Fundamentals Of Iron Play
FUNDAMENTALS OF IRON PLAY
Definition: A full swing with an iron using about 80% of your maximum effort to maintain balance and control of the club.
Goal: The goal of an iron shot is accuracy and distance control. Accuracy is achieved by having a repeatable golf swing that goes back and through on a similar swing path. Distance control is achieved by striking the ball in the center of the club using a controlled swing. Strike the ball with a descending blow from the inside allowing the clubface to hit the ball first, then the ground about an inch ahead of the ball.
Setup:
- Ball position should be placed about 2 balls off your left heel.
- Stance is shoulder width apart (outside of shoulders over shoe laces) with your 6 iron. With your longer clubs, your stance will increase a half an inch per club, and it will decrease a half an inch per club with your shorter irons. This is based on the half-inch increments in length in your irons.
- Flare your feet out about 20 degrees to allow your body the ability to turn correctly.
- Bend over from your hip joints (waist), not from your knees, so the end of the grip points to your belt-line.
- Your balance should be equally distributed on your feet. If done correctly, you should be able to wiggle your toes at address without feeling your weight shift back.
- Your arms should hang comfortably below your shoulders.
- Your hands will be positioned slightly ahead of the golf ball to simulate the impact position.
Execution:
- Start your backswing with your center turning back. Turn don’t shift.
- Allow your wrists to hinge up creating a 90 angle between your left arm and the club shaft.
- Keep your right knee flexed and stable on the backswing.
- Stop your backswing where you have the most control.
- Swing down from the inside to allow you to release the club properly. You can achieve this by keeping your hands close to your body on your downswing.
- Strike the ground about 1 inch after the ball to achieve correct contact with the ball.
- Turn all the way through to a full finish. Your shirt buttons, belt buckle, right knee, and shoe laces should be facing the target at your finish.
- Hold your finish until the ball lands.
Hit More Greens In Regulation By Using This Philosophy
AIM AT THE MIDDLE OF THE GREEN
Ben Hogan and Nick Faldo are two of the best golfers ever. I enjoy reading about them and watching their golf swings. However impressive their swings are, what truly made them great was their course management and mental toughness. One of the course management tactics that I’ve learned from them and use to this day is the philosophy to always try to miss your shots it in the middle of the green. I’ll tell you why this is important and how to do it.
From my experience over the years, I’ve really noticed how hitting more greens not only lowers your scores, but it takes pressure off the rest of your game. It’s easier to make birdies and pars when you hit a green in regulation compared to when you miss it. I doubt there’s any of you that’d like to miss more greens.
It’s pretty obvious that hitting more green will help your score. Here’s how to do it:
When the pin is on the right – aim towards the center of the green and try to hit a small cut.
When the pin is on the left – aim at the center and hit a small draw.
Now, if you can’t work the ball don’t worry. Still aim at the center and try to hit the ball straight. This will give you more room for error and it greatly decreases your chances of short-siding yourself (short-siding means missing the pin on the side of the green where the pin is which makes it more difficult to get the ball up and down).
When the pin is in the back of the green – try to hit a lower shot to help you error short of the hole in the center of the green. Take a conservative club, but be aggressive with your swing. Never try to fly the ball to a back pin. It’s just too risky because missing over a green is a cardinal sin in golf.
When the pin is up front – try to hit the shot a little higher so you have a better chance of flying the ball on the green. Also, when the pin is up front and you’re in between clubs, hit the longer club. This will increase your chances of flying the ball on the green.
Golf is a game of misses. Ben Hogan claimed he only hit one or two perfect shots a round. That means every other shot was a miss. The better your misses are the better golfer you’ll be. Using this philosophy will help you miss it better after a bad swing. Remember, the two goals are to miss it in the center of the green and try to never short-side yourself. Playing this way may not be exciting, but it will lower your scores. Good luck!
About
KYLE VOSKA, PGA PROFESSIONAL
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from St. Michael’s, St. Xavier, and Miami University. After graduating from Miami with a Finance degree, I moved to Florida to pursue my professional golf dreams. After a few successful years and a couple of difficult years, I stopped playing full-time. After a year of caddying on the LPGA Tour for Young Jo, Kim Williams, and Angela Stanford, I moved back home to Cincinnati. Currently, I live near Sharonville with my lovely wife, Lindsay, our kids, Maclin and Ellie, and our dog, Nora.
Teaching golf for over a year in Florida and having taken and watched many lessons from PGA Certified Master Teaching Professional Carl Rabito, becoming a golf instructor was something I really wanted to do. Fortunately, I was able to find a home at Sharon Woods Golf Course in Cincinnati, my old home from the 90′s, to further this new career path. As I enter my 6th season as a golf professional, I’m excited how my role is taking shape. I assist in managing and supervising a staff of nearly 40 while teaching golf lessons to over a 100 students. Hopefully, someday I’ll have the opportunity to mentor some future golf professionals like myself.
Email: kvoska@hotmail.com
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- PGA Member – June, 2009
- 2008 PGA National Assistants Champion
- 43 Professional Tournament Victories
- 2010 Southern Ohio PGA Section Player-of-the-Year
- 2010 Southern Ohio PGA Southwest Chapter Player-of-the-Year
- 2009 Cincinnati Chapter Match Play Champion
- 2009 Southern Ohio PGA Assistant’s Champion
- 2001 and 2010 Southern Ohio PGA Open Champion
- 2000 PGA Buick Open Contestant
- 1998 Miami Athlete-of-the-Year
- 2-Time NCAA Division I All-American
- Mid-American Conference Sportsman and Player-of-the Year (1998)
- 2-Time Cincinnati Met Amateur Champion (1997, 1998)
- Cincinnati Met Amateur Medalist and Runner-Up (1996)
- NCAA low scoring average on Par 3′s (2.91) in 1998
- Low competitive round – 62 (3 times): Four Bridges CC (’01), Oasis CC (’09), and Juniper Hills GC (’02)
- Low non-competitive round – 61: Browns Run CC – White tees
- Won a 54-hole Developmental Players Tour event by 9 shots shooting 19 under par with no bogies (64,64,69)
- 4 career Holes-in-One and 3 career double eagles
MY PGA MENTORS:
Tom Bach – Head Professional at Sharon Woods Golf Course
George Long – Kenwood CC PGA Professional/Head Pro at The Mill Course (17 Years)
Carl Rabito – PGA Certified Master Teaching Professional (Top 100 Instructor)
Mike Bender – 2009 PGA National Teacher-of-the-Year (Top 100)
Craig Shankland – 2001 PGA National Teacher-of-the-Year (Top 100)
Jim Suttie, Ph.D - 2000 PGA National Teacher-of-the-Year (Top 100)
Bill Madonna – Bill Madonna Golf Academy (Top 100)
Andrew Park – The David Leadbetter Golf Academy
Chris Toulson – Jim McLean Golf School at Doral
As you can see, I’ve been very fortunate to have learned from some of the best PGA Professionals in the country. I feel privileged to pass on the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained from spending time with these great gentlemen.
