'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

[Derekgolfing]

Hello all

I am an amature golfer trying to review & improve some the basics of my golf and try to apply the correct fundamentals to my swing. Overall I am quite happy with my progress so far, but I have found just recently that my standard iron fairway shot's have become a big problem. In short, with my fairway iron shots I am hitting the ground several inches before the ball and hence not making any significant contact with the ball and 'duffing' the shot. As a result of doing this more and more frequently I have created a mental blocj in my mind when I approach a fairway short placed perfectly on a fairway. Altough I am aware of what I am doing wrong and resolve mesures in my mind and practice swing to overcome the problem, I am afraid I will repeat a bad shot and as a result often do.

From what I have been told, my practice swing is good, head down, light grip, slow backswing, not alot of lower movement etc and smooth follow through keeping head down. But when I actually take the shot I must be either lowering my stance and hitting too early or trying to 'attack' the ball too agressivley and so my swing becomes inconsistent.

I especially find the problem with the lower irons.

Any advice on how I can go about correcting this problem would be much
appreciated.

Thanks
Derek

[Brian 39]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

I'm trying to get over a similar problem.

A lesson I took was a major help and the best tip I could give is go for a lesson.

However, my main problem was I was not properly balanced in that I was leaning on my heels rather than the 'balls' of the foot at the base of your toes.

I make sure before I take any shot whether it's a drive, long or short iron or chip that I am generally balanced from front to back and left to right.

It's something you can sort out on the driving range. If you can hit a 4 iron cleanly off a mat, you should be able to hit off a tight fairway.

[Brian 39]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

the other good helpful tip was once you are happy with your setup and your backswing, don't think about hitting the ball, just think about completing the swing. I find if I'm duffing fairway shots that 'complete the swing' is a good 'swing thought' and will generally settle me down again.

[gord962]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

If you are doing this on every shot, why not move the ball to where your divot starts in your stance. Where is your ball in your stance? For many, the shorter the club, the farther back in your stance you have to move your ball. The reason for this is because your swing is steeper as your clubs get shorter because of a more narrow stance. Typically for shorter clubs the ball position is at the center of your stance.

[TeachingPro]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

I'd agree with Gord for a quick fix but it's not really something you want to do forever. With short irons I have always believed the ball should be in the middle of your stance.

Normally fat shots are caused by a change in spine angle through the swing which is indicative of an "anxious" swing.

But ... I'd like you to try to visualise your spine as being the axle to the wheel, which is your swing. To get the wheel turning back and forth without wobbling, the axle has to remain in the same position. Correct?

So, in a golf swing you need to angle your spine in such a way that you can turn bck and forth without changing the angle. So, it's normally best to lean your spine a bit to right so more of your torso is right of the ball than there is left. Make sense? More of your torso has to be behind the ball than in front of it - that's another way of putting it. The longer the club, the more "lean" you have. In wedges have half your torso left and half right (very little spine lean) ... but that's the next step in the process.

Okay, now when you turn behind the ball and back into it, your torso should turn around your spine. Get up from the chair you are sitting on now and try it! Setup as if you were going to hit a golf ball with some spine "lean" and turn keeping your spine angle the same.

Do the same when you swing to the golf ball on the downswing. Keep your spine in the same position. At impact you should be nicely behind the ball but not leaning backwards.

What this does is it stops your swing working like a wheel with a bent axle - it stops it from wobbling. It's this "wobbling" in the golf swing that causes lifting and dipping and just about every other fault known to the golfing world.

I know there is a lot of theory and "golf speak" but break it down into bits you can work with and experiment and drill on the range swinging around your fixed spine angle.

[Derekgolfing]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

Hi folks

Thanks for your the replies and the advice, I will take it all on board. Graham I just had a question on an aspect of your advice that I don't understand. The principle of what you are explaining makes alot of sense, and you explain how an erratic swing arc is caused well. What I don't understand, and I'm probably just misunderstanding your theory, but how do you swing in a circular motion wthout 'the axel', your spine bending from it's straight position when taking stance to full drawback during the swing? If the spine was kept straight that would restrict the height of the swing and also result in a very stiff composure during the swing would it not?

Thanks again
Derek

[TeachingPro]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

Yeah ... there is a misunderstanding.

When you address the golf ball, your spine should lean back away from the golf ball getting the bulk of your torso behind the golf ball. You also lean forwards into the ball on the "horizontal plane".

Okay? So ... forwards towards the ball bending at the hips and back away from the ball creating the weight and centre of gravity behind the golf ball.

Now - this is the "trick" : Keep the same position of the spine until after impact. Your hips, torso and arms all swing around the spine. The spine doesn't move from its position until after impact.

Does that make more sense when I phrase it that way?

[pgmetcalf]

Re: 'Duffing' Iron Shots on Fairways

Of course the common mistake with beginners is trying to hit the ball as hard as you can which can lead to a multitude of problems. So to avoid confusion I'm going to mention the one thing that I think is most common - That is initiating the downswing with the hands, something which is very easy to do when trying to hit the big one.

Pulling down with the hands causes tension and generally results in the right arm straightening at the start of the downswing which is incorrect. The right arm should follow the action of the sidethrow used by a baseball player or the action when skimming pebbles across a pond (almost over the right hip.)

To try and feel this sidethrowing motion use this tried and tested exercise.

Swing to the top and stop

Have a friend grip the clubhead

Turn the body towards and left of the target line

If you do it correctly you should feel the angle being maintained in the right elbow and you should feel your right shoulder drop right down and around.