You're Correct!

So your iron shots fly like line drives and fail to hold the green, even when you strike the ball solidly. Hmmm… You probably dont take much of a divot, do you – often no divot at all?

Its a pretty common refrain. Unlike the pros, who launch high, spinning irons that stop on a dime, many amateurs struggle to generate adequate height and backspin from the fairway. This makes it tough to carry green-fronting hazards, and impossible hold all but the softest greens.

Theres good news and bad news. Bad news first: You may never produce enough clubhead speed to hit it as high and spin it as much as the games elite. Now the good news: Regardless of your talent level, you can get more height and spin with a couple of simple adjustments.

The first order of business: ball position. When hitting a wedge, the ball should be centered between your feet. Move it left (toward your lead foot) about ½” every time you go up one club. If youre hitting a 7-iron, the ball should be approximately 1.5” left of center. (Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes, so experiment with your ball position on the range to determine what works best.)

Another key: Your hands should be in the same spot no matter what club youre hitting or where the ball is positioned. Specifically, the butt end of the club should point at your left hip pocket. This ensures that your hands start ahead of the ball, a critical factor in fostering a downward strike.

Which brings us to point No. 3: You must hit down to get the ball up. Sure, youll get the ball airborne if you sweep it off the turf and make solid contact. But without trapping the ball against the ground, youll sacrifice the compression that generates height, spin and distance.

Proper ball and hand position alone dont guarantee the correct downward strike. Your weight transfer, transition from backswing to downswing, and balance are important, too. But if your setup is good, the other things are much easier to achieve.
With so much emphasis on driving and putting, the intermediate game sometimes gets overlooked. Considering that every truly great player is an ace with the irons, its definitely worthwhile to focus on this segment of the game. Follow these links to some of our best iron-play tips and drills:

Best Drills to Hit Golf Irons High

Five Tips on Hitting Better Irons

How to Strike Irons Like a Tour Pro

Who Should Play Game-Improvement Irons?

Who Should Play Blade Irons?

This answer could actually be correct, but only if your ball position is much too far left. (For example, if youre playing short irons opposite your left heel.) Otherwise, moving the ball back (to the right) further de-lofts the club and puts your hands too far forward, creating even lower shots.

This isnt bad advice in general – many amateurs under-club and over-swing – but it wont help you hit the ball higher. Less loft and less clubhead speed mean a lower launch trajectory and decreased spin, bringing your ball flight down. If youre in-between clubs and simply must hit a high shot, take the more lofted club and make a full swing.

This is a shortcut to a low hook, not a high floater. One way to add height is to play an intentional fade or cut shot, opening your stance and/or clubface to increase loft. If you struggle with a slice, however, this method isnt recommended.