Golf Technology Far East

How do I improve my Iron Shots?

The average weekend golfer is far too greedy.
(Gary Player)

It is interesting to watch professional golfers in a competition. They spend a large amount of time with their caddy checking the yardage to a hole before making a club selection. The club is selected to reach a precise point on the green or to pitch at the flag itself.
The average weekend golfer steps up on to the tee of the first par 3 hole on his home course and takes out a six iron because he (she) knows that is what they need to reach the green (regardless of where the pin is positioned).

The problems start to arise when they play on a strange course and have to select an iron according to the actual distance to the hole. Many weekend golfers have no idea what they can actually achieve with each of their irons. Often they remember only the good shots, and how far they went, not the average or bad shots. Also, many golfers believe that they can hit the ball further than they actually do. Observe any group of amateur golfers attempting to get over a hazard or shooting to a green and more often than not they will come up short rather than go further.

It is well worth any amateur golfer spending some time getting to know how far they hit each iron. This is not a case of hitting a half dozen balls and pacing out the distance to the good shots, but more a case of dedicating some time and effort into establishing your average shot. The easiest way is to find a practice ground or area that is either marked out already or that you can mark out yourself. After loosening up hit maybe 30 - 50 shots with a selected club. Ignore the five worst and five best shots and then measure out to the middle of the remaining balls and make a note of the distance. Depending on how dedicated you are this is worth doing over a period of time and building it into a practice routine until you have covered all the irons. Remember that the distance you hit the ball is to where it LANDS, not to where it rolls and finishes. This is important as golf balls don't roll on lakes or ponds, they go splash and you lose some shots.

Remember to do the measurements again if you make any radical changes to your swing or go for lessons.

At the end of the day, there is a certain feeling of professionalism and confidence generated in knowing just what you can achieve with each iron.

Always carry an old towel on your bag to clean your clubs after every shot. It is important to keep the grooves clean so you can impart as much spin as possible onto the ball.

The golf ball is the most important part of your equipment, after all that is what flies through the air and a good ball will help your score. Players spend a lot of money on clubs, clothes and memberships, and then play with second hand balls. Second hand balls give second hand scores, think about it.