Do You Need Different Swings for Driver and Irons ? - Golf Tip (Video) - by Pete Styles
Do You Need Different Swings for Driver and Irons ? - Golf Tip (Video) - by Pete Styles

I often talk to golfers about their ability to hit their irons well, but they struggle with the driver. And for a lot of people, they question, well it is a different swing one, do I need a different swing when I am using my driver. To all intents and purposes, you don’t really, you should make it seem similar sort of fluid action, that you would make with your mid and long irons. But there are inherent differences, the way you set up with a driver. So here I have got two very different ball positions. My feet would maintain the same position, this would be my position with a 7 iron relatively close to the golf ball, ball position is very slightly ahead of center. And the club would drop down just above my knee and I would hold the handle here.

So this has been my 7 iron set up, then if I take this position, I don’t need to move now, but my driver sets up nicely behind the ball. Ball position is a lot further forwards, ball position is a lot further away from it, distance above my knee is exactly the same. So I am actually feeling like I could hold the club in a similar position, but a very different ball position. So maybe a slight difference with your waiting as well, particularly if you are hitting mid to short irons, you might feel like your wait is more on top or in front of the golf ball it impact, yet with a driver your bodyweight would be slightly more back behind the ball, my right shoulder would lower set up, my spine angle will be titled slightly more away at set up.

And because the ball is up on a big tee peg, it would be a slow – sorry, a lower takeaway, a lower angle of attack and a slightly more rising increasing launch angle as I hit through the ball. But that’s more dictated by the position of the golf ball and the fact that it’s on a tee peg. And I just stand there and make my normal swing and sweep it away into the air. Yet when I have a 7 iron here, the ball position is more towards the center. I am more on top of that ball position and I strike down on the ball, because I want to take a divot rather than hitting it up into the air.

2013-09-13

I often talk to golfers about their ability to hit their irons well, but they struggle with the driver. And for a lot of people, they question, well it is a different swing one, do I need a different swing when I am using my driver. To all intents and purposes, you don’t really, you should make it seem similar sort of fluid action, that you would make with your mid and long irons. But there are inherent differences, the way you set up with a driver. So here I have got two very different ball positions. My feet would maintain the same position, this would be my position with a 7 iron relatively close to the golf ball, ball position is very slightly ahead of center. And the club would drop down just above my knee and I would hold the handle here.

So this has been my 7 iron set up, then if I take this position, I don’t need to move now, but my driver sets up nicely behind the ball. Ball position is a lot further forwards, ball position is a lot further away from it, distance above my knee is exactly the same. So I am actually feeling like I could hold the club in a similar position, but a very different ball position. So maybe a slight difference with your waiting as well, particularly if you are hitting mid to short irons, you might feel like your wait is more on top or in front of the golf ball it impact, yet with a driver your bodyweight would be slightly more back behind the ball, my right shoulder would lower set up, my spine angle will be titled slightly more away at set up.

And because the ball is up on a big tee peg, it would be a slow – sorry, a lower takeaway, a lower angle of attack and a slightly more rising increasing launch angle as I hit through the ball. But that’s more dictated by the position of the golf ball and the fact that it’s on a tee peg. And I just stand there and make my normal swing and sweep it away into the air. Yet when I have a 7 iron here, the ball position is more towards the center. I am more on top of that ball position and I strike down on the ball, because I want to take a divot rather than hitting it up into the air.