raise your game

ParGolf july 201670

Fault Fixer With andreW rogers

IronIng It outhow to achieve solid and consistent iron shots by mirroring the ideal impact position in your set-up

Our game is full of failed trends but one thing has never and will never go out of fashion ... hitting it solid!

Reducing iron lofts and increasing shaft lengths over the years has resulted in a loss of focus on what’s really important with irons. The sad reality is that this trend is driven by marketing and not performance. Catchphrases like ‘hit it 20 yards further!’ and ‘be two clubs longer!’ are common. But that is not because the clubs are any better, but rather because the 5-iron is now stamped as a 7-iron!

Tour players don’t talk about how long they hit their irons; they talk about how well they strike them. There are two keys to scoring with irons:• beingablestrikeitreliablyenoughsoyoucanpredictyour

distances• flighttheballhighenoughsoyoucanmaximisecarrywhilsthaving

some ability to hold the green.

If you look at every tour player or elite amateur, you’ll see some big similarities with their impact position:• chest‘facing’theball• hands‘leading’thestrike,creatingshaftleanandgooddownward

pressure into the ball• weightshiftedintoleadside.

So how does the mere mortal achieve these hallmarks for success?

Try this simple approach to simplify your swing and put more purpose to your set-up.

Think about the ideal impact position and then mirror it with your set-up. Starting your swing at the position you want to return to means fewer corrections during the swing, which means less can go wrong and there will be more consistency.

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ParGolf july 2016 71

FIttIng tIp: Iron lengthThe key to having a well-configured set of irons is having the correct shaft lengths. Too many golfers just go and buy off-the-shelf clubs with little or no consideration about the shaft length.

Simply put, the length of the shaft is the key element of having an effective iron set. If you’re using irons with the wrong shaft lengths, you’ll find always struggle with getting enough distance, controlling the shape of your shots or generating consistent height.

If you find yourself having any of the following problems with your ball striking, a simple tweak to your length will more than likely help:• heavystrikesand/orthinstrikes• heelstrikesand/ortoestrikes• inconsistencyinanyrealpatterninyourstriking,ieallovertheplace!• bigdistancegapsbetweengoodandbadlystruckshots,iepoordistancecontrol.

Anexperiencedclubfitterwillbeabletoassistinfiguringoutthecorrectlengthforyou – but if you’re unsure, or suffer from one or all of these issues, try going shorter! The large majority of players, professionals included, have benefited from shorter shafts lengths.

The top image shows the impact spot for a set-up that was too long for a player (in this case a standard-length club). The bottom image shows the impact spot after shortening the shaft length by half an inch.

The end result, without changing anything else, was an increase in average carry distance of 6m and – more importantly – significantly tighter dispersion. The player was able to hit more greens hit and saw his handicap drop by three over four months!

KeY poIntS• Handspressedtowardstotargetsothe

shaft leans forward and hands are ahead of the ball.

• Hippressedtowardsthetarget,aimingforabout60/40weightbalanceintotheleadleg.

• Leadshoulderhigherthanthetrailingshoulder.

• Kneesstableandflexedwiththeglutesand hamstrings activated and ready.

• Fromthere,focusonkeepingthelegsstable and feet planted during the swing.

Australian golf professional Andrew Rogers is the club-fitting specialist for Titleist South East Asia. He did his PGA traineeship at Indooroopilly Golf Club in Brisbane under the highly-rated teaching pro Gary Calder, a former national and Queensland state coach.

Rogers joined Titleist South East Asia in 2015 and makes frequent trips to Malaysia for club-fitting sessions and other fitting-related programmes. For more information, log on to www.titleist.sea or email andrew_rogers@acushnetgolf.com.

To make an appointment for a Titleist advanced fitting session, scan this QR code.