Iron swing question

[jim8flog]

One of the great teachers of the game, Harvey Pennick, once said if the choice is between a soft 7 and a hard 8 always go with the hard 8, better to go with the swing you know and trust rather than one with which you are not as familiar.

However he was saying that to a pro.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Rather than try and swing 80% every time, make 80% your 100%

So 160 is your 120% swing but normally, and the swing you practice, is your 100% swing.

 

[Foxholer]

So when I'm hitting my irons I will always generally be swinging to hit it 100% as hard as I can.
For instance if say my max distance on a 7 iron is 160 yards, if I was 160 yards from my target I'd choose my 7 iron and hit it as far/hard as I could.
Is this thought process wrong?
I'm a high handicapper, it would interesting to hear what the lower handicapper would usually do?
Should I be say reigning it in a bit and take a club more and swing say 75%? I struggle a bit with inconsistency (strikes/accuracy etc) and was thinking today that this could be a big reason.

I believe it is - at least in general! I've been a 'low' handicap and played/watched many other low guys/professionals quite closely. Trying to swing 'too hard' seems the most common cause of poor shots!

If always swinging 100% is your philosophy, then, unless you are hitting it perfectly every time, you are likely to be disappointed with the result a lot - if not most of the time! And swinging 100% is probably the greatest cause of inconsistent strikes!

While there may be times when a 100(+?)% shot is the best option, hitting a longer club easier is, imo, much more likely to achieve 'better' result. Would adopt that 100% approach if the pin was tight to the front of the green, protected by a hazard? Try '90%' and see whether the strike consistency is better. One of the things I learned the first time i used a Launch Monitor (2004 or 2005) was that the harder I tried to hit the ball, the shorter it went!

Btw. If the pic in your profile is your typical swing , I'd suggest could improve your swing by turning your hips, torso and shoulders more. It seems a very 'armsy' (Crickety?) swing.

 

[Roops]

"Left arm parallel" is a great drill for iron swings. Basically, don't swing the club back any farther than when your left arm (for a righty) is parallel to the ground. You will probably find the ball goes just as far as a full swing, but with more consistency.

 

[Foxholer]

"Left arm parallel" is a great drill for iron swings. Basically, don't swing the club back any farther than when your left arm (for a righty) is parallel to the ground. You will probably find the ball goes just as far as a full swing, but with more consistency.

H'mm! Can you explain please? Left upper arm...Yes. but whole arm horizontal? Not for me!

However, that (upper arm horizontal) is a Pelz 9 o'clock wedge swing, which I'm happy to use.

 

[Slime]

Try thinking smooth rather than 'Hulk smash' 😄.

The more popular way is to say a name to slow you down. Severiano (on the back swing), Ballesteros (on the down swing). You should not have hit the ball before finishing the name. It's quite effective 👍

My problem with this is that I get golfer's names mixed up!
Unfortunately I go with Severiano ....................... slight pause ..................... Na.
Just can't get it right!

 

[hairball_89]

H'mm! Can you explain please? Left upper arm...Yes. but whole arm horizontal? Not for me!

However, that (upper arm horizontal) is a Pelz 9 o'clock wedge swing, which I'm happy to use.

Whether the whole left arm stays horizontal is probably a whole other ballpark, but certainly for me when I aim for a parallel left arm I have much more control. Having seen myself video'd whilst hitting 5 consecutive iron shots I'm all to aware that what I think is parallel to the ground and what actually *is* parallel to the ground are different things!

To answer the OP a little more, I think you have to find the balance between power and consistency. I know my best iron striking comes from trying to be smooth through the ball. I'm not the longest hitter - 7i is my 150 on a good day - but when I push it, that's when things go awry.

 

[clubchamp98]

If you watch goof footballers taking free kicks they rarely kick it as hard as they can, they are trying to control the ball with spin.
Hitting golf shots 100% is hard to do.
Jack Nicklaus used to say he hit 7 shots around like he meant to.
So us mere mortals may only hit 3/4 if your lucky.

I was taught years ago to hit my irons 10yds short of their max distance.
So 7iron 160max learn to hit it 150yds under control
If you need the extra or want to stop it with spin then full out is ok.
But full out all the time will put your body under strain and you will be prone to injury.

 

[bighairydel]

I believe it is - at least in general! I've been a 'low' handicap and played/watched many other low guys/professionals quite closely. Trying to swing 'too hard' seems the most common cause of poor shots!

If always swinging 100% is your philosophy, then, unless you are hitting it perfectly every time, you are likely to be disappointed with the result a lot - if not most of the time! And swinging 100% is probably the greatest cause of inconsistent strikes!

While there may be times when a 100(+?)% shot is the best option, hitting a longer club easier is, imo, much more likely to achieve 'better' result. Would adopt that 100% approach if the pin was tight to the front of the green, protected by a hazard? Try '90%' and see whether the strike consistency is better. One of the things I learned the first time i used a Launch Monitor (2004 or 2005) was that the harder I tried to hit the ball, the shorter it went!

