The best tip for hitting your irons pure, according to Johnny Miller

Welcome to Golfer-to-Golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

Johnny Miller is well known for his broadcast career, but before that, he was a heck of a player, too. In a five-year stretch from 1971 to 1976, Miller won 18 tournaments and two major titles. Oh yeah, and he shot a 63 at Oakmont.

When listing the best ball strikers of all time, Miller will always be in the conversation. He might not get the acclaim that some of his contemporaries command, but there’s no question that the Hall of Famer is one of the great shot makers of all time.

In today’s edition of Golfer-to-Golfer, we’re diving in the GOLF.com archives and looking at a video we shot with Miller in 2014. In it, he explains the secret to hitting your irons pure. Check it out below.

Tip for hitting your irons pure

Everyone wants to flag their irons, but it’s not always easy. There’s a number of things that can go wrong and cause the ball to miss its mark, so you have to be dialed in if you want to give yourself good birdie looks.

What’s the best way to do that? According to Miller, it’s by returning your lead shoulder to where it started when you reach impact.

“It’s something I do on my irons,” Miller says. “And it’s something everybody should do.”

In doing this, you can rid yourself of a left miss and ensure that you make ball-first contact.

“What I try to do when I’m over the ball is imagine — I really think where that shoulder is.” Miller says. “Once I turn away from it, I just want to return it right back to where I started. If I do that, I’m probably going to make a pretty good shot.”

So next time you need to hit an iron flush, remember to get your lead shoulder back to where it started. If you can do that, you’ll make ball-first contact and pure your shot right at the flag.

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Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.

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