My iron play?

Question

When i am playing my irons, my shot eithe head off target(not with a slice or hook though), or I top the ball what is my problem?

Answer 1

Is the off-target trajectory a push (right for right handers) or a pull?

My hunch is push. This means the ball is too far back in your stance so the club face is just starting to close and bottom in your swing when it reaches the ball. This will lead to pushes if the club doesn't top.

Move the ball forward in your stance (relative to your left and right feet). A long iron should be forward of your belt-buckle about the area of the label on your shift and a short iron should be about your belt-buckle. Although Tiger's former teacher, Butch Harmon, believes that all irons should be in the same position at or behind the area of the label on your shirt. However, good weight shift is required to pull this off consistently without topping.

Also, don't stand to far form the ball or you'll top.

Answer 2

tarheelsjordan - a lot of problems with irons can be found in two places..topping could be a function of "standing up" and not getting under the ball and off line can be a weight shift problem. Can't help with the first (I don't have that problem), but try this drill for off-line. Using a 5 iron, place a small towel about 6-8 inches behind the ball. Take your swing. If you hit the towel before the ball, your weight is still back on your right foot (for right handers). The club head is coming in at the wrong angle. Shifting your weight forward will make the ball fly straighter.

Answer 3

topping the ball comes from 2 things: not keeping your eye on it through the whole swing, and not aiming at a specific point on the ball. pick a point on the ball to hit, not just the whole ball, and don't take your eyes off of it until its laying on the ground AFTER the shot.

many things can cause a ball to go off target. if it isn't a slice, you may just be aiming wrong. a problem i had is that i didn't have my club heads parallel to the ground. this is adjusted by how far the ball is in front of you. if the club head is tilted toward or away from you, it changes the angle that the ball comes off of it, causing you to miss.

good luck, keep at it!

Answer 4

moving forward in your stance should fix topping the ball. If your shot is going straight, but not at the target, then your aim is off and you need to correct where your aiming the ball. These are both problems I encounter myself.

Answer 5

Why does anyone ask for swing advice on this site? Go see a pro.