Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman
Kevin Hinton: The first key to John's excellent long-iron play is his setup. He has taken a wide stance with the ball positioned in the front third of his stance. Also, the shaft is in a very neutral position, not leaning forward like it would with shorter irons. These things allow him to produce a relatively shallow angle of attack.
The setup is very similar to a driver, but not quite to that extreme because you still need to create a slight descending blow with a long iron to hit it successfully. Essentially, you need to set up in a way that allows you to "hit down" the proper amount. If you're struggling to hit the ball very high and are producing deep divots, you're likely setting up too much like with a
shorter iron. If you top a lot shots or your swing bottoms out before
the ball, you are setting up too much like with a driver. This causes
you to swing "up" too much for a ball that is on the ground.
Next, in the backswing, John makes a full shoulder turn with a relatively straight left arm and a very gradual hinging of the wrists. This makes for an extremely "wide" swing that produces power as well as also helping to produce a shallow divot through impact. Notice how John allows his head to move a bit to his right as he loads his weight into his right leg. Keeping your head still and your weight on your left side is not helpful when it comes to hitting long irons. Through impact, John keeps his head behind the ball as he would with a driver. Also, the shaft is straight at impact, not leaning forward. This is definitely more of a sweeping swing.
And finally, copy his picture-perfect finish. He looks like he could stand there all day!
Next, in the backswing, John makes a full shoulder turn with a relatively straight left arm and a very gradual hinging of the wrists. This makes for an extremely "wide" swing that produces power as well as also helping to produce a shallow divot through impact. Notice how John allows his head to move a bit to his right as he loads his weight into his right leg. Keeping your head still and your weight on your left side is not helpful when it comes to hitting long irons. Through impact, John keeps his head behind the ball as he would with a driver. Also, the shaft is straight at impact, not leaning forward. This is definitely more of a sweeping swing.
And finally, copy his picture-perfect finish. He looks like he could stand there all day!
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