Golf Lesson #2, Hitting Your Irons Better.

Golf Lesson #2, Hitting Your Irons Better.

Whether you are a long hitter or a short hitter, having a solid iron game is key to a great golf game. Hitting long drives is great, but knocking it close is even better.

There are a lot of things that can lead to striking your irons well. So, I'm going to touch on something that I would rank as most important for hitting good irons.

Balance:

Balance has always been my favorite lesson. It truly is the key to hitting great irons. When you are balanced it means that a lot of good things are happening, so I'll list them. First off it means you are swinging within yourself. If you were to swing as hard as you could, while still trying to stay in control, this would be considered 110%. A balanced swing usually falls into the 65% - 75% of total swing power. This type of swing is calm and with tempo. It is the kind of swing that when it is finished, you stay standing with your arms finished above or behind your head. It is also the swing that allows the feet to not slip during the swing. A great way to monitor your balance is to hit golf balls on the range. After every swing, take notice of your finished swing and answer some of these questions.

Are you still standing in the same place that you started?

Is your left foot still planted in it's starting position, or did it spin out and leave your left foot's toes pointing more towards your target?

Is most of your weight balanced over your left foot, or are you still putting weight on your right foot?

Is your right foot up on it's toes supporting no weight, or is it kicked out to the right side?

Did you fall back? forward? to the left? to the right?

If you answered "YES" to some of these questions, then balance is definitely something to work on. A lot of these results mentioned above are factors of swinging outside your comfort zone. If you swing in the 65% to 75% range, you should stay very balanced. There will be some sacrificed distance, but the pay off will be much greater. For instance, you normally hit a 7 iron 165, but you often lose your balance after the shot, and you hit your 7 iron great only 50% of the time. If you could tone it down a little, and swing within yourself, you could hit a balanced 7 iron 155 - 160, but you would hit it great 75% of the time.

It really comes down to how important your ego is. If you don't mind hitting a 7 iron 10 yards shorter, but great most the time, then you have excepted the importance of accuracy over distance.

The good news is, as your sense of balance becomes more refined, your ability to swing faster and harder will increase as well. Hence regaining your distance and retaining your accuracy. And in most cases, gaining even more distance.

Go to the range and take notice of your swing's finish. The result can always trace you back to the cause.


Here is a tip to help you swing smoother and within your self.

Some might think this a bit odd, but proper breathing can really loosen up a swing. Try this drill to swing within yourself.

Just before you take your swing, take in a deep breath and let it out immediately. Once the air has left your lungs, you will notice that your rib cage is no longer tight. Your lungs are not holding in very much air and you will see that you can turn much easier. You will feel that your core muscles won't have to fight the tension of your lungs and diaphragm containing all that air during the golf swing. The release of air and deep breathing will also slow you down before you pull the trigger. Try this before every swing and you will see yourself swinging more relaxed and within yourself.