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Golf Lesson: The Mid Irons
I have always liked the medium irons, the four, five and six,
because they are the clubs which come into use so often in tournament
play. Also, the five-iron is the dividing iron between the medium
and short irons, and is an excellent club to practice with when
learning the iron game. It has just enough loft and distance to
enable the beginner to acquire the feel for the entire
golf swing.
I've spent hundreds of hours practicing the medium irons, and I feel
they are a strong part of my game.
DISTANCE
The medium irons are used for distances up to 170 yards under normal
conditions. In other words, you should figure the regular distance
for a six-iron to be 150 yards, a five-iron 160 yards, and a
four-iron 170 yards. As we pointed out in the chapter on short
irons, there is a maximum, medium, and minimum yardage for the
medium irons as well as the short irons. Every golfer should have a
pretty good idea how much he can get out of each club, and the only
way he can find this out is through practice and experimenting with
the various clubs.
USING THE MEDIUM IRONS
THE ADDRESS.
The square stance is used for medium-iron shots. Both feet should be
on an imaginary line that runs parallel to the line of flight. The
weight is equally divided between your two feet, and the ball is
positioned slightly left of center between the feet. The upper part
of your arms should be in close to your chest, and the right elbow
should be relaxed and pointing to your right hip. In this position
you are absolutely "square" to the ball, that is, your feet, hips,
and shoulders are on a line paralleling the line of flight.
THE BACKSWING.
After settling into your stance and making the minor adjustments of
the feet, body, arms, and hands that are necessary to become
completely comfortable over the ball, "tune" yourself up for the
backswing by waggling several times. Then swing the club head away
from the ball in a one-piece movement. I have the feeling that my
shoulders and the middle part of my arms dominate my backswing. As
the shoulders turn away from the ball, the arms simply follow the
turn, thus bringing the club-head inside the line of flight.
As the hands reach about belt-high, an upward cocking action of the
wrists takes place, moving the club shaft into a vertical position as
the weight is swung to the right side. The right elbow is pointing
down and close to the right side at this stage of the swing. The
left knee turns in toward the right knee to let the left side turn
away from the ball freely.
At the top of the swing, about 85 per cent of your weight should be
on your right side. Remember, however, that your weight should be
centered on the inside of the right foot and leg, not the outside.
The shoulders have turned a full 90 degrees, but the hips have
turned only about 45 degrees. This is because you want a little live
tension in the left side so it will snap back and lead the left-side
action into the start of the downswing.
If the left hip is allowed to turn farther than 45 degrees, the
entire swing is thrown out of balance and the tendency is to swing
the weight to the outside of the right foot. An extreme effort must
then be made to shift the weight back to the left side on the
downswing—quite a physical chore if you are off balance at the top
of the swing.
THE DOWNSWING. At the start of the downswing, there is a slight
lateral shifting of the weight, initiated by the left hip, to the
left side. The left heel is planted firmly on the ground, and the
weight is centered in the middle part of your feet and toward the
heels. The head is steady and behind the ball. The feeling should be
that the head or neck is the axis, or hub, of the swing, and the
shoulders are turning around this axis throughout the swing. Do not
let the entire body move laterally into the shot. When this happens,
the body sets up a blocking action so that the hands and arms cannot
function properly, and a pushed or sliced ball usually results.
Halfway down, the left arm and shoulder have begun to exert a strong
pull-down action which generates a little extra club head speed. This
brings the hands and arms into the hitting area in a fully cocked
position. The body and hands are now set for the explosive hitting
action through the ball, which is primarily applied by the right
forearm and hand.
In one brief instant your hands are behind you, and in another split
second they are in front of you, with the right hand turning over
the left.
While the arms are fully extended toward the target, the left hip
has turned out of the way, yet the head and shoulders are still
behind the ball. At this point, the right shoulder begins to pull
the head and body into an upright position so that a balanced swing
can be completed with a high finish of the hands and arms. Almost
all your weight should be on the outside of the left foot, and toward the
heels, at the finish. If not, you have a balance problem and
you should work to correct it. Remember, you should always try to
work your weight back in through your heels throughout your swing.
Improve Your Swing
Looking for better consistency? Need to improve your accuracy?
Desperately want some more yards? Or possibly you just want your
swing to look a little better so your buddies won't tease you
anymore. These are all great reasons for doing some work on your
swing, but what is the best way to go about it?
Improve Your Chipping
The 18th hole is a lengthy par 4 with a tricky elevated green.
You've missed the green to the right on your approach. Your ball
sits about 8 feet off the green in the first cut of rough. The lie
isn't too bad, but it's a tricky shot.
Improve Your
Putting
Drive for show, putt for dough. Relax the nerves, trust your
line. Eyes over the ball, smooth take away. Accelerate through the
ball, and...
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