Simple Drills for Better Iron Striking

By A Guide to Junior Golf Coaching Sessions
Comments 35
18 Jul 2026

Why Low Point Control Beats Raw Power

Ask any good player at a Kent club what separates a crisp iron from a thin one and you will not hear about swing speed. You will hear about the low point — the moment the clubhead bottoms out in its arc. If that low point sits behind the ball, you catch turf first or thin it off the top. If it sits in front of the ball, you compress the strike, take a divot after the ball and send it off with real authority. On the fairways at places like a breezy links-style course near the coast or a firmer parkland track inland, that compression is the whole game. Firm summer turf exposes every fault, so it pays to build a repeatable strike you can trust.

The good news is that you do not need expensive technology or hours of range time to fix it. Two alignment sticks, a handful of balls and a little patience will do more for your iron play than any new set of clubs.

Set the Stage With Alignment Sticks

Start by laying one alignment stick on the ground pointing at your target. That is your ball-to-target line. Now take a second stick and place it perpendicular to the first, directly under the ball, forming a cross or a capital T. This second stick marks your low point. The clubhead should pass the stick after the ball, not before it.

Set up with roughly 60 per cent of your weight on your lead foot, hands slightly ahead of the ball, and ball position a fraction back of centre for a mid iron. Then make slow, smooth swings and watch where the club bottoms out. If you are scraping the ground before the perpendicular stick, your low point is too far back. The fix is rarely a big swing change — it is usually a touch more weight forward and a steadier head.

Ball position: just back of centre for a 7 iron, forward of centre for a 5 iron.
Weight: 60/40 favouring the lead side at address, and even more through impact.
Hands: slightly ahead of the ball, with the shaft leaning towards the target.
Head: keep it still until well after impact — no sliding towards the target.

The Half-Swing Drill That Does the Heavy Lifting

This is the drill I would give any member who tells me they are "hitting it fat". Take your 7 iron and make a swing that finishes at waist height, with the arms no higher than hip level on the way through. Think of the hands travelling from nine o'clock to three o'clock — a proper half swing, not a lazy flick.

Strike ten balls this way. The shorter motion makes it almost impossible to hang back, because there is no time to throw the clubhead early. You will feel the club strike the ball first, then brush the turf. That sensation of ball-then-turf is what you are chasing. Once you have hit ten clean half swings, stretch the motion gradually — first to shoulder height, then to a full swing — keeping the same feel of moving through the ball rather than scooping at it.

Many golfers are surprised to find their half-swing 7 iron flies nearly as far as their full one. That tells you everything about how much energy is wasted on a poor strike.

Use a Tee Peg to Sharpen Your Divots

Here is a simple feedback tool. Push a tee peg into the ground about 15 centimetres in front of your ball, then address the ball as normal. Your goal is to clip the ball cleanly and take a divot that starts at or just after the ball, brushing past where the peg stood. Do not try to hit the peg — you will thin it. Just make a swing that finishes past the ball with the handle leading.

If the divot starts behind the ball, check two things: your weight has not drifted onto your back foot, and your grip pressure has not tightened up. A death grip on the handle kills the release and sends the low point backwards. Keep it light, around four out of ten.

Reading Kent Turf Before You Commit

Kent offers a wonderful variety of lies. Down on the linksy coastal courses the fairways are tight and firm, and a shallow, nipping strike is essential. Inland, the parkland tracks hold a bit more moisture through spring, so the club will dig slightly more and you can afford a marginally steeper approach.

Before you choose a club, look at the lie and the ground. Sitting on a bare, firm patch? Take one more club than you think and swing at 80 per cent — the ball will run out. On lush, soft grass? Be a touch steeper and accept a slightly shorter carry. This is not overcomplicating things; it is just paying attention. The members who score well in Kent are the ones who adapt to the turf in front of them rather than fighting it.

Building a Ten-Minute Practice Routine

Consistency comes from short, focused sessions rather than an occasional marathon. Here is a routine you can run before a round or on a quiet evening:

Two minutes: alignment stick cross on the ground, ten slow rehearsals watching the low point.
Three minutes: ten half-swing 7 irons from nine to three, focusing on ball-then-turf.
Three minutes: tee peg drill with three different irons, checking divot position.
Two minutes: alternate shots — one half swing, one full swing — building the feel back up.

Finish with three wedge shots to a specific target. When you can strike a wedge, a 7 iron and a 5 iron with the same ball-then-turf sensation, you have built something that will hold up on the course. Keep the drills simple, keep the tempo smooth, and the fairways of Kent will start to feel a good deal friendlier under your irons.

Golf Tips

Understanding Handicap Changes After a Round

Understand when a moved ball must be replaced, when it may be played as it lies and relevant penalties.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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