HIT FORWARD

Until we can view the groundas our friend and that golf is a game of opposites, we willstruggle with the concept of how to hit good iron shots.

As the clubface travels down into the back of the ball it is actually trapping it between the clubface and the ground. It is this action which gets the ball in the air, by forcing the ball to run up the clubface, imparting backspin. The spin of the ball is what creates lift.

I am a little uncomfortable with the description of ‘hitting down on the ball’, as this tends to encourage players to lunge into their shot, taking too much ground after the ball (resulting in too deep a divot) and not believe that what I am teaching them is going to help.

Simply remember that the loft on the club is there for a reason, and that no assistance is required to get the ball in the air other than hitting forwards. It has very little to do with strength - it is all about technique.

As you can see from the picture above, by getting the hands in front of the ball with a forward leaning shaft moves the bottom of the swing arc forwards, allowing us to naturally catch the ball first. If you watch any professional golfer, you will see the angle of the shaft leaning forwards at impact, and this actually gives a much greater margin for error.

We are now maximising the area of the clubface that can come into contact with the ball whilst reducing the chances of catching the ground first. The grip is critical in allowing me the freedom to get into the correct positions, as the angle in the right wrist is so important at impact.

You can see that the right wrist has retained the arch, which makes a very powerful position. To get into the correct positions follow my rule of thumb...