Many have abandoned the long irons in favor of the hybrid clubs. There is nothing wrong with this, and if you find that the hybrid is easier for you to hit then by all means get the long irons out of the bag. However, I think the long irons are easier to control once you get the hang of them, so I still use the three and four irons rather than a hybrid (hybrid clubs have always seemed awkward to me as well).
The swing with the long iron is different than that of a more lofted club. Here are some tips to help you hit them better (these tips would also apply to hybrid clubs):
> Play the ball further forward in your stance.
The goal is not to hit down steeply on the ball. Rather, you want the clubhead to contact the ball closer to the bottom of the swing arc and sweep through the contact zone. So, play the ball more towards your front foot, as you would with a fairway wood.
>Take the clubhead back on a shallow arc to begin the backswing.
Due to a longer iron being a longer club, a wider arc must be generated in order to achieve the desired swing plane. A backswing with a lofted club would be much steeper, and would come almost straight up away from the ball as opposed to a shallow arc. Think 'slow and low' for the take-away.
> Slow down the tempo slightly.
The long iron swing travels a further distance than that of a short iron swing (because it is a longer club traveling on a wider arc). Therefore, it takes more time to make a long iron swing. Slow down the tempo a bit for the best results.
> Swing on a flatter plane around your body.
Since the angle of the shaft at address with a long iron is on a flatter plane than that of a shorter iron, one must maintain that flatter angle throughout the swing to keep it on plane. Think of swinging around the back of your body a bit more than straight back like you would with a lofted club.
> Don't rush the downswing.
There is a tendency to try and hit the long iron's harder. Resist this and start down slow and smooth to prevent casting the club and slicing across it. Make sure your right elbow brushes by your body as it comes down from the top (this will assure the plane of the club is flat enough as the clubhead approaches the ball).
> Let your body weight transfer to the left side on the downswing.
People try to 'help' the ball in the air with long irons because they don't trust the loft of the club to do the heavy lifting. Realize that there is plenty of loft in the club to get it airborne, so you don't need to try to scoop or help the ball into the air (which results in a reverse pivot or hanging back on the right side).
> Focus on solid contact.
Make sure you contact the ball on the sweet spot of the club face at the bottom of the swing arc (and on a shallow enough plane). Assure the toe and heel of the club are coming through the contact zone at the same time, and then continuing down the target line after contact.
> Hold your finish.
If you lose your balance and cannot hold your finish after your follow through, then you've tried to swing your long iron too hard. Slow it down and make sure you keep your balance throughout the swing.
Try these tips on the range and see if you get better results with those longer irons.
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