Ever watch Ben Hogan striping iron after iron with that perfectly controlled ball flight? Or see how effortlessly players like Annika Sorenstam hit those laser-straight 6-irons? There’s something almost magical about how these legends made iron play look so simple.
What did they know that we’ve sometimes forgotten in our modern pursuit of distance and technology?
After three decades of teaching, I have come to deeply appreciate modern technology and utilize it in my own coaching, from the forgiveness of modern iron design to launch monitor data and ground force analysis, which have significantly advanced our understanding. But here’s what I’ve learned from studying the greats and teaching thousands of lessons: sometimes the breakthrough isn’t found in more data or another swing thought. Sometimes it’s a simple feel that the master teachers understood intuitively.
These aren’t revolutionary concepts. They’re the same fundamentals that built every great iron player, from Byron Nelson to Tiger Woods, from Mickey Wright to Jin Young Ko. They often get lost in the complexity of modern instruction—when what golfers really need is one clear thought that transforms their ball-striking.
Hit down to make it go up
This remains the most misunderstood concept I encounter. Your iron’s loft gets the ball airborne—your job is to strike down through the ball with a descending blow. Think of pinching the ball against the turf, taking a divot after impact, not before.
