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It is really disappointing when you hit your driver well but your irons don't, and when you hit your driver with high expectations because your irons were hitting so well, only for it to go wrong. So, should you use the same swing for the driver and the irons, or should you use different swings?
Amateur golfers often think they are different, but in fact, the two clubs should be swung using the same swing. The basic principle of the swing—leading the downswing with sufficient upper body rotation and the lower body to swing the club—is identical. I am not saying that you must hit the driver with your arms and the iron with your body.
01However, three reasons why they are not exactly the same
- The head shape and design purpose are different.A driver is a club designed to hit the ball the farthest, while an iron has a head shape designed for the most accurate hitting. You could say that a driver is a club for distance, while an iron is a club for accuracy and control.
- The club length and shaft angle are different.As you move toward the driver, the shaft becomes longer and the distance from the ball increases, making the shaft tilt flatter when viewed from the side. Irons are shorter and closer to the ball, so the shaft becomes more upright. This tilt affects your swing path.
- The conditions for impact are different.For a driver, the ideal trajectory, distance, and spin are achieved when the clubhead strikes the ball as it passes its lowest point and begins to rise. For irons, the clubhead must strike the ball as it descends, with the lowest point occurring behind the ball, to generate accurate impact and the spin needed to stop the ball on the green.
02Address is reserving the ball I will hit in advance.
However, there are so many people who swing in a way that doesn't suit the purpose for which the club was made. When I look at the swings in the bays ahead of me at the driving range, they swing so flatly that sometimes it feels like the club head is moving back and forth right in front of my eyes when they hit a 3-wood. There are also those who make a loud thumping sound as if they are pounding the ground right from the moment they hit an iron.
When people like this hit a driver, the sound is closer to a miss than the sound of hitting the ball. There is a lesson here: the address is essentially reserving the ball you are going to hit. I hope you reflect at least once on just how important the fundamentals are.
Some people place the ball too close to the center, but even if you hit it well, this lowers the trajectory, inevitably resulting in a loss of distance. Also, many try to force the ball up from the ground; this incorrect motion becomes more pronounced, especially when clearing water or bunkers, making accurate contact difficult. Moving your head too much during the backswing and failing to return it to its original position is also a cause of topping, hitting behind the ball, or the ball flying weakly.
03Driver Settings: Just Pay Attention to Three Things
The driver is a club that requires an upward swing. First, position the ball on the line of your left heel, and shift your weight slightly more to the right, roughly 40% on your left and 60% on your right. In fact, if you pay attention to just these two things, you are pretty much ready to hit an upward shot.
To add one more thing, after looking at the target, look once more up that line. If you are at a driving range, you can look as if you are hitting over the netting that prevents the ball from going out; if you are on a course, you can look at the trees you are hitting, the mountain peak behind them, or the clouds. By taking this upward gaze, you create a stance that is better suited for hitting an upward shot. Personally, I tend to look much higher than the actual trajectory—approximately 45 degrees upward in feel. Rather than focusing on the exact angle, it is best to simply look up yourself and check how your address looks.
04A practical trick to reduce spin without changing your swing
I believe that six or seven out of ten amateur golfers hit a slice. Slices usually involve a lot of spin, so to reduce it, the club path needs to come in straight or slightly inside when approaching the ball. That is why a draw is definitely advantageous; however, if you try to create a draw by rotating your hands to lift the backswing or pulling your arms inward, it can actually have the opposite effect.
There is a very simple method you can use without changing your swing. It is a technique I often use myself during tournaments: simply pull your right foot back slightly. By opening your stance like this, you create a path that allows the ball to travel a flatter trajectory. Even though it may look like your right foot is far back, the ball doesn't curve as much as you might expect. I tend to focus on my feet when addressing the ball, but if you watch other players, you can see that the alignment of the upper body and pelvis is more important than the feet. This method is easy enough that you can use it on the course right away.
05The image of driving a nail into a ball
There is an image I have held since my junior days. It is to swing while visualizing a wooden tee driven into the ball like a nail. When you drive a nail in, you transfer 100% of your power without hesitation, right? Having this image allows you to focus solely on transferring your power, reducing technical thoughts such as how to bend your wrist or when to shift your weight. In fact, thinking too much about technique prevents you from achieving maximum speed. Sometimes, practicing just hitting without thinking is also very helpful.
06Iron setup and down-blow feel
For irons, a 50/50 weight distribution and a ball position in the center or slightly to the left is sufficient. You don't need as much spine tilt as with a driver; the natural tilt created by having the left hand lower than the right is enough.
And irons must be struck with a downswing. However, most amateur golfers probably don't even know what this feeling is like. You need to know what it feels like to judge for yourself whether you "struck it pressed down well" or "struck it slightly lifted."
There is a method I actually use when aggressively targeting the pin during a match or round. It involves slightly lifting my right heel while taking my address. This allows me to strike the ball with my weight and foot pressure remaining on my left foot, and since my head rotates in place without shifting, the ball is struck with a good amount of pressure. Because there is no need to shift and return my weight, my consistency improves day by day. For a full swing, you simply step on the ball with the front outside of your right foot.
07Down blow confirmed with a single bandage
If you have gotten used to this feeling, let's increase the difficulty a little. Try attaching easily available items like bandages or tape to the back of the ball, spaced about two apart. This is an exercise where you hit the ball without touching the bandages, and it is not as easy as you might think. Once you get used to it, try narrowing the spacing to about the width of a ball.
However, don't place the ball too close. If you get closer than about the width of a ball, you will actually end up using a different swing. If you try it yourself, you will realize that the angle for a down-blow shot is not as steep as you might think. Those who are good at hitting a down-blow shot can hit the ball well no matter where it is—whether it is in the rough, a bunker, or on a downhill lie to the left.
08The reason why your irons don't work on days when your driver is good
When you go out on the course, you’ve probably all experienced your irons going wrong on days when your driver is hitting well, or your driver just disappearing on days when your irons are good. I believe the reason for this is that you try to hit the driver and irons with different swings. As I mentioned today, if you simply adjust your setup properly without changing your swing, you are actually bound to hit well.
Because drivers are long, the movement may appear a bit larger, and irons are relatively shorter, so the swing may look more concise; however, if you look at any professional golfer, their driver and iron swings do not look different. Even Rory McIlroy does not change his swing for the driver and irons separately. If you focus only on your initial setup—the address—adapting it to the club, and try to maintain the feeling that the swing itself is identical, you will hit the ball much better.
09Today's homework
For your driver homework, you need to find the very front row of the driving range, specifically the bay with a mirror. Your homework is complete once you personally verify the three preparatory movements, ball position, weight distribution (6 on the right foot), and looking once above the target line that I taught you today.
For the iron homework, place a bandage behind the ball and hit it cleanly with a downswing without touching it twice in a row; if you feel that, you have succeeded. Once you get used to the settings for each club in this way, you will be able to enjoy rounds where you hit both your driver and irons well on the same day.
