
Step 5: Keep your head behind the ball
The proper impact position places your head behind the ball (or slightly ahead of the ball) at impact. In addition, your shaft is leaning toward the target. Your upper torso or hips are rotated open (slightly). Your shoulders are square to slightly open. And of your weight (60% to 70%) is over your front leg.
This creates a solid impact position that produces good ballstriking. From here, you need to make a well-balanced follow-through—one where all your weight is on your front leg. Finishing your swing with a good follow-through ensures accuracy.
If you want to break 80, lower your golf handicap, and win more league matches, follow the golf tips above to hit great approach shots. You can only do that if you hit crisp, accurate iron shots.
