Yet another tip that made me smile. As you explain the causes of various errant shots, lights go on. Until I had heard many of your explanations, I had no idea what was causing my pushes or fades. Now, as soon as I hit one (they aren’t nearly as frequent as they used to be) I know why it happened. I played yesterday, and although the score was still pretty horrendous, I came away feeling very encouraged because I see progress. Swinging in the back yard helps immensely.
That’s great that you are starting to feel it. Just focus on one or two things and master them. Then move on to 1 or 2 more and you should be pretty close to developing a great swing.
Forget the score as you are and stay focused on developing a great swing. In doing so you will hit some great shots. That is what is coming in the future. Keep doing tons of practice swings at home. You are right in the middle of a breakthrough so you really need to be repeating and perfecting the positions right now. Keep the arms loose and relaxed and feel the lower body hitting the ball.
Paul, I’ just arriving from the golf course where I used this technique and some other tips I’ve been practising on this week. I dropped 15 strokes, yes 15 strokes from last week disaster when the majority of my tee shots where absolutely rubbish. I can’t thank you enough for your guidance.
I’m still slicing a little bit with the driver and 3 wood but quite straight with the hybrids. Also, I found something interesting, I’m hitting the 5 iron shortly, pretty much like the 6 iron. For some reason, I can’t put a ball between 130 and 150 meters but I’ll get there.
That’s great news. If you are slicing the face is open. You need to be doing your roll over drills constantly until you get rid of this spin on the ball. Do it at home, range and even when you play. As you go to hit your shot though don’t think roll over otherwise you will hook it. You need to be thinking about keeping the arms relaxed and powering the swing with your legs and hips. It sounds like you are close so keep rolling it.
Hi Paul, I have improved somewhat on everything except my long irons and they seem to be getting worse. I know you’re right in saying I am trying to hit the ball and getting locked up. I still do that on all shots but not as often. My question is about divots; I never leave a good divot. When I seem to make good contact, it is more of just a brushing mark. Will that come later as I start making better contact? I would also like to hear your explanation of the purpose of and how to use the bounce. Are there different degrees for the bounce, and what are they for and how are they beneficial? I have just noticed that my first set of years gone by was Wilson 1200 LT’s and they have a lot flatter looking bounce than my most resent set.
I’m hooking my hybrids. Have slowed down and tried not hitting as hard. Have also worked on improving my alignment which has really helped cut down on driver hooks but not helping with my hybrids. Would appreciate any tips as I’m not a particularly long driver so use the hybrids frequently.
You only have one swing so hooking the hybrids would mean the shafts are too weak or you are changing your swing for those clubs. Maybe they are offset hybrids whereas your Driver is not offset. You would have to determine this. A lot of hybrids have weak shafts so you should get those checked out.
Maybe for reason you are changing your grip when you setup with your hybrids. A strong grip would make you hook it if you released it. Maybe on these clubs you are not driving your legs hard enough. No leg drive and your your hands take over. This would be the most likely case in the fact that you said you slowed down your swing. Hybrids are easier to release because they are shorter. If you slow down your swing and hit your driver fairly straight it would make sense the shorter hybrids would be hooking. I like the fact that you slowed down your swing to get the arms out of it but you do have to power it with a substantial leg drive. If you have taken the arms out long enough it would be time to start working on leg drive.
I think there is an underlying problem of your grip being too strong. If you are hooking it without trying to hook it there is a grip problem. The driver isn’t hooking as much due to its length. The longer the club, the longer it takes to square.
So trying swinging these clubs easier. If you are hitting it fat get off the back foot better (feel the heel coming off the ground through impact). If it is clunky stay loose and let the club swing wherever it wants to swing.
Paul, The ideaof long irons is longer shots. If I swing slower Am I not going to create slower club head speed & therefore shorter shots?
Just an observation.
Also I am going to be in Las Vegas the first of MAy & would like too some time with either you or Rick.
No … you wouldn’t hit it less. You would hit it more. I am not talking about swinging extremely slow. You are swinging a little slower. In doing so your wrists stay looser. The looser something is the faster it swings. Swing harder and you tighten which gives you a powerful feeling yet the ball doesn’t go anywhere. Try it.
