iron help

[jp303]

hi, i have started playing golf more over the last month. before this i had only played a few times a year if that with family.

i have never had a golf lesson and the only tips i have heard are from watching youtube videos. i will look to get lessons, but i am currently on a small island where there is a course but no pro and i do not return back to uk for a few more weeks.

my problem is with my irons, particularly 3-5. i feel comfortable off the tee, putting and chipping, it is just iron play from the fairway. i always seem to be messing up the shots and never getting proper contact. im either topping it or hitting it off to the right. tips for the next 3 weeks??

thanks

 

[bobmac]

Do you have any way of filming your swing?
Do you finish your swing up on your right toe (If right handed)?

 

[CrapHacker]

If you are trying to practise, get on the range and take the 3i and a 7i.

Hit a ball with each trying to use the same swing tempo.

If you are on the course, trying to score, only use the pesky clubs off the tee. Off the fairway you're better off using the clubs you are confident with, leaving it short, then chipping on

You got 180+ to the green.

Even if you hit it clean, how often is your 4i going to be straight enough to leave you a safe two putt ? So on a par 4 that's a par once every blue moon, a bogey when you hit it clean but not perfect, and anything from a 6 upwards if you fat it, thin it, hoik it, shank it, etc.

Take a 7i, leave it 30 yards short, simple chip, and a 2 putt at worst. So that's a rare 4 when you chip it close, and a bogey every other time.

Simples.

Then as you get better, you'll either learn to hit your 6i better, and leave a shorter chip, or practice your 70 yard wedge and just hit a 9i, wedge to 3 feet every time

Ask Leftie.

 

[jp303]

i cannot film my swing im afraid. i know my swing has a lot of problems since im just basing it on videos as i said. when i swing i try to remember all the basics i watched, it seems to work for my driver.

thanks for the advice, i think i will do that, use the clubs im comfortable with over the next few weeks, i guess i can only get more comfortable with them which is never a bad thing. then wait until i have a driving range and a pro to teach me a proper swing when i get back to Exeter.

as you can imagine, it is just very frustrating when you nail a tee shot then muck up the hole due to poor iron work, which seems to be happening 60% of the time.

 

[CrapHacker]

Where are you now ?

There must be a driving range somewhere near where you are.

If you have any hand / eye coordination at all, you'll get yourself some kind of swing with the help of a good pro.

In the meantime try to keep it simple. Don't worry too much about low slow takeaways, hinging the wrists, and weight transfer.

Think about how you'd naturally relax and throw a ball. That's basically all you need to know to be able to hit a golf ball.

Recently I've been a great advocate of the baseball drill, I often use that to keep too many 'technical' thoughts out of my mind until I'm working on my own.

It's on youtube. Basically you stand upright, and relaxed. Then swing the club like you would a baseball bat. Nice and natural.

Then you bend your hips a bit, swing again, etc, until you are in the correct position over the ball, and then kaboooom, you're a couple of hundred yards down the fairway.

It's not the be all, but it's a darn sight better than trying to pick up technical tips off a video clip, when you can't actually see what your swing looks like in the first place.


Oh, and don't try to hit it as hard as you can. 80% is plenty for the time being. It'll help with excess body movement.

 

[jp303]

im in Alderney, Channel Islands. tiny island. so, no, there isnt anywhere near unless i jump on the plane. As i say, im only here for a few more weeks.

i will try the baseball drill and try and keep it as simple as i can for the time being.

thanks

 

[Smiffy]

im in Alderney, Channel Islands. tiny island.

If the island is that tiny I would steer clear of 2,3 and 4 irons

 

[jp303]

thats where i have been going wrong