The longer the club gets, the more (right-handed) golfers tend to worry about the ball heading right. Bring out the driver or a long iron and the slice, block and push all enter the picture.
Short irons can create the opposite problem.
Many golfers find that the shorter the club gets, the more likely they are to miss left. And left is still a problem, especially when you are standing in the fairway with an 8-iron or 9-iron and expecting to hit the green. Here are some tips if your short irons are going left and you want to fix it.
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Why short irons get pulled left
Short irons do not require the same speed or aggressive lower-body action as a driver. That can make golfers feel like they don’t have to use their body at all.
The hips stop turning, the arms take over and the upper body moves toward the ball to start the downswing. From there, the club travels across the ball with both the path and clubface pointing left.
The result is a pull that may feel pretty solid.
That’s what bothers me most about the short-iron pull. It often feels like a good golf shot. The contact is clean, the ball comes off the face with plenty of speed.
Check your ball position
Before making a swing change, make sure the ball has not crept too far forward.
When the ball is too far toward your lead foot, the club has more time to travel left along its natural arc before impact. It also gives the clubface more time to close.
For most standard short-iron shots, the ball should be near the middle of your stance or just slightly forward of center.
Use an alignment stick rather than trusting what feels centered. Ball position can gradually move without you noticing.
Don’t forget about lie angle
If your longer irons fly relatively straight but your 8-iron, 9-iron and pitching wedge consistently start left, your equipment may also be contributing.
A short iron that is too upright can point the effective clubface left at impact. Because short irons have more loft, lie-angle problems can have a greater directional influence than they do with longer clubs.
This doesn’t mean you should immediately have your irons bent flatter. Check your swing and ball position first and then have the dynamic lie angles tested during a fitting.
Try the trail-arm drill
Place a glove or small towel under your trail armpit and make a few three-quarter swings with an 8-iron.
The goal is not to clamp your arm tightly against your body. Instead, feel your trail arm stay connected as your chest and belt buckle continue turning toward the target.
Let the glove fall after impact as your arms extend into the finish.
Start with slower swings and focus on three things:
- Keep the ball near the center of your stance.
- Begin the downswing by turning, not throwing, your arms.
- Finish with your chest and belt buckle facing the target.
You do not need to fire your hips as hard as you would with a driver. You just can’t let them stop.
When the body keeps rotating, the arms are less likely to pull the club across the ball. The contact may feel almost exactly the same but this time the ball should start much closer to where you are looking. Try it with half swings first if you need to. If you’re pulling those, it’s not going to get better when you add the full backswing.
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