By Kim Jeong-kyoo
Cho A-yean won the 8th Kyochon Honey Ladies Open on May 8, capturing her first glory of this season and third career KLPGA Tour title. The 22-year-old hit a bogey-free final round of 5-under 67, clinching a four-shot victory over Lee Ga-young, who wilted and self-destructed over the closing stretch.
It was her knack for dropping in her clutch putts that propelled her to glory. Even when the pressure was at its peak, she showed flashes of greatness in putts. After all, several lengthy par-saving putts were real beauts that served as a springboard for the championship.
Despite having displayed her putting expertise throughout the entire round, she had difficulty hitting accurate iron shots. Overall, she was just decent, or rather not up to par. The KLPGA statistics show that Cho hits the fairways off the tee roughly 74 percent of the time but hits the greens in regulation only 67 percent. This says that her iron shots are where her game is weak.
Her less-than-satisfying iron shots look like they stem from mistakenly making an identical golf swing that she uses when she hits the tee shot.
It is a myth that one needs to use the same swing with all clubs in the bag. A driver and a wedge are built differently for different jobs. A driver is longer and designed to hit the ball off the tee on a flatter swing plane. Wedges and irons are shorter and designed to swing on a more upright plane than you would with a driver.
To hit the ball successfully you need to set up to it properly. Adapting your setup to the club you're using, you've won half the battle. When you hit a wedge, picture your swing matching the upright shape of a Ferris wheel. With a driver, picture swinging more around yourself, like a merry-go-round.
To swing more up and down, you need to stand closer to the ball so that the shaft rests slightly more vertically. This promotes a more upright swing plane. Also, standing closer to the ball helps you trap the ball between the clubface and the turf, scratching a shallow divot on the forward side of the ball.
Here are two efficient methods of hitting satisfying iron shots. They will help you ― whether you're a pro or amateur ― get the most out of the irons.
Use your whole body to smash the ball:
You need to keep your body behind the ball at address and throughout the swing to enjoy accuracy and distance. Address the ball with a slight tilt of your spine to the right away from the target. This will leave the left side of your body a touch higher than your right. Also, flare out your left foot a little to promote a powerful body rotation through the shot. Then, just visualize yourself staying behind the ball at impact as you return the club to its address position.
Similarly, keep your head steady behind the ball at address, at impact and during the early part of the follow-through. Steadying your head allows you to hit the ball from the inside and stay behind the ball so that you can use your whole body. Indeed, you will hit your target accurately every time. When it comes to accuracy, a steady head comes first before anything else.
Rotate your left forearm through the shot:
Focus on turning your left forearm so the knuckles of your left hand face the ground at impact. That way you can compress the ball, hitting more solid, powerful iron shots. You will take a divot on the forward side of the ball.
The author (kimjstar@hanmail.net) lives in a rural village near Seoul, studying and teaching golf.
 |
It was her knack for dropping in her clutch putts that propelled her to glory. Even when the pressure was at its peak, she showed flashes of greatness in putts. After all, several lengthy par-saving putts were real beauts that served as a springboard for the championship.
Despite having displayed her putting expertise throughout the entire round, she had difficulty hitting accurate iron shots. Overall, she was just decent, or rather not up to par. The KLPGA statistics show that Cho hits the fairways off the tee roughly 74 percent of the time but hits the greens in regulation only 67 percent. This says that her iron shots are where her game is weak.
Her less-than-satisfying iron shots look like they stem from mistakenly making an identical golf swing that she uses when she hits the tee shot.
It is a myth that one needs to use the same swing with all clubs in the bag. A driver and a wedge are built differently for different jobs. A driver is longer and designed to hit the ball off the tee on a flatter swing plane. Wedges and irons are shorter and designed to swing on a more upright plane than you would with a driver.
To hit the ball successfully you need to set up to it properly. Adapting your setup to the club you're using, you've won half the battle. When you hit a wedge, picture your swing matching the upright shape of a Ferris wheel. With a driver, picture swinging more around yourself, like a merry-go-round.
To swing more up and down, you need to stand closer to the ball so that the shaft rests slightly more vertically. This promotes a more upright swing plane. Also, standing closer to the ball helps you trap the ball between the clubface and the turf, scratching a shallow divot on the forward side of the ball.
Here are two efficient methods of hitting satisfying iron shots. They will help you ― whether you're a pro or amateur ― get the most out of the irons.
Use your whole body to smash the ball:
You need to keep your body behind the ball at address and throughout the swing to enjoy accuracy and distance. Address the ball with a slight tilt of your spine to the right away from the target. This will leave the left side of your body a touch higher than your right. Also, flare out your left foot a little to promote a powerful body rotation through the shot. Then, just visualize yourself staying behind the ball at impact as you return the club to its address position.
Similarly, keep your head steady behind the ball at address, at impact and during the early part of the follow-through. Steadying your head allows you to hit the ball from the inside and stay behind the ball so that you can use your whole body. Indeed, you will hit your target accurately every time. When it comes to accuracy, a steady head comes first before anything else.
Rotate your left forearm through the shot:
Focus on turning your left forearm so the knuckles of your left hand face the ground at impact. That way you can compress the ball, hitting more solid, powerful iron shots. You will take a divot on the forward side of the ball.
The author (kimjstar@hanmail.net) lives in a rural village near Seoul, studying and teaching golf.
