Need help with iron play BADLY!

[matt37]

Well,

All i have to say is, my iron play is horendous.

I went on vacation and before i went I did decent, and I come home and am just doing pathetic.

I dont understand how it changes that quick but it does, I have a number of things i must be doing wrong because when ever i hit an iron (no matter what iron) one of these 3 things happens

1. I chunk it so bad it is a horrable shot (i.e. a PW going about 30-40 yds.)

2. the ball makes a direct decent right ( Iam right handed, so this would be a slice) but the slice is so bad I must be doing something wrong. I think this may have something to do with wrist movement.

3. I top the ball

I need some serious help....

[SilverUberXeno]

I used to play shotty irons too, and my dad (not that great a golfer himself) gave me a tip I took literally, and I've seen EXTREMELY massive improvement.

Do.Not.Move.Your.Lower.Body. Almost not at all. Don't sway, don't lift your heel. Keep your arms straight on the backswing until you feel like you need to bend them to keep going back. Make sure your arms are straightened again by the time you hit the ball, hopefully before. Keeping your lower body still, and your upper body in the same position will guarantee you'll hit the ball.

Now, about that slice..

With irons, it's probably caused by
1)The ball hitting the part of the club where the shaft connects to the head.

Solution: Try to hit more towards the toe of the club. Stand directly over the ball and the club to see where you should really be aiming. At address, it won't look like it's in the center of the club when it really is, it'll look more toward the toe. Get a feel for this.

2) You have a rather pronounced out-to-in swing path, creating excess and uncontrollable spin.

Solution: Try standing closer, and turning your body less into the ball. Use your arms more and your body less. Also practice on swinging through the ball straight, don't pull the club against your body.

3) The clubface is open at impact, meaning the ball comes off and heads right.

Solution: Concentrate on having the back of your hand aiming at the target at impact. If you open the club face on the backswing, make sure you're bringing it back in on the downswing.

And practice. Practice, practice, practice.

[matt37]

Thanks SilverUberXeno,

I got a lesson for this pro who was a real idiot, I didnt know this untill after when i was informed.

He had me change my whole swing, which in my book never ends well.

He told me to NOT keep my lower body still, He said that is not possible due to the fact that you have to have the right weight transfer.

He also told me to use my body more, you are telling me to use it less.

Iam confused, the instructor is a moron, So your probably right before he is.

[SilverUberXeno]

Well, I'm no instructor, but what I told you to do definitely worked for me. Moving your body creates more power, and as you get better you might be able to control it. But, for now, do it sparingly. Accuracy before power.

A shot 150 yards into the fairway is better than a shot 250 yards out of bounds.

[matt37]

Okay, I will try what you said next time.

Also, when you say do not move your lower body. Does this mean your hips?? Can i move my hips or no??

Where to where on my body should i not move during my shot.

Also, will this improve my chunking problem?

Thank You.

[SilverUberXeno]

You should try it with your lower body as still as you can be. Keep your right knee flexed a bit to prevent swaying your hips. The ideal golf swing is a twisting upper body on steady hips. Swaying hips, unless done PERFECTLY will give you inaccurate shots. Also, don't raise/lower your torso. With a little practice, you're taking a lot of variables out of your swing.

The only things you're going to be worrying about are arms, and upper body turn. You can certainly use your lower body through impact to stay balanced and bring the club up behind you, but try not to use it until you're at impact.

Take what you can from what I say and apply it to your game. You should see improvement. Your chunking should be defeated because you won't be hitting the ground until you're supposed to, because you're not changing the angle between you and the ground.

[matt37]

I will try this out tommorrow, and write an update.\

Thanks a bunch SilverUberXeno

[SilverUberXeno]

I just did some club-less practice swings to get a real feel for what I do.

Raising your left heel a little might help you stay balanced into the backswing, but keep your right knee steady. Do NOT straighten out your right leg. At address, try to set the club dependent on your right leg. Your club position at address should roughly be the trajectory and position that you want to come back to the ball at.

Make sure you keep practicing, too. Even terrible swing-styles will get better with practice. Some will still be terrible, but they'll be less terrible.

Ideally, go from this almost-no-movement-method to more. Use this as a basic swing, then as you get more profficient, throw in another variable. Adding one at a time will build up your swing effectively, and you'll never be faced with something you can't handle.

it'll also let you know if there's something you absolutely shouldn't do, and you'll be able to identify it right away.

[matt37]

I just did some practice swings.

And judging by what you said, I think i realized my flaw.

What i was doing was this,

I was using my lower body to control my whole swing. Like i would push off with my left foot and then on my follow threw push with my right foot.

Could this be part of my problem.

I also do not think i was following through completely.

[SilverUberXeno]

Very big problem. It's hard to come back to the same position at impact that you had at address, or at least the same stature. The left heel shouldn't lift much if it does at all.

Following through will help you accelerate through the ball, and keep the clubface squared longer, because you won't anticipate stopping. Keep your eye on the ground until your arms force you to turn in your follow through. Be confident, the ball should be pretty easy to spot floating straight down the fairway

[VtDivot]

Originally Posted by matt37

I just did some practice swings.

And judging by what you said, I think i realized my flaw.

What i was doing was this,

I was using my lower body to control my whole swing. Like i would push off with my left foot and then on my follow threw push with my right foot.

Could this be part of my problem.

I also do not think i was following through completely.

What you are talking about is swaying - is very bad, kinda like the clap except for the burning when you urinate part.

You need to concentrate more on turning the shoulders to make your backswing. Anyways sounds like you have enough mental crap now to ruin your game for the rest of the summer, so I'll stay out of this

[VtDivot]

Originally Posted by SilverUberXeno

Make sure you keep practicing, too. Even terrible swing-styles will get better with practice. Some will still be terrible, but they'll be less terrible.

SilverUX - a little better shorty than SUX i guess

I am sorry to disagree with you again tonight (I must be PMSing again)

But this in my opinion is bad also. Practicing a horrible swing will only ingrain muscle memory and make it more difficult for the player to make adjustments to correct his flaws further down the road.

His best bet is to see a Pro (if he doesn't like the one he met with maybe there are others) that can see his swing in person and recommend fixes for it.

I don't entirely disagree with completely changing a persons swing if it doesn't produce a good result. If the student is willing to practice and make the new better swing his own, he/she can enjoy a lifetime of golf knowing that they have a fundamentally sound golf swing.

[Justice76]

Go to the range and hit all your balls with only a half backswing. You will fell it and it will be straight, Then gradually take a full swing, dont over due the backswing with the irons.

[SilverUberXeno]

Justice has a good point, accuracy > power. If you can't hit accurately will a full swing, then don't use a full swing. You can probably make quite a few pars not using full swings. You can par a course with a 7 iron and a putter, probably. Using stronger clubs and weaker swings would produce the same effect, maybe a better one.

As you practice, add more power, and correct your swings if you're losing control.