Let’s simplify your iron shots.

Because after 30+ years of coaching, I can say with absolute confidence that those overcomplicated techniques only make everything worse. (That goes double for senior golfers.)

You need strategies you can learn quickly and remember easily. You need drills that help you turn concepts into physical habits so you can approach the ball with a clear head.

And despite what traditional golf instruction has led you to believe, those things are actually achievable. A flush iron shot really comes down to three key concepts. That’s it.

In this article, I’m going to break down each of those concepts, share fun and easy drills to help you master them, and leave you with a couple bonus tips for overcoming two mistakes almost every amateur golfer makes.

Here’s the overview for the skimmers:

How to Hit Irons: Key Takeaways

Every amateur golfer should know these basics:

Want more details? Keep reading.

Understanding Ball-First Contact

You know a flush iron shot when you see one—or, better yet, experience one.

It feels solid. It sounds clean. It leaves a divot and sends the ball soaring toward the target.

And the secret to accomplishing all these things really couldn’t be simpler. The clubhead has to make contact with the ball before it hits the ground. (That’s why we love to see to that little divot in front of the ball.)

This is what we call ball-first contact, and everything you’re about to learn centers on this goal.

How Do I Achieve Ball-First Contact?

It’s all about controlling the low point.

As you swing down and through, your clubhead travels on an arc. When you’re hitting an iron, you want to make sure the clubhead makes contact with the ball on a downward angle before it reaches the low point of the arc and starts traveling upward again.

Another way to say that is that you want the low point in front of the golf ball—on the target side of the ball.

If the low point is behind the ball, you’ll make ground-first contact and hit the ball as your clubhead is traveling back up. That’ll cause you to top the ball, among other disasters.

So your biggest and most important goal when learning how to hit irons is to learn how to control the low point.

What Determines the Low Point of My Golf Swing?

There are three major elements that determine where the low point is in relation to the ball:

  1. Ball position

  2. Weight shift

  3. Swing direction

We’re going to cover all three of these topics, but before we get into all that, I want to give you a Golden Nugget that will help you make sense of the tips to come and make it easier for you to identify any problems in your own swing.

The Golden Nugget: Generally speaking, the low point of your swing is equal to the buttons of your golf shirt.

If those buttons move, your low point moves with them.

You’ll learn more about how to apply that wisdom as we go along.

Iron Tip #1: Find the Proper Ball Position

Once you understand the importance of low point, it makes sense that correct ball position is crucial for achieving a flush iron shot. You want to make sure the ball is behind the low point.

Now, the correct ball position varies depending on the specific iron you’re using. This has to do with differences in the length of the swing and the degree of weight shift. So let’s go over this club by club.

Ball Position for Wedges

When you’re hitting a wedge, you want the golf ball in the center of your stance. Wedges call for a shorter swing and minimal weight shift, which means the low point won’t move much as you swing.

Here’s how I teach my students to find the correct ball position for wedges:

  1. Set up with your feet side by side.

  2. Position an alignment rod on the ground so it tracks straight out from the ball and travels between your heels.

  3. Take a step toward the target with your lead foot.

  4. Take an equal-sized step away from the target with your trail foot.

  5. Checkpoint: The ball should be positioned off the buttons on your golf shirt.

Ball Position for Mid Irons

A mid iron calls for a slightly longer swing with more of a weight shift. That means you’ll shift more weight forward in your downswing (this will help you get more distance), and that shift will move your low point forward a bit.

As a result, you want the ball slightly forward of center when you hit a mid iron.

Here’s how to find the proper position:

  1. Set up with your feet side by side.

  2. Position an alignment rod on the ground so it tracks straight out from the ball and travels between your heels.

  3. Take a step toward the target with your lead foot.

  4. Take a slightly larger step away from the target with your trail foot.

  5. Checkpoint: The ball should be slightly in front of the buttons on your golf shirt.

Now, I know you remember that Golden Nugget. The low point is equal to the buttons on your shirt. And right now, the buttons on your shirt are behind the ball, which looks like a chunk shot waiting to happen.

Don’t sweat it. That low point is going to move forward slightly as you take this longer, more loaded swing. The same goes for your long irons. Speaking of which…

Ball Position for Long Irons

Long irons are, of course, even longer with a longer swing and a bigger weight shift. And you can guess what that means.

Right. You need the ball even farther forward in your stance when you’re hitting a long iron.

