Welcome to the Perth Golf Centre blog, where we provide valuable insights and tips to help you improve your golf game. Today, we'll be focusing on an essential skill every golfer should master: striking your irons like a tour pro. PGA Professional Michael Kunman is here to share a simple drill that will have you hitting your irons with precision and consistency in no time.
As we all know, hitting the ball in the sweet spot of the clubface is crucial for distance, accuracy, and control. Unfortunately, many amateur golfers struggle with off-centre strikes, hitting the ball too high, too low, or off the toe or heel. This inconsistency makes it challenging to judge distance and accuracy effectively.
To address this issue, Michael will guide us through a practical drill that helps improve your iron strikes. Whether you're at the driving range or have enough space at home, you can benefit from this exercise. However, we strongly advise using something soft instead of golf balls if you're practicing at home to avoid any accidents.
Here's how the drill works:
LEVEL 1
Set up with your golf club in the address position and place a golf ball on either side of the clubhead. Start with an inch or two and bring them in as you get better.
Begin with some practice swings, focusing on getting a clean turf interaction and aiming to avoid hitting the balls on either side.
If you’re a player who tends to hit the toe or heel struggle to maintain consistency during impact, you will notice you’ll hit the balls. The club either moves away or gets too close to the body, resulting in off-centre strikes. Pay attention to the feedback from your swings. What does it feel like when you swing too far away and hit the outside ball? How does it feel when you swing too close and hit the inside ball? Calibrate your swing to find the optimal path for consistent strikes.
Once you feel comfortable and consistently avoid hitting either ball, it's time to step up the difficulty.
LEVEL 2
Place a golf ball on the ground and attempt to strike it (with the balls on either side). The objective is to hit the ball cleanly without contacting the side balls.
Pay attention to your swing path, clubface angle, and strike quality.
To add difficulty, you can bring the side balls closer together or increase the number of consecutive shots you need to hit accurately. Adjust the challenge based on your skill level and progress.
By practicing this drill, you'll develop a better sense of centered strikes, consistency, and feel in your golf swing. The focus is not on technique or specific positions but rather on achieving a task and improving your strike quality.
Remember, the goal is to strike your irons like a tour pro, hitting the ball consistently in the middle of the clubface. This will lead to improved distance control, accuracy, and overall performance on the golf course.
We hope you find this drill helpful in your quest to become a better iron player. If you enjoyed this content, make sure to like this post and check out our YouTube Channel
At Perth Golf Centre, we're dedicated to helping you play the best golf of your life. Thank you for reading, and we look forward to hearing about your progress soon!