[Photos: J.D. Cuban]
Those towering, majestic iron shots that Rory McIlroy and other top pros hit into the greens? Most of us don’t have the clubhead speed necessary to create that kind of height and stopping power after landing. But with a few checks on your setup and one part of your swing, you can bring the ball in plenty high to hold most greens. Let me show you how.
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At address, move the ball slightly forward of centre in your stance and set your feet at shoulder width or a little wider. Those adjustments will get your spine to tilt a touch away from the target and also encourage a slightly forward-leaning shaft, basically straight up and down or “neutral”. Ideally, the butt end of the club points between your belt buckle and front hip [below].
Now that you’re set up for a higher launch, put all of your focus on how you finish the swing. That’s right, your finish can play a big role in controlling the trajectory of your iron shots. Imagine that your hands are finishing high over your lead shoulder and then try to hold that position [top]. This will help you keep your upper body behind the ball through the strike, adding to the effective loft on the clubface. So think, wide stance, shaft neutral, high finish, and you’ll have the ingredients necessary to hit it high and stop it fast.
Alana Swain, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, is based at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
