The key to going flag-hunting with a knockdown iron swing

Utilizing the identical membership to hit completely different distances is the calling card of a participant. When you get good at it, there’s completely no purpose you possibly can’t snuggle an iron shut.

Most rec gamers assume that taking off yards from a sure membership is a matter of controlling the size of your backswing. My recommendation is to maintain your backswing the identical. Why complicate issues? The trick is to mix your on a regular basis backswing with a special sort of end, relying on how far it is advisable to hit the ball.

Use 20 minutes on the vary to get the suitable feels. Begin with, say, a 7-iron. Make your regular backswing, however, as an alternative of swinging to a full end, cease your movement at about 90 % full (beneath proper). That’ll provide you with about, properly, 90 % of your complete distance.

Now attempt one the place you cease the membership simply as you are feeling it re-hinge in your follow-through (center). Discover that this provides you about 75 % of your full yardage — and a a lot decrease ball flight.

Then, swing and cease the membership as quickly because the shaft reaches parallel to the bottom (left). That’s about 50 % and leads to a penetrating flight that cheats the wind and provides you the shot-stopping spin you solely see on Tour. 

Eric Johnson is a GOLF High 100 Trainer who teaches at Yellowstone Membership in Massive Sky, Mont., and The Flip Membership in Cranberry, Pa.