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For most golfers, long irons-the 3, 4, and 5 irons are known as the most difficult golf clubs in the lineup. however, they offer lots of advantages for modern golfers. Most players feel very comfortable using a 7-iron or 9-iron, but anxiety sets in when they delve a little lower in their loft to a 5 or 4 iron. Because of the inconsistency that people experience using the long irons, they tend to replace them with hybrids.
How to Hit Long Irons
For you to understand how you can hit long irons, you must get to the root of the issue. If you have played golf, you know that it is difficult to hit long irons when compared to other clubs. Hitting long irons can be compared to hitting hybrids. Hybrids were designed to help golfers who had challenges with long irons and required more assistance in hitting them high and accurately.
Confidence is an important factor when hitting long irons. However, it is hard for golfers to be hopeful until they find themselves launching several long irons into the green from at least 200 yards out. This article will help you know everything about hitting long irons.
Why Are Long Irons Difficult To Hit?
When it comes to long irons, no golfer will argue about them because everyone knows how hard they are to hit. The truth is that long irons are more challenging to hit than almost all other golf clubs. However, for you to lower your scores and drop the handicap to a good level, you need to use your long irons on the golf course.
For most golfers, long irons are hard to hit because of the approach they take. These are not woods or drivers and you must keep your swing smooth and assume that you are using a mid-iron to play. With long irons, staying still is one thing that most golfers overlook when it comes to their swing. You need to stay still and ensure that your shoulders and hips are in sync and stay down.
Moving your head or moving your body forward when using long irons always results in chunks. Furthermore, pulling the shoulders out prematurely will lead to hooks and slices based on how square your body is during impact. The most challenging fact is that long irons need hip and shoulder turn if you want to get the perfect shot.
Therefore, timing is crucial when hitting long irons. When you maintain the rhythm of mid-irons, then you will hit your long irons pure. Additionally, when you come up just as you are making contact, it will lead to shots that are too low or to skulls. When it comes to long irons, you need to follow these rules to ensure that you get the shots that you want and have an easy time on the golf course.
Tips For Hitting Long Irons
Although the driver is the longest and least-lofted golf club in your bag, most golfers unanimously agree that the long irons are the most difficult to hit. This is why golf club manufacturers designed the hybrid as a replacement for the long irons since they are easier to hit owing to their wider sole and deeper and lower center of gravity. However, nothing beats the accuracy of a well-struck long iron.
Additionally, there are times that every golfer will be forced to use their 5- or 6- iron, for example, on long part 3 or in an approach shot where hybrids may be too much a club. Here are a few tips that will help you when hitting long irons.
Correct Ball Positioning
When positioning the golf ball for a long iron shot, most players make two errors: having the ball too far back or having the ball positioned too far forward in the stance. This is a big mistake because most players try to their ball get airborne. Having the ball set at the front center of the stand is the best position when hitting long irons.
When the golf ball is placed too far in the front of the stance, making contact with the golf ball as it is on its way up will be much easier. As a result, you will be hitting the golf club past impact since it is coming up and this will lead to a two-groover, topped shot, or super thin shot. You need to position your ball front center and trust the club’s loft even if it is not that much when it comes to long irons.
It is also wrong to position the golf ball too far back in the stance. This is because you will have to come down steeply from the top of your golf swing and this will send the clubhead downwards into the turf. This will lead to a chunky contact and the shot will not go very far. Setting up the ball forward center in your stance is the perfect strategy for you to make contact at the correct point in the swing arc.
Widen Your Arc
Most professional golfers can confirm that widening the arch when you swing is essential to unlocking the best long iron hits. This means that you should take a wider stance and allow the golf ball to sit next to the left heel. If you want to maintain the ball at a lower course, you should position it more towards the right foot.
You need to round the ball out to create a sweeping motion with the backswing. When you get to the downswing, you should try to continue on the arc that you created on your backswing. You should then strike the ball as you get to the arc’s dip. This way, your head will be behind the ball and will allow for a steep swing that will move the clubhead hitting downwards on the golf ball.
If you hit your golf ball at a very steep angle, you will not get it airborne effectively. It is best to use shallow arcs since they are more effective in ensuring that you have adequate trajectory without overdoing it.
