Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Getting used to hitting a golf ball can be a challenge for new golfers. The swing is far from a natural motion, so training your body to move in a coordinate motion isn’t easy. And even once you get the sequencing down, there’s no guarantee you’ll hit the ball flush. You still have to worry about quality contact.
Explaining all that to novice players will make their heads spin. We all know that too many swing thoughts can cripple even the most experienced golfers, so it’s best to keep things simple.
Distilling all the components of the swing into a singular, simple swing thought can be tough. But it can be done, and it will help you make better contact! For more, we turn to Bryson DeChambeau.
Bryson’s iron advice
The key to making solid contact with irons is ball-first contact. Hitting the small ball (golf ball) into the big ball (the Earth) should be the goal.
“It’s going to be ball and then making a divot after,” DeChambeau says in the video above. “It’s a strike-down-on-it sort of motion.”
To get this result, DeChambeau recommends focusing on your trail arm (the right arm for right-handers). Feel as if it is straightening during the downswing and is fully extended when you’re making contact.
“I’m not trying to strike it down into the ground, I’m trying to strike it in front of the ball,” DeChambeau says. “I’m trying to actually push it down the [target] line. You’re always pushing it down the line.”
If you’re someone who struggles with solid contact with your irons, these are great things to keep in mind. The tips might be more prudent for beginning golfers, but even experienced players can benefit from these tips. Next time your ball-striking suffers, give them a shot.