Here’s how to practice it:

  1. Set up with your feet side by side.

  2. Position an alignment rod on the ground so it tracks straight out from the ball and travels between your heels.

  3. Take a step toward the target with your lead foot.

  4. Take a larger step away from the target with your trail foot.

  5. Checkpoint: The ball should be off the logo on your golf shirt.

Iron Tip #2: Master Your Weight Shift

When we talk about weight shift, we’re talking about the movement of your body weight between your feet throughout your golf swing.

If you haven’t already perfected your golf weight shift, you’re in for a powerful revelation. When you know how to shift your weight properly, you improve your cadence and create a lot more clubhead speed. 

You also improve your contact, because the low point of your golf swing follows the position of your weight. (You would have figured this one out on your own, because the buttons of your golf shirt also follow the position of your weight.)

So if you want to make ball-first contact with your irons, you need to make sure you’ve got your weight in the right place at the right time.

How to Shift Your Weight When You’re Hitting Irons

The very basic rule here is that your weight should move with the clubhead. But to be more specific:

  • At setup, you want what we call the 60/40. That’s about 60% of your weight on your lead foot, 40% on your trail foot.

  • At the top of your backswing, you want more weight on your trail foot. How much depends on your club; as I said before, you’ll create a more dramatic weight shift when you want more distance. But you’re generally looking at about 65-70% of your weight on the trail foot at this point.

  • At impact, you should be sending your weight forward into your lead foot again, so that…

  • You finish your swing with at least 90% of your weight on the lead foot.

Now, I’ve got two drills to help you perfect this sequence.

Step Drill (Trail Foot)

If you have a tendency to keep your weight forward in your swing, try this drill.

  1. Set up for a practice swing (no ball) with your feet together and the club in the middle of your feet.

  2. As you swing back, step your trail foot away from the target.

  3. Complete your practice swing as you normally would.

This exercise helps your body get used to shifting weight to the trail foot as you swing back. Once you get a feel for it, you can even try hitting a ball as you run the drill. 

The Step Drill also forces you to transfer weight to the inside of your trail foot—another crucial element of a solid weight shift. If you tend to sway off balance during your swing motion, it’s likely because you’re shifting weight to the outside of your foot. This drill can help fix that habit.

Step Drill (Lead Foot)

Here’s one for the folks who tend to hang back in their swing, holding their weight on the trail foot as they swing through. If you top the ball a lot, that’s probably you.

  1. Set up for a practice swing (no ball) with your feet together and the club in the middle of your feet.

  2. Swing back, keeping your feet together. 

  3. As you swing down, step your lead foot toward the target.

It’s the same as the previous drill—same steps and same benefits but with the opposite foot.

Iron Tip #3: Control Your Swing Direction

The third factor impacting your low point in iron shots is your swing direction.

If you tend to swing your iron out and across (i.e. “over the top”), you’re moving the low point forward in your stance. All that work you did to get your ball in the right place and shift your weight properly is not meaningless.

What you want is more of an in-to-out swing, but be aware that you can overdo this one, too. It’s rare, but golfers who swing the club too much in-to-out shift the low point backward.

Now, I know it’s really difficult to make sure you’re getting your swing direction exactly right in the one second it takes you to swing your iron. So we’re going to simplify this with a feel and a checkpoint, plus a few easy drills to help you turn these ideas into muscle memory.

Feel: Move the Handle Away

On the takeaway, you want to feel like you’re pushing the butt end of the club away from the golf ball. That prevents you from dragging the club inside, creating a low-and-around swing motion.

If you feel yourself hinging the butt end of the club toward the ball on the takeaway, you’re headed for trouble.

Drill

This drill exaggerates the feeling of pushing the handle away from the ball. That will help your body understand what it needs to do in your golf swing.

  1. Take your setup.

  2. Grip the club in your lead hand only.

  3. Position the back of your trail hand against the back of your lead hand so your knuckles are back to back.

  4. Move the club away from the ball as you would in your takeaway.

With your hands in this position, the club will naturally stay out in front, right where you want it. 

Checkpoint: Top of Backswing

At the top of your backswing, your lead arm should be slightly above your shoulder. If you can find that position at the top, odds are good that your club will come down in the right direction.

Once again, I’ve got a couple drills to help you build the habit.

Drill #1

  1. Stand with your arms at your sides.

  2. Grip the club in your lead hand only.

  3. Lift your lead arm straight up so your hand is higher than your shoulder.

I know that sounds like it wouldn’t do much. But when we’re learning a new technique, we’re fighting against our body’s old habits. And our bodies aren’t used to bringing our arms that high.

Think about it. All day long, we’ve got our hands below our shoulders, whether we’re looking at our phones or driving to work. This deceptively simple drill wakes up that range of motion so it feels more natural in your golf swing.

