Hi there,

I've recently starting to play golf again and I'm having trouble using my 3 iron. Up to the 5 iron I feel comfortable but then my next club is the 3 and I seem to be striking down on the ball. So I moved the ball further forward in my stance as I thought this could be the problem but then I slice it. Is there any difference in your technique when moving to this high an iron?

Thank you,

Rob 

are you trying to swing to hard just cos its a longer club?

Slicing is caused by coming out to in and having a open club face. Try to hit the ball out to the right so at a 1 o clock to the target ( this is how i get my in to in swing path) and try to rotate your hands a little more at inpact. I been practicing this for a while and i have got a nice draw with it.  

Try to slow your swing down a little to let your arms keep up.

I that dont work try to hit a hook with it and then slowly move back till you find medium ground

 Rob, I think moving it forward in your stance is a mistake and would suggest that's the reason for your slice.

 The longer irons are harder to use as they have longer shafts. What I did was practice my 5 iron 'til it became as easy as my 6 iron, then do you 4 iron 'til it's as easy as the 5 and then the 3. I'm currently practicing a few 1 irons off the deck when I'm at a loose end. Remember that you don't need to welly it. Go for the strike.

I have the ball about three inches inside my front heel and I try to 'Sweep' the ball off the turf.

Good balance and a smooth swing will also help.

Russ

My longest iron is the 5 then a 21# hybrid then a 5 wood...I hit the hybrid and 5 wood so well I dont see any need for a 4 or 3 iron. Whatever works is good..

I'm sure I'm going to get 'flamed' for this by the purists, only in good spirit of course, but what about replacing the three iron with a hybrid? 

If you do a little search on the net you will see that not being able to hit a four or three iron is commonplace, particularly amongst high handicappers, of which I am one.

I have a 4 hybrid and I can confirm that I can hit it very well, but never could hit the equivalent iron.  I'm close to buying a 3 hybrid too.

Some might suggest you should take lessons to be able to hit the long irons.  You should do this too.

EDIT:  I pondered this for so long I was beaten to the hybrid suggestion.  Damn my fussy wording.

I am in the iron camp, but do have a Ping G5 hybrid at 19deg. It most certainly does not go as far as my 3 iron , even moreso into a strong wind.

I have a 1 iron as well but do not always carry it.

I have a 2H 17 Deg Hybrid for emergency use only, if im on the good stuff it will not be required.

Theres nothing sweeter than cracking a 3I 220+, the hybrid feels like cheating a bit!

I don't carry a 3 iron & have only ever hit one once & didn't feel comfortable at all.

One cannot expect to feel comfortable with a club if used only once. It takes time. I realise that the game has changed, but anyone  who can strike the long irons will be an infinitely better player for having that ability. I would go as far as to suggest, John, that with that ability, single figures would be a matter of course.

The day i can't hit a 3 iron anymore will be a sad day as it would be my last game. The long iron is a dying breed i don't tink anyone makes a 1 iron anymore.

Right, Dave, and until they are standing on a links into a very strong headwind knowing that the club they need for the shot is a sweetly struck 3 iron hit low, yet all they have is a hybrid or five wood, knowing that the ball is going to come back to them.

My 3 iron goes in my bag on windy days, usually replacing my 19* hybrid or 5 wood. Striking a 3 iron well does give you that inner sense of achievement knowing that you have played a good golf shot. 

My 3 iron is one of my favourite clubs - I hit it reasonably well, and have the ball well forward in my stance. Works for me (and I'm too tight to buy a hybrid!).

I have to agree on the iron front i find them easier to hit than a hybrid but maybe im just weird

Thank you all for your advice. I've not been ignoring the responses, I've been out and about for a week.

I am having a few lessons but at the moment only practicing with the 7 and 8 irons. I have actually bought a 1 iron as well for when I feel comfortable enough. I'd like to learn to use the 3 iron as I have a 3/4 iron hybrid as well but struggle to get the distance on this.

Maybe I need to take things slowly and learn to walk before I run, but you probably all know the temptation to want to hits those long drives.

Time for some practice down Hurlston Hall driving range this week then!

Thanks again. 

Good luck with the one iron!  I thought I heard that even Woods didn't carry lower than 3 at Hazeltine.

