The Difference Between Hitting An Iron Versus A Driver!!

This can often be a struggle for the beginner and intermediate player navigating from iron to driver. Even though in theory the swings are all the same, there are slight differences that you need to be aware of when striking an iron versus a driver. The biggest difference comes from the angle of attack upon impact. With an iron you do want to strike down into the golf ball as you need to hit down into the grass to get the ball up however since the balls are teed up for a driver, you do want to feel as though you're hitting more 'up' on the ball.

The way we can feel these different impact positions is mainly through the set-up. With the irons you want to position the ball around middle to just forward of middle in your stance. You want to also have the weight evenly distributed. These two positions will make you naturally hit down on the ball. With the driver, you want to have the ball position opposite your left heel and the right shoulder tilted lower and the head behind the ball. You want to also feel the weight more at 55% back foot versus 45% front foot. This position will put you in a perfect position to hit more 'up' on the ball.

One of the best ways to think about it, is imagining your swinging within a semi circle with the centre of your chest being the centre of the arc. If you need to strike down on the ball, it would make sense that the ball would be positioned more in the centre of your stance versus if the ball was positioned more toward the left heel, the swing arc would naturally swing more up by the time you strike the ball.

Now sometimes a student may have a great set-up for example with their driver, but they still strike down too much. By the way when you do strike down with the driver, you can be endanger of 'skying' the ball or 'slicing'. One of the best methods you can try is simply doing practice swings and watching where you strike the tee. If the tee is at the correct height (Half a ball should be above your driver), then by the time you swing through, you should be contacting around half way up the tee. If you feel you're hitting too low on the tee or contacting the grass then you're striking down too low through impact.

Now to really ensure you can strike more 'up' with the driver, try and ensure that the right shoulder is staying the same angle as it was at set-up while the weight moves on to the front foot. Ensure also the head stays behind the ball. This should prevent your angle of attack changing through impact.

if you'd like any further help in transferring from your iron to a driver, just contact myself at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.