What is an iron in golf?
Irons are designed to contact the ball while descending. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. If you've ever read or watched golf instruction - or, likely, simply listened to "amateur instructors" on the driving range or golf course - you've probably heard ...
What does "let the iron do the work for you" mean?
or "let the iron do the work for you.". All these catchphrases relate to something about the design of golf irons and the proper way to use them to hit a golf ball: Irons are designed to contact the golf ball while still traveling down. Hit down on the ball means your iron should contact the ball before it hits the ground.
Why does the ball compress?
The ball compresses. Because the face of the clubhead is lofted, the ball - rather than be driven into the ground as a downward hit might imply - will spin backwards up the iron face, decompress (adding energy to its escape) and climb into the air.".
Why is it important to have good muscle memory in golf?
And good muscle memory in golf is essential, so you can stop worrying about your swing, and concentrate on the game itself. ".
Where is Scarff from?
Scarff is a veteran teaching professional at Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. His series of instructional DVDs and books are titled Hit Down Dammit! ( browse Scarff's media on Amazon )
Can a golf iron get under the ball?
However, it is critical to note that the golf iron has not been designed to get under the ball to lift it. It has been designed to strike the ball as the clubhead is descending - on the downswing. "The face of the iron will then contact the surface of the golf ball just prior to reaching the bottom of the swing arc.
Is golf a simple game?
"Golf is a difficult game, yet to so many of the uninitiated it might seem incredibly simple," says golf instructor Clive Scarff. "The objective is to strike a ball ... that is just sitting there. How tough can it be? It's not like baseball, or tennis, where the ball is moving as we attempt to make contact with it. Or hockey, where someone is trying to knock you down while you hit the ball."
When hitting a golf club, should the club face be open?
The reason: when your club face comes into the ball at impact it should be slightly open, yes open – when the ball is hit it stays on the club face for approximately ¾ of an inch – the club face goes to square then closes as the ball has left the club…so that is why you want to hit that other spot – not the back of the ball.
How does accuracy improve in golf?
Accuracy improves, you’ll start to hit more fairways, keep it in the short grass – stay out of trouble – yeah, lower scores immediately – your distance will increase – hit longer shots with every club-in-the-bag…consistent, repeatable shots….fun golf!
What is the purpose of an iron in golf?
By Lyle Smith. Irons are designed for accuracy, not distance. Hitting a solid golf shot with an iron requires balance, tempo, acceleration and precision. There are almost as many tips to hitting a great iron shot as there are players and teachers, but the simplest goal will often yield the best result—that is, hitting the ball crisply in ...
What should you feel when you hit a golf ball?
What you should feel is an unwinding feeling from your feet and legs. This helps you meet three very important goals that launch the ball on straight, driving trajectory: maintain balance; accelerate through the golf ball; and generate power through the swing.
How does a golf swing work?
Your golf swing rotates around an axis with your head, or eyes, as the center. Your swing bottoms out and hits the ground exactly where your head is. The tendency is to slide forward on your downswing. If you keep your head still and even with or even slightly behind the ball, you'll strike the ball cleanly.
What happens if your elbow bends during your swing?
If your front elbow bends during your swing, you are changing the distance your clubhead is from the ball, giving you one more thing to adjust before impact.
How does the club head move when swinging an iron?
As you swing the iron toward the low point on your forward stroke, the clubhead moves in a descending motion. Once the clubhead passes through the low point, it arcs upward again. Pretty simple, right? Before the low point, your clubhead is descending. After the low point, your clubhead is ascending.
How to get better iron shots?
Hitting down on the ball is the key to better iron shots. Essentially, you want to make impact just before hitting the low point of your swing. This is achievable for even the most casual golfers if you make small adjustments to move the low point of your swing forward. Positioning the ball in the center of your stance.
What is the difference between accelerating down and pulling with the trail hand?
Pulling with the lead hand tends to move the low point forward, whereas accelerating down with the trail hand often has the opposite effect. These may seem like too nuanced an adjustment to make without putting in a lot of practice time, but there’s actually an easy way to get the feel for the difference in your body.
What happens if you move the handle in front of the clubhead?
If you position the handle slightly in front of the clubhead—more towards the target—the low point moves forward. As a result, you have a decent chance at getting a good iron shot if you move the handle just a little bit in front of the golf ball.
