How to groove your lower body for more solid strikes with your irons
Banking your back foot and knee toward the target — instead of thrusting them outward — is one secret to super-powerful iron strikes.
Stephen Denton
Hitting pure irons is a matter of striking the ball in balance with a slightly descending arc and ball-first-turf-second contact. You can take care of a lot of these needs with better lower body action as you swing down from the top.
The gist is to turn and shift, getting the majority of your weight over your front foot by the time you strike the ball. To make sure you’re doing it correctly (or maybe learning the move for the first time), place a water bottle on the ground just inside your trail ankle in your normal address position (above left). Now swing. Your goal is to shift weight from the top by “banking” your back foot inward (above right).
If you do it correctly, your back ankle should knock the water bottle toward the target. The bad move: thrusting your back knee out (i.e., “early extension”). A great checkpoint: At the finish, the insides of both knees are touching each other.
Jason Baile is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher and is director of instruction at Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Fla.
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