Al Balding, one of the greatest professionals ever to come out of Canada and a truly fine iron player, regards the long irons as his "bread and butter" clubs.

"There's something wrong with your swing if you can't hit the long irons," Balding once observed. "The way they stretch the holes out in tournament competition, it seems like we're always pumping at them with two- or three-irons."

Balding, of course, is not alone in his thoughts concerning the importance of the long irons in tournament play. Every topflight professional has spent many hours perfecting this phase of his game, which involves the one-, two-, and three-irons. It is a curious, but certainly not surprising, fact that almost every great player of the modern era excels with his long irons. He excels because he practices with them and has confidence in them.

THE ADDRESS. The stance for the long irons is a bit wider than for the medium irons and is slightly closed to the line of flight. In taking your stance, I suggest that you first set yourself up over the ball in a "square" position, that is, have your feet, hips, and shoulders on a parallel line toward the hole. Then, simply slip your right foot back an inch or so just before you begin the waggle. If you approach the ball with a closed stance, you will have a tendency to line up to the right of the target. It is best to always begin your swing preparations from the square stance.

During the address, your weight should be evenly distributed between both feet. The hands are slightly ahead of the ball, and the arms are in close to the body (Fig. 54). Owing to the longer shaft, you will find the ball a bit farther away from you than when you are addressing the ball for a medium-iron shot.

THE BACKSWING. Swing the clubhead back along the ground for the first 10 or 12 inches, utilizing the body and shoulder turn described in the chapter on short irons to move you into the backswing. As the hands pass outside the right leg (Fig. 55), the arms and hands begin a gradual lifting and cocking action which brings the clubhead into a position where it is pointing toward the sky (Fig. 56). At the top of the swing, the weight is almost entirely on the right side. The wrists are fully cocked and the full shoulder turn is complete (Fig. 57). The left heel is allowed to come off the ground about an inch to free the hips and shoulders from any strain during the turn away from the ball.

Fig. 54. Address for a long iron. Hands are slightly ahead of the ball, and stance is slightly closed. Feet are slightly farther apart than for medium-iron swing.

Fig. 55. The body is beginning to coil on the backswing. The shoulders are turning, and the arms are following this turn.

Fig. 56. A good study in body windup for a long-iron shot. The head is steady over the ball, and the hands are set in a cocked position.

Fig. 57. At the top and ready to start down after a smooth, rhythmic backswing.

Fig. 58. Long, accurate drives make the iron shots much easier. Littler drives of first tee at Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N.Y., to start second round in the U.S. Open championship after opening with a 69. (AP Wirephoto)

Fig. 59. All set for a powerful, sweeping hit through the ball. The wrists are fully cocked, and the right elbow is tucked in close to the right side. The drive into the ball with the right side has already begun.

Fig. 60. At impact, the left side has turned out of the way, as in other iron shots, and the left leg is almost straight. The head is steady, and the right side is driving into the shot with all possible power.

Fig. 61. The right arm and the clubshaft extend toward the target after the ball has been struck. The right hand is beginning to cross over the left hand at this point of the swing.

THE DOWNSWING. As soon as the left side has initiated the downswing, the left heel is planted firmly on the ground (some professionals advocate making this a conscious effort in starting the downswing). Planting the left heel firmly and early ensures that you will be on the inside plane on the downswing. If the weight is forward on your toes, chances are the swing will be from the inside out.

Halfway down, the wrists are still fully cocked and the right elbow is tucked in against the right side (Fig. 59). This is added insurance for an inside-out swing. At this point, the weight is definitely moving to the left side and the right side is beginning its drive into the shot.

Fig. 62. The completed long-iron swing. Note the firm left leg and relaxed right side. Very little weight is on the right toe at the finish.

At impact (Fig. 60), the left side is out of the way, the left arm is still straight, and the head is behind the ball. Figure 61 shows my arms fully extended toward the target, and my right shoulder just beginning to pull my head up into a more vertical position. At the finish (Fig. 62), the weight is on the outside of the left foot and toward the heel. Note the relaxed right side and how my hands and arms have swung to a high finish.

One of the most important things to remember when hitting a long iron is to swing smoothly. The reason why the average golfer is a poor long-iron player is that he speeds up his tempo and rushes the swing too fast. Try to swing the long irons to the same tempo as the medium and short irons and you will find the results far more rewarding.

Maintaining a constant and consistent swing tempo is a difficult thing to achieve. I devote a great deal of my practice time working on this because tournament play demands consistency if you are to be a winner. Under these conditions, a golfer's swing cannot change too much during a round, but his timing and tempo can leave him with one swing of a club. Why is this?

The biggest reason is that muscle tension and timing become prime influencing factors on a golf swing once the tournament flag is run up. Have you often wondered how you can swing so freely and score so wonderfully well in a friendly round, then have your game suddenly go sour during a club tournament? Both the mind and the muscles influence the swing, and it takes good nerve control to keep your swing and game under control.

Jackie Burke, the stylish Texan who has won the Masters and many other tournaments, perhaps best summed up tournament golf when he said, "There are a lot of players who have the physical ability to win tournaments, but few of them do." Burke, of course, was implying that the mind is a strong factor in winning tournaments—about 70 per cent, as a matter of fact. If golf is 70 per cent mental, then we must learn to mesh the gears of the mind and the muscles together so that they harmonize in competition. This takes experience, years of playing, and, most of all, a positive and confident determination that what you are about to undertake (the shot before you) can be performed exactly as you have planned it. This positive attitude starts with the mind and ends with a positive swing that has a good tempo to it.

A golfer in competition must learn to discipline his mind, and not panic or get excited, particularly when the going gets rough or when he faces a demanding shot. Long-iron play requires quiet concentration and attention to where the ball should be placed—not where you do not want it to go; that is negative thinking. My long-iron play in the Open championship at Oakland Hills is an example. Throughout the final day, I hit some truly fine shots because I was swinging freely and confidently. I was thinking positively and did not let the excitement of being in contention and winning the tournament influence my play until the eighteenth hole. Then, when I realized I could actually win the tournament, I suddenly let a negative thought creep into my positive attitude. Play it safe, I thought. As a result, I hit a poor second shot to the eighteenth hole with a four-wood and had to scramble mightily for a bogey five.

Thus, you can see what the mind can do to the muscles during the swing. Do your thinking behind the ball—and make it as positive as possible—then step up and hit it without too much mental exertion.

If you are a beginner, I suggest that you first learn to swing and control the short and medium irons before tackling the long irons. The latter are the most difficult to hit because they are straighter faced and have less loft. It takes a well-grooved and well-timed swing to hit a perfect long iron, and behind such a swing lie countless hours of practice sessions on the tee, not to mention the sessions spent under the watchful eye of the club teaching professional.

Fig. 63

Figures 63 through 69 illustrate the long-iron swing from behind the ball. Note particularly the position of the right elbow at the top of the swing (Fig. 65). It is slightly away from my right side and pointing toward the ground. As the down-swing starts, it returns immediately to the right side (Fig. 66).

Figs. 63 through 69. Long-iron swing from behind.

As you progress in ability and experience, you will find the longer irons easier to hit. Try to develop a certain rhythm to your swing, and use it with every swing from the driver on down to the wedge. Some golfers have a quicker tempo than others. Some are swingers, some are hitters. It remains for you to find the proper timing and tempo for your swing, consistent with your physical makeup and temperament. After you develop your swing tempo, stick with it and groove it until it becomes automatic. You will then be on your way to a better swing and better golf.

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