Iron striking drills - need consistency

[SaintHacker]

I know the real answer is take some lessons, but finances say otherwise for the time being, so I'm after some advice/range drills for the winter.
Irons play is easily the weakest part of my game, and is preventing my handicap coming down a fair bit I reckon. The problem is consistency of strike. I can go from hitting a shot a pro would be proud of, to hitting the ground 6 inches behind the ball and sending teh divot further with my very next shot. My direction is generally OK, if I miss its more likely to be to the left, but the bad strikes are killing my game. Anyone got any good drills or other advice to help me improve over the close season?

 

[the_coach]

I know the real answer is take some lessons, but finances say otherwise for the time being, so I'm after some advice/range drills for the winter.
Irons play is easily the weakest part of my game, and is preventing my handicap coming down a fair bit I reckon. The problem is consistency of strike. I can go from hitting a shot a pro would be proud of, to hitting the ground 6 inches behind the ball and sending teh divot further with my very next shot. My direction is generally OK, if I miss its more likely to be to the left, but the bad strikes are killing my game. Anyone got any good drills or other advice to help me improve over the close season?

for sure real difficult to be definitive nit seeing current set-up & swing motion

but given that disparity in strike location - then one big issue is not controlling where the consistent low point in the swing arc is
would tend to suggest that in the takeback there's a degree of lateral slide to trailside goin on & possibly also some loss of posture either at top of backswing or thru downswing into impact or maybes some of both
sliding laterally off of the ball on the ways back could mean sometimes you never get back to the lead side good leading to the fats & not so good contact at strike


if you practice on grass you'll need 2 alignment sticks (or if only at hard surface range then 2 alignment sticks & 2 empty upside-down baskets) & a bag towel

stick 1 alignment stick (if grass) next to the outside of the trail heel running up the trail leg to be a couple inches off of the trail hip - during the takeback backswing you need to keep weight on inside trail foot & turn the trail hip behind you so you don't come into contact with the stick (if on a range place the stick in the upside-down basket so the basket is just touching the outside of the trail heel & top of the stick is the same couple inches off of the trail hip)

stick the other alignment stick approx a couple inches this time outside of the lead heel -(as in the video)
(again if on hard surface stick into upside-down basket so the top of the stick in approx 2" to 3" outside of the lead hip then in transition firs replace weight pressure into lead foot by moving lead knee, thigh & hip jus unto to touch the stick then turn lead hip inside the stick

place the flat bag towel approx 3" to 4" directly behind he ball - this will help you visualize a decent AoA into impact & you'll have to swing to miss towel to have decent strike location ball first turf or mat second

could try with all 3 things in place from the get-go

but maybes easier to start with just the stick at the trail hip side to train a good hip & body pivot (trail shoulder immediately turning behind not shifting laterally to the trailside)
then add the towel - then add the stick at the lead hip side


[video=youtube;3lRfaNgPaXc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lRfaNgPaXc[/video]

 

[bobmac]

Practice this drill

[video=youtube;bJ2oBmW37eY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ2oBmW37eY&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3OUldKvQT7 ZWYEmPOyW&index=11[/video]

 

[SaintHacker]

Thanks guys. Im playing tomorrow so I'll see if i can get someone to film me and post it up

 

[tugglesf239]

Practice this drill

[video=youtube;bJ2oBmW37eY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ2oBmW37eY&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3OUldKvQT7 ZWYEmPOyW&index=11[/video]

On a side note Bob

Lovely looking swing you have. Especially that driver head cover vid.

 

[bobmac]

On a side note Bob

Lovely looking swing you have. Especially that driver head cover vid.

Thanks. Not bad for an old man

 

[tugglesf239]

Thanks. Not bad for an old man

Would not be bad for a young man either. The contact sounds sweet as a nut.

Id kill for that tempo

 

[SaintHacker]

[video=youtube_share;XYww8OmY8kw]https://youtu.be/XYww8OmY8kw[/video]

Hope that works. Yesterday was actually a lot better. Been struggling badly with my chipping lately so watched a couple of youtube vids for some inspiration. One of the ones said how important it is to concentrate on finishing with your belt buckle pointing at the target. Did a bit of practice on that before the round and it worked well, so i applied the same thinking with all my iron shots and it really helped, direction was still a bit wonky at times but i was getting some really good solid strikes, and more importantly no chunks!

