Throw Darts with Your Short Irons
From Tom Patri On July 09, 2022
A good indicator of low scoring in golf is number of putts per round. It stands to reason. The more one-putts you record (and fewer 3-putts), the better, whether you're playing on the PGA Tour or trying to... break 90 for the first time. Putting proficiency is closely tied to the proximity of your approach shots to the hole. The closer to the pin you hit it, the better your putting statistics and your final scores are going to be.
So how do you hit the ball closer to the hole? Improving your swing mechanics can certainly help, but as Titleist staff member Tom Patri advises in this video, there's probably something far easier you can do with the swing you've already got – change how you think about your short irons.
Do you typically take full swings with your 7-, 8-, 9-iron and wedges? If so, you're not using these clubs properly. As Tom explains, your short irons are tools for accuracy, not power. When you start using them more surgically, your shot dispersion will immediately tighten up. You'll start measuring success not in terms of hitting the green, but in terms of hitting the proper quadrants on greens.
Use Tom's keys the next time you have a short iron in your hands and watch your scores improve dramatically:
• As you size up your short iron shot, imagine the green cut up into four equal pie slices (back-left, front-left, back-right and front-right). Determine in which quadrant the pin is located. Your goal is to get your golf ball inside the same quadrant in which the hole is located.
• Determine the distance your ball needs to travel to hit the center of your target quadrant. Take at least one more club than needed for that distance. If your target distance is 110 yards and that's your typical full-swing carry distance with a pitching wedge, pull your 9-iron instead.
• Grip down on the handle of your club, effectively shortening the length of the club.
• Move the ball back in your stance to promote a lower, penetrating flight that will minimize the effect of wind on your ball.
• Rather than a full-swing, make a controlled 3/4 swing. As Tom says, you're throwing darts with these shots, not swinging for the fences.
• Make a smooth, controlled pass through the ball and abbreviate your follow-through to match your 3/4 backswing. Your objective is a low, boring shot with plenty of spin that will hit your target quadrant and stay there, leaving a good opportunity to hole your first putt.
So how do you hit the ball closer to the hole? Improving your swing mechanics can certainly help, but as Titleist staff member Tom Patri advises in this video, there's probably something far easier you can do with the swing you've already got – change how you think about your short irons.
Do you typically take full swings with your 7-, 8-, 9-iron and wedges? If so, you're not using these clubs properly. As Tom explains, your short irons are tools for accuracy, not power. When you start using them more surgically, your shot dispersion will immediately tighten up. You'll start measuring success not in terms of hitting the green, but in terms of hitting the proper quadrants on greens.
Use Tom's keys the next time you have a short iron in your hands and watch your scores improve dramatically:
• As you size up your short iron shot, imagine the green cut up into four equal pie slices (back-left, front-left, back-right and front-right). Determine in which quadrant the pin is located. Your goal is to get your golf ball inside the same quadrant in which the hole is located.
• Determine the distance your ball needs to travel to hit the center of your target quadrant. Take at least one more club than needed for that distance. If your target distance is 110 yards and that's your typical full-swing carry distance with a pitching wedge, pull your 9-iron instead.
• Grip down on the handle of your club, effectively shortening the length of the club.
• Move the ball back in your stance to promote a lower, penetrating flight that will minimize the effect of wind on your ball.
• Rather than a full-swing, make a controlled 3/4 swing. As Tom says, you're throwing darts with these shots, not swinging for the fences.
• Make a smooth, controlled pass through the ball and abbreviate your follow-through to match your 3/4 backswing. Your objective is a low, boring shot with plenty of spin that will hit your target quadrant and stay there, leaving a good opportunity to hole your first putt.
A good indicator of low scoring in golf is number of putts per round. It stands to
...
reason. The more one-putts you record (and fewer 3-putts), the better, whether you're playing on the PGA Tour or trying to break 90 for the first time. Putting proficiency is closely tied to the proximity of your approach shots to the hole. The closer to the pin you hit it, the better your putting statistics and your final scores are going to be.
So how do you hit the ball closer to the hole? Improving your swing mechanics can certainly help, but as Titleist staff member Tom Patri advises in this video, there's probably something far easier you can do with the swing you've already got – change how you think about your short irons.
Do you typically take full swings with your 7-, 8-, 9-iron and wedges? If so, you're not using these clubs properly. As Tom explains, your short irons are tools for accuracy, not power. When you start using them more surgically, your shot dispersion will immediately tighten up. You'll start measuring success not in terms of hitting the green, but in terms of hitting the proper quadrants on greens.
Use Tom's keys the next time you have a short iron in your hands and watch your scores improve dramatically:
• As you size up your short iron shot, imagine the green cut up into four equal pie slices (back-left, front-left, back-right and front-right). Determine in which quadrant the pin is located. Your goal is to get your golf ball inside the same quadrant in which the hole is located.