Consider More Than Just the Impact
Although ploughing your ball may seem like the perfect option, you must be careful with your approach. You should start by feeling your golf swing in your arms and how the body feels while doing it. You should stay tall when following through with the hot and keep everything in control. This will ensure that your long irons create a great impact that is consistent enough.
Even the pro golfers must spend time practicing how to use long irons. Since they differ from other options, long irons are not always the first choice for the hobbyist or amateur golfers. However, if you feel like challenging yourself, ensure that you know how to create the right angle, arc, and how to keep in control when using long irons.
Take Your Time
When it comes to hitting long irons, timing is crucial. If your timing is off, then you will not hit your ball very well. You should swing slowly and ensure that everything moves in the correct downswing order from your body, arms, hands, to the golf club.
When using longer irons, you need to exert more effort into your golf shot than is required for swinging the pitching wedge. However, if you swing long iron clubs just like you would your short irons, the timing will be much better. Furthermore, you will have a better chance of achieving centerface contact, which is essential when swinging long irons. Therefore, you take all the time you need before making your golf shot.
Hitting High Or Low Shots With Long Irons
The best thing about long irons is the variety of shots they offer. With long irons, you can high and long, holding the green from 200 yards. They can also be shaped and worked with scrambling punch shots for saving a par.
Hitting Long Irons Higher
When it comes to long irons, you want to launch the ball and not hitting down and produce a backspin. For a golfer to hit long irons longer, they need to make some minor changes. Instead of reinventing your golf swing, you just need to widen up your stance, and elevating will be much easier. Think about how you close the stance up when chipping. You can reverse engineer this depending on the loft and the swing you desire.
If you want to hit long irons higher, ball positioning is crucial. You should position the ball in the center, but slightly ahead, about 4 to 5 inches inside the front foot. When you take this approach, you will establish the required rhythm.
Height is another consideration when hitting your long irons higher. Hitting your long irons higher does not mean that you reach an elevation that is similar to your 9-iron. When talking about the long irons going high, we simply refer to getting them off the ground.
Anything that flies 10 feet in the air and then rolls 200 yards is not higher enough. Your golf ball should fly about 80 to 90% of the way to achieve a good shot. To hit your long irons higher, you need to finish high.
How to Hit Long Irons Low
If you want to hit long irons with a lower and punchier shot, you need to play your ball just a little back in the stance, but not too far back. Having the ball positioned one of two inches behind the center and not off your back foot is ideal.
Your backswing may be shorter or longer to control the distance that you want the ball to go. In the meantime, the follow-through should reach parallel. This way, the ball will be kept low and can easily sneak under any pesky tree branches obscuring the shot.
Hitting Long Irons With Maximum Distance
Although you want to hit irons easily and high, there are natural obstructions. For amateur golfers, your irons will definitely roll out. You must also temper expectations when it comes to how high you hit your long irons.
When you place more emphasis on generating spin, you will lose distance. If you hit a 4-iron 200 yards, about 20 yards will come in distance after the carry and you need to embrace it. Rhythm is another factor to consider when hitting the golf ball far and high. You should always treat your long irons like mid irons. Avoid the mistake that many golfers make of trying to get every yard from each swing.
Always remember that dropping the swing speed by several miles per hour will translate to more consistent and better contact. It is this consistency that will lead to longer carry. When hitting long irons becomes natural with practice, you will control the roll better. To maximize distance when hitting long irons, you need to increase the launch angle, avoid adding spin and do not over swing.
Which is Better Between Long irons and Hybrids?
As an amateur or hobbyist golfer, you are probably asking yourself why you should practice with long irons when hybrid clubs can achieve similar extra forgiveness. Although hybrids are excellent clubs that are recommended for social and amateur golfers, they do not provide the same range of shots as the long irons. The long irons can be used when hitting onto greens or can be kept low in the wind. In addition, they are excellent clubs for a shaped low around trees or fairway bunkers.
Hybrids are perfect for enhancing consistency through forgiving design. However, you may discover that they do not have the same ability to be kept low into the wind, to work the ball, or under trees. This is because they are designed to get the ball into the air with ease. Hybrids are perfect options for slower swinging golfers and they can be swapped in for the long irons.
In Conclusion
The truth is that even professional golfers have difficulty when hitting the long irons consistently. Just like any other golf shot, you will only get better at hitting long irons with practice. With lots of practice, you will eliminate the apprehension you experience while on the golf course and will be more confident when you have a few perfectly struck long iron shots.