Just email me when you know for sure if you are coming. We would love to work with you.
Long fairway shots are probably the biggest weakness in my game. I am trying to follow this tip, and I am making some progress. The longest fairway clubs I hit are 5 iron and 3 (26 degree) hybrid. One thing that I have noticed is that when I am hitting on a down slope (the ball is at the same level as my feet but the slope is down and away from me and the ball) I hit great shots. I play the ball a little back in my stance and I really nail it — long and straight. It happens with too much regularity to be a coincidence. Does this tell you something about my swing? Should I always play the ball back whether or not I am on a slope? Thanks.
I wouldn’t be playing the ball back too far on normal lies. The farther you play it back the more the arc is from the inside. Longer club takes longer to square so you may hit pushes and push fades. Be careful. When practicing tee up your ball and do the roll over drill first to unlock the wrists. Then think body rotation to hit the shot but do it slowly at first. There is very little room for error on these shots. Get it airborne and half decent then speed up the lower for more power in the future. Everyone always want to hit the ball their best and they rarely ever do. Why not start with good, easy shots then build it up?
I am hitting my driver well, thanks to your tips. My driver trigger is turning my right leg, and my lag is good. That is not quite the case with my long irons. Since I am not driving my right leg so hard with the long irons, I can’t seem to get the trigger right. Any suggestions? Also, does the long iron video also apply to hitting hybrids? Thanks. Lee
If you can’t feel the legs hold the club in the air and do some practice swings feeling them. Once you get the feeling you step up and apply this same feeling to the shot.
You are going to be driving hard just not quite as hard to allow the face to square. Everyone swings a million mph with long irons because they are called long irons and people feel they need to swing super hard which is not the case. The club is long and it has less loft. It will go longer if you just put a smooth swing on it.
Hi Paul, Today I took several practice swings in the air before hitting my long irons. I didn’t nail every one, but there was a big improvement from the last round I played. I am still pushing a few to the right or slicing a little, so I am going to do the roll-over drill and try to cure that. Thanks. Lee
Good stuff. Just roll it 3-5 times then hit a ball thinking body rotation. If you still don’t get it then roll from the top and literally get it hooking. Once you can hook it feel the release as you think about starting the lower body. If the lower body starts first you will hit it dead straight.
I was wondering if wether you are still using the same length irons? I have been getting mixed review from the golfers out there. I am sceptical about them simply because i don’t see how it covers the various distance. Your thoughts please? Tq.
I actually tried the Cobra single length for a while and wasn’t hitting them all that great vs. the Sterling Irons. I am currently back to my Taylor’s for a little while to see the difference. I had no issue with distances with the Sterling Irons. They have different lofts and placement of the center of gravity to get the ball to fly the appropriate distances. This was never an issue. I hit them exactly as long as my Taylor’s. It took them 2 years to design those clubs and they were tested on an Iron Byron.
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23 Responses to “How to Hit Long Irons”
May 31, 2013
ERIABBERAHi Paul,
By the way, is grip pressure at top of the back swing the same at impact?
May 31, 2013
Paul WilsonEriab,
The grip will be secure at the top and secure at impact. The wrists are loose. So yes, your grip pressure needs to be the same.
May 31, 2013
RaymondCHASTELI used to play the long irons ,some Time ago ,up to 1 Iron .with
June 1, 2013
Paul WilsonRay,
This is why … guaranteed:
Stop Topping Your Fairway Woods: https://ignitiongolf.com/stop-topping-fairway-woods/
Focus on what I am saying. The answer is there.
May 31, 2013
LenKoblenzHi Paul,
Yet another tip that made me smile. As you explain the causes of various errant shots, lights go on. Until I had heard many of your explanations, I had no idea what was causing my pushes or fades. Now, as soon as I hit one (they aren’t nearly as frequent as they used to be) I know why it happened. I played yesterday, and although the score was still pretty horrendous, I came away feeling very encouraged because I see progress. Swinging in the back yard helps immensely.
Thanks again,
Len
June 1, 2013
Paul WilsonLen,
That’s great that you are starting to feel it. Just focus on one or two things and master them. Then move on to 1 or 2 more and you should be pretty close to developing a great swing.
