How To Add 10 Metres To Your Irons

How well do you hit your irons? If you rarely take a good divot, chunk the longer clubs or hit them thin, and/or leave your approach shots short, you're leaking power. Swinging harder only drains more power from your swing. That's because your arms outrace your body, the true seat of power in a golf swing. You must plug those power leaks in your iron swing to add metres to your swing:

Here are six keys to plugging those power leaks:

1. Maintain your head behind the ball
2. Assume a powerful back arm position
3. Keep the shaft ahead club head at impact
4. Keep hips and arms in the same place
5. Make sure the back of your front hand faces the target
6. Transfer your weight to your forward foot.

The key to hitting power irons is to arrive at impact with a descending blow. Unfortunately, some golfers swings are so flat, they can't return the iron squarely to the ball at impact.

Here's a drill that teaches you to generate good club face-to-ball contact with your irons:

Stick an umbrella in the ground. Next, place a ball on the ground so that when you take your stance the heel of your back foot is about two feet from the umbrella.

Swing back. If the club hits the umbrella, your swing is too flat. Take numerous practice swings until you're sure you'll miss the umbrella on the way up. Before you hit balls, move the umbrella back six to ten inches, so you won't hit it on the way back down. But use it as a reminder. Move it back to its original position when practicing.

If your back swing path is flat, you can't return the club squarely to the ball. You'll hit weak irons no matter how fast or hard you swing. Work on the drills like the one described above to ingrained its fundamentals and plug the power leaks. Making solid contact consistently adds metres to your irons and cuts strokes from your scores.

For more golf tuition, go to http://www.learninggolfswing.com

Wayne