Address and setup are some of the most important factors when you are playing golf.
If your address position is off, you are probably going to struggle with your impact position.
A perfect impact position can be challenging to achieve, but the best way to do so is when your setup and address allow you to return to this spot.
Sometimes knowing how to address a golf ball with an iron is all about having the steps and procedure in mind.
We will take you through all the necessary factors to consider when addressing the golf ball.
When you are done reading, you will undoubtedly have a plan in place for how to address the golf ball the next time you hit the links.
How to Address a Golf Ball with an Iron
There are six key components to consider when you address a golf ball with an iron.
Each one will need to be worked on and perfected before you can hit your perfect iron shot.
1. Ball Position
Ball position can be the trickiest of the components of the iron swing.
The ball position is mostly going to be in the center of your feet, but this can change based on the club you are hitting.
If you are hitting a longer iron, the ball will be slightly forward of center, and with a shorter iron, you will put the ball back behind the center line.
This is the part of addressing a golf ball with an iron which is going to take the most practice.
You will have to spend time learning where each club performs best.
In addition to the exact ball position between your feet, you will need to pay attention to the distance the ball is from you.
When you are holding the club and addressing the golf ball comfortably, things will be easier on your game.
If you have to reach for the ball or your feet are cramped and stuck with the way the club is in your hands, this is also a problem.
You will want your arms to hang naturally when you set up to hit a golf ball.
This natural hang will allow you to make easier contact with the ball and keep things more consistent.
When you think about ball position, consider the distance from the ball as well as the distance between your feet.
2. Feet Position
When we talk about feet position in the golf swing, we are referring to how far apart your feet are and how they are angled as well.
You will need your feet to be about shoulder width apart for a mid-iron shot.
For the shorter irons and the longer irons, the stance may change a bit.
With short irons, your feet may be a little closer together, and with the long irons, they will be a little further apart than shoulder width.
This is part of what makes hitting with irons kind of difficult.
You won’t be able to choose one stance and stick with it unless you are swinging with one length irons.
One length irons are all the same length as your seven iron, and you can keep the stance the same as you hit each shot.
The positioning of your feet should also be considered when you talk about the angle of your feet.
Your right foot should be square to the target line.
Your left foot can be angled out slightly to the left of the target.
This slight angle on the left toe can help golfers to release and finish facing their target.
For short iron shots, you may stand with both feet angled slightly toward the target.
This angle will make it easier to direct your shot at the pin and be able to zero in on the target a bit more.
The biggest thing to remember about feet positioning is that you will want to come up with something that is fairly consistent.
If you are having to adjust your feet slightly from one club to the next, it helps to have a basic stance that you are comfortable with for the mid-irons and then adjust from there.
3. Consider the Club Choice
When you are addressing a golf ball with an iron, you need to be very aware of which club you are choosing.
Golf clubs with more loft should be towards the back of your stance, and those with less loft should be towards the front.
You will need to know the club in your hand and adjust your stance accordingly.
It is also important to pay attention to the distance you stand from the ball.
When you learn the proper address position for a driver or a hybrid, it is going to be consistent from one club to the next.
With the irons, you have to take several things into consideration to make sure you get the proper setup.
4. Balance
If you start your swing with your weight balanced, you will have a much easier time finishing your swing in balance.
Your weight should be evenly distributed between the two feet when you start your swing.
Keep an equal amount of weight on your left foot and an equal amount on your right foot.
You will also want to keep your weight in the middle of your feet.
Don’t get too much on your toes or your heels, or you will have a hard time not falling over while you take your swing.
This balance is something that golfers can practice even when they don’t have a club in their hands.
You can practice balance and proper weight distribution using a medicine ball and then transfer it to your swing when you get yourself ready to hit an iron shot.
5. Alignment
Alignment is one of the first steps in making sure that your iron address position is correct.
One of the first steps is to make sure you are properly aligned to your target.
The alignment on irons can be difficult.
You won’t have an alignment line to help you get set up towards your target as you do with a putter or a driver.
The driver is a much larger head than the iron, and therefore, you can get it lined up just a tad more easily.
Setting up your irons properly to the target takes a bit of time to learn.
The best approach is to come from behind the ball, choose a target slightly in front of the ball, and then line up to the short target.
Once you have chosen a target that is easy to line up to, you can come to the side of the ball and make sure that your clubface and feet are square to the target.
If you are unsure of how your club face should sit, you can hold the club up to a square wall and make sure it is sitting square.
Most of the time, when you see how an iron club face looks square, you will be able to repeat this over and over again.
The only time this can get a bit tricky is when you are playing with an offset golf club.
Always make sure the offset golf club is square even though the offset will have to be accounted for.
6. Grip Pressure
Grip pressure is very important in golf.
The grip pressure with an iron is essential because keeping your hands glued firmly on a club will make it much harder to hit a solid iron shot.
Grip pressure creates pressure in the arms and shoulders.
The pressure will make it harder for a golfer to release the club at impact.
When you can’t release the club, chances are the ball will not travel straight, and it will most likely head towards the right of the target.
The main reason grip pressure will build up is the time spent over the golf ball.
Once your alignment and your stance feel good, go ahead and pull the trigger on your shot.
If you stand over the ball for a very long time, it is hard to keep the grip pressure down.
Should You Hit Down on an Iron Shot?
Some golfers wonder if they should be hitting down and through an iron shot or if they should try and pick it clean off the turf.
It is crucial to hit down and through your iron shot.
When you hit down on the ball, you will notice that you are going to get a much better ball flight and more spin as well.
Golf shots that are picked off the turf will have a hard time stopping when they hit the green.
A golf ball that you do not hit down on will also probably have a hard time going quite as far as other golf balls.
Usually, they have not compressed the same way, and therefore, you end up losing a bit of distance.
It is important to hit up on the golf ball with your driver, but an iron shot is a bit different and will require that compression of the golf ball by hitting down and through.
Do One Length Irons Make Setup Easier?
As we mentioned, setting up with an iron is problematic because it will change depending on the loft you have in your hand.
If you have a seven iron, the stance will be different than that of a nine iron.
The great thing about the one length iron is that, even though the loft on the club will change, the length of the club stays the same.
If the length is the same for all of the irons, you will have a much easier time narrowing down exactly how your stance should be.
Luckily, the one length irons are gaining in popularity, and more and more people realize they are a good fit for their game.
If you struggle to get your golf iron stance down, you will find that the one length iron could make the game easier on you.
Conclusion
If you have read our other articles about setting up for shots, you may realize that the iron address shot is the most complicated.
With the variation in your irons, you will have to continually adjust the address position.
For a new golfer, this can get frustrating.
Our best advice is to make sure that you practice your golf club’s address position the way you would practice any other part of your game.
It will take you some time to get this down, and it is very important to put the time in to practice.
With each shot you take, be conscious about your setup and make sure it is correct.
The more you repeat and practice, the easier it will be to learn and memorize the perfect address.
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