How To Hit A 5 Iron – Biggest Mistakes Made With Irons In Golf

If you want to see how to hit a 5-iron in golf that gets you more distance… as much as 40 more yards, listen up!  We’re going to talk about doing one simple thing. That’s it and this one simple thing can get you massive distance, compression and control! 

The number one fault for most amateur golfers with iron play is a scoopy or cuppy left wrist.  When you flip your left wrist, what you’re doing to the club is adding loft. The more loft you have on the club, the shorter it goes.  So you may have a 5 iron in your hand, but if your wrist it cupped at impact, you’re hitting it with the same loft as your 8 iron.  Every 3 degrees is one full club length.  

If you get 3 degrees of positive shaft lean, you’ve basically got a different club in your hand now.  You want to get your wrist into a flat position at impact because that’s what is going to de-loft the clubface.  The ball has no idea what club you have in your hand. All the ball knows is what loft and speed it’s being hit with and then reacts. By getting your wrist in the right position, you can quickly turn your 8 iron into a 5 iron. 

Improper Shaft Lean With A 5-Iron

Even if you think of it in terms of “true loft”, which is where the shaft is even with the ball at impact. Just by getting that left wrist flat and in front of the ball, you’re going to pick up yardage! Many armatures get the shaft behind the ball and that means your 5-iron is now more like an 8-iron. Obviously your 8-iron has more loft which means your 5-iron that you’ve now turned into an 8-iron. It’s going to just go up with a lot of spin.

Having shaft lean and a flat left wrist at impact is critical. So how do you get there? The number one cause for scooping at impact is your right wrist. It goes from a loaded position to an unloaded position. This is because it’s your dominant hand if you’re right-handed. Your “dominant” hand can cause you just about every single flaw in the golf swing if overused at the wrong time.

Correct Shaft Lean With A 5-Iron

You get down to impact and try to “help” it because you’re loaded up in a powerful position…..and then disaster. So while you definitely want it to be there, you don’t want to let it over power what can and should naturally happen. Get that left wrist flat at impact and get that shaft lean forward. That’s how you hit a 5-iron in golf. Try it, you’ll be amazed how much better you hit it! For more speed and power, check out how to use the ground in the golf swing.