Six Ways To Improve Your Iron Play

Good iron play is absolutely essential when it comes to shooting lower scores.

- Tour coach Zane Scotland

Put simply, the better you are with your approach shots, the more birdie chances you’ll have and the fewer times you’ll need to scramble to save par. Plus, a technique that produces quality irons shots will also make it much easier to hit good shots in all other areas through your bag.

Here, I’ll share my favourite tips and drills to help you improve the quality and consistency of your ball-striking and make better strategic decisions, so you can take your iron play to the next level.

1 Ball position

You should reference the ball position from your lead shoulder, because directly below that is where the low point of your golf swing is going to be. That low point should always be just after the ball. A significant number of people use the feet as a reference, but that can be inaccurate in relation to your swing arc. The ball can be three or four inches prior to the low point directly under your armpit for your short and mid-irons, and a touch further forward than that for your long irons and hybrids.

You can learn a lot from your divot. If your ball position is correct, it should start just after the ball and square to your target. If your divot is pointing noticeably to the left, that shows your swing path is very out-to-in; if it’s pointing to the right, you’re likely swinging too far in-to-out (the reverse for a left-hander).

2 Efficient impact