PROMOTE A CRISP, DOWNWARD STRIKE

On the PGA Tour, the average attack angle for a 7-iron is 4.3º down. But perhaps the more interesting figure comes from the LPGA Tour where club speeds are much closer to the club golfer. Here, the average 7-iron attack is just 2.3º down. This shows that while a downward strike is important in creating a clean strike and strong ball speeds from a lofted face, it does not have to be excessive. Use your set-up to promote this strike.

SHAFT LEAN

Position your hands so you create one continuous line from lead shoulder to the clubhead. This builds some forward shaft lean into your address, meaning you don’t have to create it during the swing itself.

WEIGHT

Feel your weight fractionally favours your front foot. This will help you avoid swaying laterally off the ball during the backswing and it gives you something to push against to start the swing.

A NEUTRAL PATH

While there is some scope for swinging slightly across the target line, a solid, neutral swing path means less clubface manipulation and promotes accurate shots. The path of your swing is dictated by your swing plane – the angle on which you swing the club. This angle is set by the clubshaft at address. Over the page are two ways to train an action that follows this angle.

ELBOWS AND HANDS

Keep your elbows slightly flexed and your grip pressure light. This softness will help you develop the downswing lag that helps in the development of speed and an effective, compressing attack angle.

BALL POSITION

Play the ball from around the middle of the stance (shorter irons) to a couple of inches inside the lead heel (longer irons). With the swing’s low point falling somewhere under the lead shoulder, this sets up a strike with the clubhead still in the downward portion of its journey.