What hand do you use to practice golf?
Here’s what you do: As part of your pre-shot routine, take a few practice swings with your lead hand only. Your trail hand does nothing. It doesn’t touch the club at all. You’re just holding the club in your lead hand and giving that hand total control of your swing movement.
How does the low point of an iron work?
If you position the handle slightly in front of the clubhead—more towards the target—the low point moves forward.
Can amateur golfers hit down on the ball?
It’s common advice. But knowing what you should do it and knowing how to do it are two entirely different things. In fact, many golfers would tell you there’s a reason that the pros can hit down on the ball consistently while many amateur players cannot.
How to hit down on the golf ball?
In order to hit down on the ball, you need the low point of your swing to happen after you make contact. To put it another way, the goal is to hit the ball before you hit the turf. And correct ball position is the simplest way to make sure the low point of your golf swing happens at the right time.
How to position a golf ball in relation to your feet?
If you’re using a Rimer, finding the center is easy. Just position the slider in the center of the ruler. Then position your feet at either end of the Rimer and align the golf ball with the slider.
What does the ball position tell you about your golf posture?
Your ball position for irons tells you something about your golf posture for irons . . . and vice versa. Here’s what I mean by that. Just because your ball is in the center of your stance, that doesn’t mean it’s centered in your body. You might tilt your upper body toward the target, away from the target, or not at all.
What does it mean when your golf ball is too far forward?
This is another indicator of incorrect golf ball position. The fix for this one is fairly easy. If you keep aiming too far left, or “open,” it means the ball is too far forward in your stance. (This assumes you’re right handed. If you’re a lefty, “open” means the ball aims too far to the right.
What does it mean when your ball is open?
If you’re a lefty, “open” means the ball aims too far to the right. The cause is the same; your ball is too far forward.) On the other hand, if your aim is regularly too far to the right, or “closed,” the ball is too far back in your stance.
How to align a golf ball?
Align the golf ball with the space between your feet. Step your lead foot towards the target, but take a slightly smaller step than you would if you were centering the ball. Take a slightly larger step away from the target with your trail foot. The golf ball should be just barely forward of center.
When hitting irons, should you brush the turf?
Remember, when you’re hitting your irons, you should brush the turf after the moment of impact. If you’re regularly making contact with the ground before you connect with the golf ball, you probably have the ball in the wrong spot.
What part of the golf ball should I hit?
There is a short and simple answer to the question of what part of the golf ball you should hit. It is the rear, center portion of the ball. That's what will bring you the best result with the most swings. To put yourself in a position to hit this part of the golf ball, you must have the correct address, hand placement and swing.
How to hit the golf ball correctly?
In order to hit the ball correctly, you need the right address. For a right-handed golfer, make sure your left shoulder is facing the target. Your left foot needs to be directly underneath your shoulder. Your feet should be shoulder length apart and you should play the ball midway between your left and right feet.
How to swing a golf club with a left hand grip?
Place your left hand at the top of the grip, no more than 1/2 inch from the top. Place the small finger of your right hand in the gap between the forefinger and middle finger of your left hand. Place both of your thumbs down the shaft of the grip. Hold the club at about a "5" on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of grip strength. Any tighter than that and your swing will be restricted. Any looser than that and the club will not be secure in your hands.
How to hit a greenside bunker shot?
Instead, you want to hit the sand about three inches in back of the ball and have the sand explode into the ball to get it out of the hazard. If you hit the ball directly, you will sweep the ball out of the bunker and well past the green.
How far can you hit the sand in golf?
When you hit the sand first--known as "taking sand"--you will be able to hit the ball within five to ten feet of the hole.
How to keep your eyes on the golf ball?
Keep your head still during your golf swing and keep your eyes focused on the rear, center portion of the ball. When you are hitting the ball off the tee, you want to make direct contact with the ball and you do not want to take a divot. Keep your focus on the back of the ball during your downswing and through contact. The longer you can keep your eye on that portion of the ball, the more likely you are to hit the ball squarely.
How to make a long putt?
One of the keys to making a long putt is making a smooth putting stroke with a pendulum motion . You want to bring the club forward the same distance you bring it back. To do this, you must focus on putting the bottom portion of the back ...
