Hi everyone,
I am having some real trouble with my iron shots. I am a sophmore in high school and average about a 53 in our golf matches. The bad thing is i literally chunk 1 to 2 swings every hole. if i can get These shots shaved off then i think i can do a lot better. My drives are about 215 (i shoot a fade driver, not on purpose) and I putt 1-2 MAXIMUM. My Irons are really bringing my game down. I can hit my SW an easy 75 straight and my PW an easy 115 a little to the right. BUT MY DAMN 8 AND 6 IRON ARE CHUNK CHUNK OR MAJOR SLICEEEEE. I dont know what is wrong. Yes i could only afford a SW,PW,8 and 6, i plan on getting others later but for now this must suffice. Any advice???
Sure it has something to do with "coming over the top", also known as making your downswing from the outside in. It also has to do with coming down at a steep angle. It’s the combination of swing path and swing steepness that cause the chunk and/or slice. Here are a couple drills that will help:
(1) Make your swing more shallow.
— Another way of looking at this is to widen your swing, or don’t pick the club up so much with your hands/arms.
Drill – Start by placing a golf ball about 18 inches behind the golf ball you are about to hit. That’s 18 inches to the right of the ball you are going to hit (if u are right handed). Make sure your weight is centered and then begin your takeaway (start the backswing). Brush the grass with the bottom of your clubhead and maintain that until you knock the 2nd golf ball out of the way. This will ensure a smooth, shallow takeaway and minimize the steepness of your swing. Long story short, this will get rid of the chunks.
(2) Reverse swing path drill.
— If you are slicing the ball, you need to try a drill that reverses your current swing path, from outside in (across your body) to inside out…
… and from swinging at the ball, to swinging through the ball.
For a drill, try taking the club back on an outside path (think Fred Couples or Lee Trevino here, and if you don’t know those guys, find a video on youTube of one of them) and dropping it in and around your body as you swing through the ball. It’s almost like you’re trying to block a shot out to right field intentionally. The only difference is, you want to extend thru the ball at impact and don’t be afraid to release the club by turning your body thru to the finish of your swing.
So to summarize, drill #1 – put a 2nd golf ball about 18 inches behind the ball you want to hit. Make your backswing and be sure to brush the grass and knock the ball out the way in the backswing.
#2 Do the same as drill #1, but this time move the 2nd ball away from your body about 2 inches. Try and hit the 2nd ball again in your backswing and in doing so, your swing path should start outside of where it normally does. Re-route the club back to the inside and when you get to impact, be sure to swing thru the ball and release the club, kind of like cracking a whip thru the ball and at your target.
I hope this helps!