Btw. If the pic in your profile is your typical swing , I'd suggest could improve your swing by turning your hips, torso and shoulders more. It seems a very 'armsy' (Crickety?) swing.

Yeah I've always been a bit 'armsy' which I think doesn't help with my consistency, ironically I ended like this to try and get more control.

 

[Roops]

This probably explains it better.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Yeah I've always been a bit 'armsy' which I think doesn't help with my consistency, ironically I ended like this to try and get more control.

I know what you mean. I can get very armsy and use them without really making a turn either back or through, even though I think I am. I have to really focus, especially at the moment of getting the left shoulder under the chin and trying hard not to over swing (been a 35+ year issue). Once I've done that, just the forward motion to hit the ball to worry about. What can possibly go wrong?

 

[Smasher]

Something comes over me when i stand over a ball and i subconsciously try to smash it, even though i thinking 'swing slow and smooth'. Practice swings, prefect, stand over that ball......
Slowing down my back swing helped me, sets the tempo and i have a slower and smoother down swing.
Ironically, as other people have said, i hit it further when it's smooth.

 

[clubchamp98]

Something comes over me when i stand over a ball and i subconsciously try to smash it, even though i thinking 'swing slow and smooth'. Practice swings, prefect, stand over that ball......
Slowing down my back swing helped me, sets the tempo and i have a slower and smoother down swing.
Ironically, as other people have said, i hit it further when it's smooth.

Watch Fred Couples or Ernie Ells on you tube.
It’s a joy to watch try to copy their tempo.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Something comes over me when i stand over a ball and i subconsciously try to smash it, even though i thinking 'swing slow and smooth'. Practice swings, prefect, stand over that ball......
Slowing down my back swing helped me, sets the tempo and i have a slower and smoother down swing.
Ironically, as other people have said, i hit it further when it's smooth.

Exactly, This is so me.This week I've been out on the course practicing the smooth swing. I mean, that's why I went there, but standing over the ball it all goes out of my head and I find I'm trying to hit hell out of it.
Only good thing is that by the end of the nine holes I'm getting smooth, but why not from the start, Grrr😊

 

[Smasher]

Watch Fred Couples or Ernie Ells on you tube.
It’s a joy to watch try to copy their tempo.

Absolutely, i put Fred as my answer in the your favorite golf swing thread. They're hypnotic when you get a video showing a few shots back to back.

Exactly, This is so me.This week I've been out on the course practicing the smooth swing. I mean, that's why I went there, but standing over the ball it all goes out of my head and I find I'm trying to hit hell out of it.
Only good thing is that by the end of the nine holes I'm getting smooth, but why not from the start, Grrr😊

You described me much better than i did, i'm exactly this! Get into a rhythm after a few but can easily drop out of that, that's why a warm up doesn't help with this that much.
I also put it down to wanting to play too well, once i'm into it i relax and play better but i tend to have groupings of good and bad holes.
Maybe i should start listening to Oasis 'whatever' rather than 'rock n roll star' on the way to the course

 

[Sandsider]

I think Lee Trevino said don't practice swinging smooth, practice hitting the way you do when under pressure.
He said we're all jerking up and down on the back 9 of Trophy Day, that's what you should be working on.
Of course, you could do it like Joe Cool and pretend not to be stressed, but then you aren't going to win anything.

 

[rksquire]

'100%' is a subjective term and not really something I think you could measure - for example, imagine your 100% swing; now could you swing harder, hit it harder, rotate faster, increase tempo, increase backswing beyond 270 etc. etc. - so most peoples 100% isn't really. If you hit everything 'hard' and produce a consistency of strike, then why change? If you swing everything hard, but then have a problem hitting an easy 'one club more', that's a limitation of an amateur so better to maintain your consistency.

I'm no expert, and would certainly benefit from more lessons etc., but I've settled myself to know producing consistency positively affects my scorecard. For me, that means the same acceleration feeling though the ball at impact with every club except woods/ driver. With wedges, and distances 100 yards and in this means changing the length of backswing, choking down but it does change what feels like my '100%' through the ball.

 

[clubchamp98]

Absolutely, i put Fred as my answer in the your favorite golf swing thread. They're hypnotic when you get a video showing a few shots back to back.



You described me much better than i did, i'm exactly this! Get into a rhythm after a few but can easily drop out of that, that's why a warm up doesn't help with this that much.
I also put it down to wanting to play too well, once i'm into it i relax and play better but i tend to have groupings of good and bad holes.
Maybe i should start listening to Oasis 'whatever' rather than 'rock n roll star' on the way to the course

Albatross Fleetwood MAC.

 

[Siolag]

This thread has given me a lot of food for thought, I especially like the Severiano Ballasteros up and down! Thanks all!

 

[bighairydel]

So got on alot better today, much better contact with the ball and no real drop in distance suprisingly! One thing i did struggle with though was I found I was focusing on my tempo and was forgetting to rotate through with my hips causing me to get all handsy, and tips on getting my hips to behave?🙈🤣