Forget the score as you are and stay focused on developing a great swing. In doing so you will hit some great shots. That is what is coming in the future. Keep doing tons of practice swings at home. You are right in the middle of a breakthrough so you really need to be repeating and perfecting the positions right now. Keep the arms loose and relaxed and feel the lower body hitting the ball.
June 1, 2013
JosPaul, I’ just arriving from the golf course where I used this technique and some other tips I’ve been practising on this week. I dropped 15 strokes, yes 15 strokes from last week disaster when the majority of my tee shots where absolutely rubbish. I can’t thank you enough for your guidance.
I’m still slicing a little bit with the driver and 3 wood but quite straight with the hybrids. Also, I found something interesting, I’m hitting the 5 iron shortly, pretty much like the 6 iron. For some reason, I can’t put a ball between 130 and 150 meters but I’ll get there.
June 2, 2013
Paul WilsonJose,
That’s great news. If you are slicing the face is open. You need to be doing your roll over drills constantly until you get rid of this spin on the ball. Do it at home, range and even when you play. As you go to hit your shot though don’t think roll over otherwise you will hook it. You need to be thinking about keeping the arms relaxed and powering the swing with your legs and hips. It sounds like you are close so keep rolling it.
October 25, 2013
WayneSextonHi Paul, I have improved somewhat on everything except my long irons and they seem to be getting worse. I know you’re right in saying I am trying to hit the ball and getting locked up. I still do that on all shots but not as often. My question is about divots; I never leave a good divot. When I seem to make good contact, it is more of just a brushing mark. Will that come later as I start making better contact? I would also like to hear your explanation of the purpose of and how to use the bounce. Are there different degrees for the bounce, and what are they for and how are they beneficial? I have just noticed that my first set of years gone by was Wilson 1200 LT’s and they have a lot flatter looking bounce than my most resent set.
September 13, 2014
larryjacobsonPaul
I’m hooking my hybrids. Have slowed down and tried not hitting as hard. Have also worked on improving my alignment which has really helped cut down on driver hooks but not helping with my hybrids. Would appreciate any tips as I’m not a particularly long driver so use the hybrids frequently.
Thanks.
Larry
September 14, 2014
Paul WilsonLarry,
You only have one swing so hooking the hybrids would mean the shafts are too weak or you are changing your swing for those clubs. Maybe they are offset hybrids whereas your Driver is not offset. You would have to determine this. A lot of hybrids have weak shafts so you should get those checked out.
Maybe for reason you are changing your grip when you setup with your hybrids. A strong grip would make you hook it if you released it. Maybe on these clubs you are not driving your legs hard enough. No leg drive and your your hands take over. This would be the most likely case in the fact that you said you slowed down your swing. Hybrids are easier to release because they are shorter. If you slow down your swing and hit your driver fairly straight it would make sense the shorter hybrids would be hooking. I like the fact that you slowed down your swing to get the arms out of it but you do have to power it with a substantial leg drive. If you have taken the arms out long enough it would be time to start working on leg drive.
I think there is an underlying problem of your grip being too strong. If you are hooking it without trying to hook it there is a grip problem. The driver isn’t hooking as much due to its length. The longer the club, the longer it takes to square.
Watch:
Hooking: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-hooking
Conclusion:
I really think you have a strong grip so you have to start working on that immediately.
Keep the feeling of the arms letting go and not trying to hit the ball with them.
Work on the touch the legs positions:
Legs Touching: https://ignitiongolf.com/touch-knees
Exactly How To Do Touch The Legs Position: https://ignitiongolf.com/how-to-touch-the-legs-position/
If you are doing the position exactly right then start doing these drills to gain way more power (do them nightly in practice swings at home).
DRILL: Listen to Club Swinging: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-listen-to-club
DRILL: How To Get Faster Hip Rotation: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-faster-hip-rotation/
DRILL Lift Heel For 2 Weeks: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-lift-heel-2-weeks/
Keep me posted.
January 10, 2015
jimbrookerPaul-
There is nothing you haven’t covered…. this described my problem exactly thanks Jim
January 11, 2015
Paul WilsonJim,
So trying swinging these clubs easier. If you are hitting it fat get off the back foot better (feel the heel coming off the ground through impact). If it is clunky stay loose and let the club swing wherever it wants to swing.
