Lower Your Score
Lower Your Score
Solid Approach
Mastering your short irons is key to hitting more greens and lowering your score.
By Susie Corona and Dave Allen March/April 2008
Standing within striking distance of the green with a short iron (8-iron, 9-iron, pitching wedge) is one of the best scoring opportunities in golf. Get the ball on the green relatively close to the hole and you have a makeable two-putt. But many of us eagerly hit the ball, only to see it come up short or skitter left or right of the green. Another missed chance.
Hitting accurate short-iron shots requires a good setup, solid contact and excellent distance control. All of these are easy to master with a little focused practice. Try the tips on the following pages and you're sure to see your consistency—and scores—improve.
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- BREAKING 100
- Get Centered
- The shorter irons are designed to get the ball airborne, provided you set up correctly.
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- Breaking 90
- Groove Your Distances
- To stick your approach shots more consistently, you need to eliminate the guesswork that often goes with the shorter clubs. Many golfers find themselves in between clubs or being indecisive inside 100 yards because they don't know how far they hit these clubs.
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- Breaking 80
- Stop the Ball Quickly
- By using a short iron to approach the green, you're able to generate more backspin, which produces a higher ball flight and softer landing (i.e., a very precise shot).
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