• Determine the distance your ball needs to travel to hit the center of your target quadrant. Take at least one more club than needed for that distance. If your target distance is 110 yards and that's your typical full-swing carry distance with a pitching wedge, pull your 9-iron instead.
• Grip down on the handle of your club, effectively shortening the length of the club.
• Move the ball back in your stance to promote a lower, penetrating flight that will minimize the effect of wind on your ball.
• Rather than a full-swing, make a controlled 3/4 swing. As Tom says, you're throwing darts with these shots, not swinging for the fences.
• Make a smooth, controlled pass through the ball and abbreviate your follow-through to match your 3/4 backswing. Your objective is a low, boring shot with plenty of spin that will hit your target quadrant and stay there, leaving a good opportunity to hole your first putt.
So how do you hit the ball closer to the hole? Improving your swing mechanics can certainly help, but as Titleist staff member Tom Patri advises in this video, there's probably something far easier you can do with the swing you've already got – change how you think about your short irons.
Do you typically take full swings with your 7-, 8-, 9-iron and wedges? If so, you're not using these clubs properly. As Tom explains, your short irons are tools for accuracy, not power. When you start using them more surgically, your shot dispersion will immediately tighten up. You'll start measuring success not in terms of hitting the green, but in terms of hitting the proper quadrants on greens.
Use Tom's keys the next time you have a short iron in your hands and watch your scores improve dramatically:
• As you size up your short iron shot, imagine the green cut up into four equal pie slices (back-left, front-left, back-right and front-right). Determine in which quadrant the pin is located. Your goal is to get your golf ball inside the same quadrant in which the hole is located.
• Determine the distance your ball needs to travel to hit the center of your target quadrant. Take at least one more club than needed for that distance. If your target distance is 110 yards and that's your typical full-swing carry distance with a pitching wedge, pull your 9-iron instead.
• Grip down on the handle of your club, effectively shortening the length of the club.
• Move the ball back in your stance to promote a lower, penetrating flight that will minimize the effect of wind on your ball.
• Rather than a full-swing, make a controlled 3/4 swing. As Tom says, you're throwing darts with these shots, not swinging for the fences.
• Make a smooth, controlled pass through the ball and abbreviate your follow-through to match your 3/4 backswing. Your objective is a low, boring shot with plenty of spin that will hit your target quadrant and stay there, leaving a good opportunity to hole your first putt.
431
Videos
Filter:
- Alex Buckner
- Brad Faxon
- Dan Whittaker
- Dr. Mo Pickens
- Matt Leach
- Matthew Johns
- Sophie Walker
- Cameron McCormick
- James Sieckmann
- Mark Blackburn
- Michael Breed
- Trillium Rose
- Jonathan Yarwood
- Dave Phillips
- Brandon Stooksbury
- Justin Parsons
- Layne Savoie
- Dr. Rob Neal
- Dr. Greg Rose
- Skip Guss
- Jason Baile
- John Kostis
- Jennifer Hudson
- Ryan Hager
- Corey Lundberg
- Tom Patri
- Driver
- Fairway
- Hybrid
- Utility Iron
- Iron
- Wedge
- Putter
- Fundamentals
- Shot Shaping
- Anti-hook
- Anti-slice
- Alignment
- Tight Lie
- Long Rough
- Bunker Play
- Consistency
- Distance Control
- Trajectory
Brad Faxon Putting I.Q. Test
Titleist staff member Brad Faxon poses a simple putting riddle to all the...
Rain Jacket Drill for Golf Swing Width
Creating width in the backswing is an important ingredient in maximizing...
Understanding What, How and Why in Your Golf Swing
Lance Gill, President of Lance Gill Performance in Jupiter, FL, shines some...
How to Recover from Hardpan Lies
Finding your golf ball on a tight hardpan lie does not have to mean bogey or...
Indoor Follow-Through Drills for Better Contact
If you want control your golf swing, take some advice from Titleist Staff...
How to Build Core Strength to Improve Your Golf Swing
Lance Gill, President of Lance Gill Performance, and Kayleigh Franklin, Director...
No results
Titleist Tips: Make the Most of Your Golf Practice Time
One of the coolest things about the game of golf is the fact that we play the same game as the pros. Most of us will never take batting practice in...
Morgan Hoffmann: #ProvingIt
On Dec. 4, 2017, Morgan Hoffmann penned an article for The Players' Tribune, an online media platform that provides first-person content written by...
Iron Selector Tool
This iron selection tool starts the fitting process by suggesting a recommended and alternative iron set. The next step is to experience a...