Major problems hitting irons off deck

[fading]

Here's the deal.....I can hit the ball pretty well with my woods, whether this is off the tee or off the ground, slight fade, but decent connection and fair distance. In terms of irons, if I'm playing a par 3, I can use pretty much any iron and hit it clean and straight, Although I'm not the longest, a 7-iron will go 145, and a 6-iron will go 155 off the tee.

Now - if I find myself 155 yards from the green on a par 4 or 5, and I pull out my 6 iron, I will never get a really clean hit on the ball and it will generally go about 130 yards and fade to the left (I'm left-handed), which is really disappointing.

I suppose my question is, can anyone guess what might be causing this inability to hit irons well off the turf, or does anyone have any suggestions/drills to cure this problem?

[pnearn]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

Well this probably isnt the answer youre looking for but my guess is simply that you have too much tension in the swing. Its a 6i, perhaps not your favourite club, its a distance youre not sure about so you really try and rip it

Tension kills the golf swing. I dont think i have ever seen or read otherwise

Go to the range, and try taking slow backswings with a 6i getting a nice big coil (i.e. back facing the target) and then turn through the ball nice and slowly with the sole objective of just trying to hit the ball 100 yards. Keep everything really relaxed especically the hands and arms. This is a drill Freddie Couples does with his driver all the time apparently. My guess is you'll hit the ball a decent distance. Now it may be you find that maybe a 5i is the optimum club for this distance but thats fine. When you really see that lack of tension works, you can start increasing the rotational speed without increasing your grip pressure (by coiling better, wider arc, optimum backswing length etc) and get that swing speed up a wee bit

HTH

[trialsbiker2005]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

Im after some help with my irons,long irons,with short irons i can hit them well probably because of the loft,but long irons i cant hit at all,im sweeping them and sometimes hitting the ground before the ball,also i can hit my woods reasonably but i find i have to chocke down on the club i do this wth the short irons by the way.

all help needed people. thanks

[SlicersHell]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

How high are you teeing the ball on these tee shots that you hit well?

When you're hitting your irons poorly from the fairway, what does your divot look like? Is it a bit before the ball, or after?

[JasonGlatt]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

Generally when your hitting the ground before you hit the ball your doing one of two things: A) you are moving your head too much during the backswing or B) your changing your stance during the downswing. Try taking a 3/4 swing and go a little slower and as you get better try making a fuller swing and swinging a little faster. This should help you with hitting your irons off the deck.

[shootin4par]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

where is the ball in your stance?

[fading]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

In response to the various questions, I would tee the ball up only half an inch off the ground when I do tee it up, and normally then I hit it well. When I'm on the fairway it's not that I normally take much of a divot at all, but when I do, I guess it is before the ball. I'm 99% sure that it's not hitting the ground before the ball that's causing the problem, as I can generally feel when I've done that. Also, I have been over the last 6 months, using a 3/4 swing to try and improve accuracy, which has worked well. This has taken a little distance off itself obviously, but like I say, I can still hit it fine and reasonable distance when teed up. Regarding the ball in my stance, with a 6 or 7 iron it will be in the middle.

[shootin4par]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

and with a wedge where would it be?

[merarmou]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

If your divot is before the ball, this indicates that you are not hitting down on the ball. Rather you are hitting down before the ball. In general, rather than trying to lift the ball when its on the fairway, try and hit down on it. Ball first and then divot after.

[trialsbiker2005]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

With my woods and rescue club i find that i choke down on the club and this helps so much,but is this a bad habit.

[fading]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

Ok, I'll try hitting down on it tonight on the range...with a wedge it will be left of the middle

[shootin4par]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

ball is too far back in your stance, and that is why you also feel yourself falling back on your back foot sometimes

[fading]

Re: Major problems hitting irons off deck

Well, the hitting down on the ball helped to a certain degree, I think I was hitting the ball slightly better like this, however, I did occasionally tee it up to see the difference and I still seem to be hitting it slightly further when it is teed up.

Regarding the ball in my stance, I find that if I put the ball any further forward than central in my stance with a 6 or 7 then I will get even less distance, but I do feel that my weight transfer is poor, and I think that this is a large part of the reason my overall distances aren't great, but I don't know how to combat this?