So you want to hit your irons or fairway woods better?
Hitting a great shot from the fairway is an amazing feeling... the sound, the feel and the sight the ball shooting towards your target like a bullet from a gun is something that every golfer (no matter how new or how experienced) loves to feel, hear and see. You might be looking to improve your strike, your distance or your ability to control the flight of the ball with your irons. Have a look at these tips below and see if they help your shots from the fairway.
Understand your role in the task at hand...
Most golfers who come to me with strike issues from the fairway often have the wrong concept of how the ball goes up in the air from the ground. Don't make the mistake of thinking you have to get "under" the ball to make it go up in the air. Instead of trying to help the ball up think more about trying to hit the ball forward. This way you should get the correct strike of the ball out the centre of the club and before the club makes contact with the ground. The club should be moving gently downwards through the impact area and not upwards. |
Hit the small ball before the big ball...
A perfect strike with a fairway shot would see the club head make contact with the golf ball first and then the ground after. One of the game's best strikers of the golf ball - Mo Norman - referred to this as hitting the small ball before the bag ball (the Earth!) If you find you're constantly hitting the ground before the ball try to focus on brushing the grass on the target side of the golf ball. This should encourage you to hit the ball out the centre of the club. |
Address and impact are not the same...
Most golfers who are struggling with shots from the fairway often think that address and impact are the same thing. The truth is that a good dynamic impact position will return the grip and shaft of the golf club much closer to the target than the club head. This creates something we call shaft lean at impact. In general, the better the player then more shaft lean is present at impact. Shaft lean at impact helps you hit the ball out the middle of the club resulting in longer, straighter iron shots.
Most golfers who are struggling with shots from the fairway often think that address and impact are the same thing. The truth is that a good dynamic impact position will return the grip and shaft of the golf club much closer to the target than the club head. This creates something we call shaft lean at impact. In general, the better the player then more shaft lean is present at impact. Shaft lean at impact helps you hit the ball out the middle of the club resulting in longer, straighter iron shots.