Fred Griffin on Iron Shots That Stop Quickly (Video)

GCA coach Fred Griffin shared a feel-oriented approach to hitting a high iron shot that lands softly on the green. It's simpler than many methods you might have heard.



Fred gives you three simple steps.

• Put the ball slightly forward of center in your stance. If you stop the video around the :54 second mark, there's a good ground level image of the ball position. You can see that the ball is still inside your lead heel. You don't want to put the ball too far forward or you'll hit it thin.
• He says to feel as if you "sink" a bit on your backswing, but he just wants you to keep your trailing knee slightly flexed on the way back. You don't want to straighten your trail knee when you make this shot! This gives you a more level approach to the ball, as opposed to (a) raising up and hitting it thin or (b) dropping during your downswing and hitting it low.
• And then there's that "waiter's tray" image. He wants you to swing to a high finish, and that's a good image to help you straighten up as you finish your swing. Yes, if you stayed level during your downswing, you'll be using the ground here!

The key to hitting the ball high is to make a small adjustment to the ball position -- just a little forward -- and then hit the ball cleanly. And a ball that flies high drops down more vertically onto the green, which means it doesn't bounce forward as much.

Make sure you understand the images. If you can imagine how the shot feels, you'll be able to hit it much better than you expect. Never underestimate the value of a good mental image of your shot!