Maybe that's why he lost.

i'm in the hybrid camp

I'm with the hybrids Although I only use it off the tee.

Just recently I have only used a 6 iron or higher for full shots off the fairway. Infact I have been using my 5 to 9 irons off most tees as well as I have finally grasped the concept of playing bogey golf

I only go for greens in regulation if I can reach them with out any 'miracle' shots or risk / reward shots.

Playing this way is helping to take some of the big numbers off my score cards and giving me so much confidence.

Rob, as a fellow high handicapper, my suggestion would be to not worry about using a 3 iron until you are more cosistant and confident with your other clubs and your play in general. By all means keep practicing with it on the range, but concentrate on a smooth, consistant swing with your other clubs first.

The key is to sweep with the 3 Iron rather than hit down, I have one and use it where the course layout requires it or if the weather is particularly windy.

I used to be almost incapable of playing long irons until I realised what I was doing differently between the long irons and the short ones.

Simply put, I was trying to hit with the long irons because I felt pressure to get distance, whereas the short irons were a much simpler shorter swing.  I'd pick the right short iron to get to the green (or sprayed around the green as it almost always turns out) and I'd not worry about distance.  But if I'm playing a second shot on a par 4, or a par 5, I'm worrying about getting there, getting the distance as close as possible, and it meant I'd try smacking it.

Feel much better now I'm 'trying' not to do that.  Still happens once in a while if I don't concentrate and go back to old ways.

So would a recommended bag choice for a beginner be putter, s & p wedge, 5-9 irons, 3/4 iron hybrid, 3 wood (for tee if feeling comfortable). And then leave the other bigger clubs at home to stop the temptations?

I think my problem is also if I hit a good 5 iron off a fairway (occassional) I think i've suddenly become good enough to use a 3 iron next time round which inveriably goes about 20 yards off to the right into a nice placed bush!  Lol!

Rob personally I'd recommend a full set of irons but get some lessons to learn to hit them properly it will stand you in good stead for the future.

Why go for an automatic car licence when it stops you experiencing driving a car with gears!!!!!!!

Personally i don't take my 3 iron, but use my 4 a lot.

i hit that about 190+  and have recently got a hybrid 21 degree for the rough or just a bit more length.  I would recommend it highly and wouldn't worry about the purists saying use iirons, especially until you are below 18. 

I wouldn't advocate replacing 4 and 5 irons but 3, 2 or 1 (1 Iron, nutter!! i had one and could hit it 50 yards).

To be honest at your handicap i'm fairly sure you will get little difference between 5 and 3 iron distance until you hit the sweet spot at lot anyway. 

Thought someone might find this interesting .  I dont hit the long irons well due to my playing ability of course !

I last bought a burner hybrid (4 ish) and find the ball rockets off of the face but i just cant get consistent with it one way or another it really flies but could be left could be right. Im not even that bad with an iron. My dad is 73 but  a very good (and wise) player and I remembered he had told me he uses a 7 wood and even a 9 and no long irons at all. I have since bought a 7 wood which seems much forgotten among 'younger' players like myself ( im 43) and find I hit it long and straight , far better than the hybrid. I also hit it well out of light rough. A lot of people I play say " what did you hit there" and are suprised I have a 7 wood. My relative ease with this club is perhaps because the wood swing is so much simpler than the iron/hybrid swing ? and suits people like me.

I just thought if he can use a 7 and 9 wood and play to 9 at 72 then maybe I can try the same ( me being so youthful hehehe ). Oh and if anyone wants a Taylor Made burner 4 hybrid you know where I am :P. 

 Mas

Mas if it suits you to use other clubs it's not a problem, I just feel that if someone said to me you can only use a 3 iron for 210 yard shots then my a**e is not going to clench

Practice practice practice, its not a game of how, but how many. Don't take the 3 iron onto the course just yet, take a hybrid club, 20 or 21 degree instead. Best to drop your shots on the range rather than on the course. At your handicap level Rob just try and keep the ball in play and hit it straight. Play within yourself and watch 28 fall to 21 etc etc.....The most important part of this game is within the last 100 yards so concentrate more on that. 90% of amateur golfers have trouble hitting a 3 iron, 5% do it effortlessly and the other 5% are liars!

Paul