Wise Recommendations On How To Select And Use Short Irons

There are two basic distinctions when it comes to irons; blades and those using the cavity back concept, a more forgiving club that tries to compensate for a none too precise strike. Good golfers inevitably use blades because they have the skill to hit them properly. Cavity back irons with cavity weighting still allow a golfer to hit the ball reasonably well even when they do not strike the ball in the centre of the club.

Iron Choices

The top golf club manufacturers have both ‘designs’ on offer and a final selection very much depends on the strength of their marketing and recommendations. Typically irons come in sets from 3 iron to pitching wedge, sets of 8 though average golfers may look for a more forgiving club to achieve what a well struck 3 iron would achieve; it is not an easy club to hit and many would prefer a fairway wood or ‘rescue’ club instead. There are specialist irons as well; sand wedge and lob wedge with most golfers’ bags including both. There is a limitation of how many clubs you can have in your bag so the 3 iron is often sacrificed in favour of fairway woods and ‘rescue’ clubs.

The irons from 3 upwards provide successively greater loft right up to the lob wedge which may even have a 64 degree loft. Shafts decrease slightly in length from 3 upwards as well. It is a matter of practice for any golfer to realise how far he or she may hit a particular iron and that will then be the basis of club selection on the course.

Practice Precision

The short irons are very important. They provide the means of getting close to the pin from anything up to 100 yards away, over hazards to land softly or chip and run on links type courses. In most cases your short iron shots require your usual swing with ‘soft hands’ the key to playing precision shots. There are some instances you will require a slightly open stance:

• Lob Wedge shots over a hazard in search of a soft landing. The club face should be slightly open as well; the face almost appears to be looking straight up at you.
• Sand wedge where you are looking to get out of a greenside bunker and on to the green.
• A chip and run which in fact can be done with anything from a 7 iron upwards where there is no hazard or thick grass between you and the green.