How often have you hit a great drive only to follow it with a bad iron? All too often, weekend golfers follow great tee shots with wicked slices or big hooks off the fairway on what should be routine shots into the green. Talk about frustrating. It can ruin the hole for you—and maybe the day. What’s worse many golfers don’t even know why they hooked or sliced the shot. But a simple mental trick helps you hit irons as straight as an arrow.
Below are six keys to hitting straight irons
Plant your front foot
Make a post with front leg
Maintain a forward bend
Form a sideways “C”
Keep your lead hand square
Finish on the outside edge
Of the six keys mentioned above, the most important is the one about your lead hand. Straight shots are hit with the back of your lead hand square to the target at impact. That’s because your lead hand mirrors the clubface at impact.
Bad shots occur when the back of your lead hand is anything but square. Slices happen when you hit the ball with the side of your hand leading through impact. Snap hooks happen when you turn your lead hand over too much through impact. In both cases, the back of the lead hand lets you down.
To improve iron play, think in terms of the clubface as the back of your lead hand. At impact, you should feel as if you’re hitting the ball with the back of your lead hand facing the target and club’s shaft leaning slightly forward. Done correctly, this produces a nice divot on the forward side of the ball pointing directly at the target.
If you’re not hitting good irons from the fairway, keep your lead hand square to the target at impact for better results. Master this golf tip and you’ll hit your irons straight every time.
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