February 9, 2015
LouisBondPaul, The ideaof long irons is longer shots. If I swing slower Am I not going to create slower club head speed & therefore shorter shots?
Just an observation.
Also I am going to be in Las Vegas the first of MAy & would like too some time with either you or Rick.
February 10, 2015
Paul WilsonLouis,
No … you wouldn’t hit it less. You would hit it more. I am not talking about swinging extremely slow. You are swinging a little slower. In doing so your wrists stay looser. The looser something is the faster it swings. Swing harder and you tighten which gives you a powerful feeling yet the ball doesn’t go anywhere. Try it.
Just email me when you know for sure if you are coming. We would love to work with you.
April 20, 2017
LeeDanekerLong fairway shots are probably the biggest weakness in my game. I am trying to follow this tip, and I am making some progress. The longest fairway clubs I hit are 5 iron and 3 (26 degree) hybrid. One thing that I have noticed is that when I am hitting on a down slope (the ball is at the same level as my feet but the slope is down and away from me and the ball) I hit great shots. I play the ball a little back in my stance and I really nail it — long and straight. It happens with too much regularity to be a coincidence. Does this tell you something about my swing? Should I always play the ball back whether or not I am on a slope? Thanks.
April 23, 2017
Paul WilsonLee,
I wouldn’t be playing the ball back too far on normal lies. The farther you play it back the more the arc is from the inside. Longer club takes longer to square so you may hit pushes and push fades. Be careful. When practicing tee up your ball and do the roll over drill first to unlock the wrists. Then think body rotation to hit the shot but do it slowly at first. There is very little room for error on these shots. Get it airborne and half decent then speed up the lower for more power in the future. Everyone always want to hit the ball their best and they rarely ever do. Why not start with good, easy shots then build it up?
DRILL: 3 Ways To Roll It Over: https://ignitiongolf.com/3-ways-to-roll/
Roll Around The Stick: https://ignitiongolf.com/roll-around-stick/
Clarifying the Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/clarifying-roll-drill/
Modified Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/modified-roll-over-drill/
June 10, 2017
LeeDanekerI am hitting my driver well, thanks to your tips. My driver trigger is turning my right leg, and my lag is good. That is not quite the case with my long irons. Since I am not driving my right leg so hard with the long irons, I can’t seem to get the trigger right. Any suggestions? Also, does the long iron video also apply to hitting hybrids? Thanks. Lee
June 12, 2017
Paul WilsonLee,
If you can’t feel the legs hold the club in the air and do some practice swings feeling them. Once you get the feeling you step up and apply this same feeling to the shot.
You are going to be driving hard just not quite as hard to allow the face to square. Everyone swings a million mph with long irons because they are called long irons and people feel they need to swing super hard which is not the case. The club is long and it has less loft. It will go longer if you just put a smooth swing on it.
June 13, 2017
LeeDanekerHi Paul, Today I took several practice swings in the air before hitting my long irons. I didn’t nail every one, but there was a big improvement from the last round I played. I am still pushing a few to the right or slicing a little, so I am going to do the roll-over drill and try to cure that. Thanks. Lee
June 13, 2017
Paul WilsonLee,
Good stuff. Just roll it 3-5 times then hit a ball thinking body rotation. If you still don’t get it then roll from the top and literally get it hooking. Once you can hook it feel the release as you think about starting the lower body. If the lower body starts first you will hit it dead straight.
July 10, 2017
HermanKohHi Paul,
I was wondering if wether you are still using the same length irons? I have been getting mixed review from the golfers out there. I am sceptical about them simply because i don’t see how it covers the various distance. Your thoughts please? Tq.
Herman.
July 11, 2017
Paul WilsonHerman,
I actually tried the Cobra single length for a while and wasn’t hitting them all that great vs. the Sterling Irons. I am currently back to my Taylor’s for a little while to see the difference. I had no issue with distances with the Sterling Irons. They have different lofts and placement of the center of gravity to get the ball to fly the appropriate distances. This was never an issue. I hit them exactly as long as my Taylor’s. It took them 2 years to design those clubs and they were tested on an Iron Byron.