Drill #2

  1. Take your setup. You can do this drill with or without a golf ball; just don’t get too hung up on the quality of your iron shot if you hit a ball during this exercise.

  2. Maintain your golf posture as you lift your hands and arms straight up to button height. Your head and body stay where they are. Only your hands and arms move.

  3. Turn away from the target until you’re in your typical top-of-backswing position. Your hands should be above your shoulders.

This drill helps you find that perfect position at the top of your swing. Repeat it as often as you need to until you find yourself naturally bringing your hands high.

The 2 Most Common Iron Mistakes Amateur Golfers Make

Now you know how to hit irons. For the most part. There’s always more to learn in this game, but the steps you’ve just learned give you a really strong foundation for consistent ball-first contact.

That said, I’ve been coaching this game for over three decades, and there are two mistakes I’ve seen thousands of golfers make. There’s a good chance you’re making at least one of them…

…which means you can probably improve your iron shots with a quick fix.

Let’s take a look at each of these common errors and learn how to overcome them.

Mistake #1: Upper Body Drift

You’re guilty of this mistake if your upper body drifts from side to side in your swing instead of turning. This is a contact killer because it moves your low point.

Remember: The buttons on your golf shirt show you where your low point is. If your upper body drifts, your buttons drift, and they take the low point along with them.

To train yourself out of this habit, do this:

The Boxer Stance Drill

I call this the Boxer Stance Drill because it mimics that familiar stance we always see boxers take. Here’s how it goes:

  1. Position yourself with your lead foot forward (closer to the ball), your trail foot back (farther from the ball), and your stance a little narrower than normal.

  2. Take your regular golf posture with your upper body.

  3. Make some practice swings with your iron.

This drill helps you train that all-important rotation because it leaves you without a choice. You’ll lose your balance if your upper body drifts in this position. 

Run this exercise as often as you need to until it feels natural for your body to turn on the backswing.

Mistake #2: Lower Body Drift

This one ruins your contact with your irons and it interferes with your balance. Lower body drift is when you sway on your feet instead of turning.

Now, I want to make sure I’m very clear about the difference between swaying on your feet and pivoting on your feet.

A pivot is that weight shift we talked about, where you move weight to the inside of your foot. A pivot maintains your stability while allowing you to control your low point and load more power into your swing.

A sway occurs when you shift weight to the outside of your foot. This creates more motion in the lower body, robs you of control, and destabilizes your swing.

What you want to do instead is maintain the pivot and create the swing motion by turning, not by drifting.

I’ve got a drill and a feel that will help you do that.

The Drill

  1. Take your setup.

  2. Turn your iron upside down and hold the clubhead with your lead hand the same way you’d hold a cane.

  3. Swing your trail arm back and up like you would in a backswing.

  4. As you swing back with your trail arm, step your trail foot back behind you.

  5. Repeat this motion three times, then turn your iron around and make a real swing.

Just like the Boxer Stance Drill, this one gives you no choice but to rotate in your backswing.

Feel: Notice Your Hip

Here’s another tip that will help you avoid lower body drift:

Feel your hip moving backward on the backswing.

If you feel that, you know you're rotating.

And don’t forget: You should feel your weight staying on the inside of your foot, too. If it moves to the outside, you’re swaying.

The Simplest Path to Pure Ball-First Contact

You’re all set with a strong formula for hitting flush iron shots. As with any subject in golf, there’s definitely more I could say. But start with this guide, and you’ll have a powerful foundation to build on as you advance your game.

Now, if you’re ready to take this one step further and learn all my best secrets for making clean, center-strike contact like an elite player, check out my Pure Ball-First Contact Series.

This series centers on iron shots but includes a bonus section that teaches you how to be consistent with your driver, too. Like the instruction you got in this article, the series is all about keeping it simple and straightforward, with plenty of practical drills and tips to help you hone your skills in record time.

Follow this link to see what the series is all about and access your first video lesson instantly. The sooner you start working on your contact, the more good rounds you’ll fit into this season.

Check it out and let me know how it changes your game.

About the Author

PGA Teaching Professional Todd Kolb is a five-time Golf Digest Best-in-State Instructor, Amazon Best-selling Author, and Minnesota PGA Teacher of the Year. In over 30 years of coaching, he’s worked with from newbies to an LPGA major champion. He’s currently the Director of Instruction for VLS Golf and USGolfTV and dedicates his efforts to helping the everyday golfer cut through overcomplicated traditional instruction to find solutions that actually work for them.

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