Remember the 3 ‘Ls’ for more crisp contact with your irons

There’s a lot that goes into creating force, speed and a solid strike when hitting an iron. To simplify things, focus on what I call the Three L’s. Nailing these can make a huge difference in the quality of your ball striking.

The first L stands for Low. At address, make sure you’re hinging from your hips to get your body over the ball, not standing up [above, far left]. This is critical for controlling swing radius and avoiding topped shots.

The second L stands for Lean. At address with an iron, feel as though the majority of your weight is on your front side, as if you’re leaning into a preset impact [above, middle]. Sure, your weight will shift back as you swing to the top, but presetting front-side pressure like this is an easy way to create the desired ball-first-ground-second contact.

The last L is a bit more dynamic. It stands for Long. As you swing through impact, feel your arms extend through the ball, getting longer as you move into your finish [above, right]. This avoids the tendency to “chicken wing,” or keep your lead arm bent — a major slice inducer.

What’s more important is that you put all the L’s together as you strike the ball. As you see below, even at impact, I’m low, leaning and long. Regardless of swing speed, this trio will send the ball skyrocketing off the face—and landing close to the pin.

Erika Larkin is a GOLF Top 100 Teacher based at the Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie, Va. (erikalarkin.com)