 

[SaintHacker]

[video=youtube_share;f4CytngMB0Y]https://youtu.be/f4CytngMB0Y[/video]

 

[bobmac]

A good effort.
If you watch my video above again and listen to the contract you will hear the club 'thump' the mat after the ball. On grass it woul have taken a nice divot.
You don't take many divots after impact I guess...

 

[SaintHacker]

Very rarely. I usually 'bruise' the grass a bit but hardly ever take a proper divot

 

[bobmac]

Very rarely. I usually 'bruise' the grass a bit but hardly ever take a proper divot

That's why you catch them fat sometimes.
You're leaning back a touch to help it in the air



If you can move the bottom of the arc to just in front of the ball you'll stop hitting them fat so you have to get off that back foot sooner.

 

[the_coach]

can see been putting in some pretty good work on the swing there - good job!

this iron shot - looking at the dtl vid - the target is the pin which is directly covered by your head at set-up ?

{as has been already said definitely a tad of a lean back goin on
& could be a couple of things that are influencing that tad of a lean back}

 

[SaintHacker]

Thanks again chaps, didn't realise I was leaning back but that would certainly explain some of my bad shots. What do think the cause/cure is?

@coach That shot was a lay up second shot on a par 5 (bloody great water hazard in front of the green) so the target was more anywhere down the middle and out of the ditch is good!

 

[bobmac]

. What do think the cause/cure is?

As I said earlier, the cause is you are trying to help the ball up in the air
The cure is to practice the drill from post no.3

 

[the_coach]

Thanks again chaps, didn't realise I was leaning back but that would certainly explain some of my bad shots. What do think the cause/cure is?

@coach That shot was a lay up second shot on a par 5 (bloody great water hazard in front of the green) so the target was more anywhere down the middle and out of the ditch is good!

okay - the reason for the question was trying to ascertain exactly what the target direction of the shot was - not distance of shot at all

anyways lot's of good stuff goin on in both the set-up the swing motion good top of position pretty good upper body turn & some good width there with that lead arm at the top (face-on vid)

certainly either the drill that has been shown with the 2 golf balls - sometimes folks get a tad nervous of cracking that extra ball especially in a driving range situation - if that doesn't bother you then all good - it is does try the towel version of the same drill first off then go onto the 2 ball drill

sometimes just thinking as a swing intention of not leaning back off the shot works fine along with doing that 2 ball or towel drill

sometimes though also that doesn't quite work out if there's a couple of other things goin down in the swing motion

so if having tried the drill & it still doesn't seem to be quite gettin there here's a couple of things to maybes consider & why

{if you have a look at the dtl vid & look at the takeback/backswing although pretty good just notice how halfways back the lead wrist starts to 'cup' so at the top the wrist is a tad cupped - often times with that the instinctively in order to deliver a square face angle at impact the body has to lean back so the release can square up the face

if you look at the downswing then as you come into the ball as well as leaning trailside a tad notice that the chest & head also moves up a tad & backs off aways from the ball

what works a bunch with this is having the aim of making the takeback/backswing as you do now - as said it's pretty good - but look to have a flat left wrist at the top of the swing & keep that flat wrist you transition weight lower left then just unwind through the ball chest covering the ball (so not backing aways from the ball/target line)
if you do this & the ball starts to travel leftfield that will be because your not clearing the lead hip & rotating the upper body - so think weight left turn the belt buckle left then chest left - with the 'cup' out of the lead wrist the face will square up & you can stay more centered over the ball - as you don't have to compensate with a lean back to square the face up

if still having trouble take another look at the vid from erika & place just one stick as she has it just off the lead heel then flat wrist at the top & feel that bump into the stick to start transition (instead of the arms & upped body started downswing) then just turn through the ball feeling the chest over it}

but for sure just try the 2 ball or towel drill alone first off - the stuff in brackets/italics is often times what I've found plays into the 'back off' issues & is something to look at if the drill hasn't completely solved the issues straight off

 

[SaintHacker]

Great stuff, thanks again Bob and Coach. And very glad that two blokes who clearly know what they're talking about haven't taken my swing to pieces!:rofl:ne:

 

[shortgame]

The best advice will be from Bob and the coach so I've nothing to add but to say your swing's not bad at all mate and very good for you h/c :thup:

 

[shortgame]

who clearly know what they're talking about haven't taken my swing to pieces!:rofl:ne:

And for free... fair play to them :thup:

 

[patricks148]

My advice would be to tuck your shirt in you scruffy bugger.... and cargo shorts.. tut tut