After having played, practiced, and experimented with my own swing over a period of some 20 years, I have reached some rather definite conclusions concerning the swing and its execution. These conclusions, which I have boiled down into four categories, have been tried and tested under all conditions and types of play, from casual rounds to tournament competition, and, while there is nothing startlingly new about them, they do serve to emphasize the fact that you must practice and perfect them if you wish to become an accomplished player. These four steps to better iron play are: (1) form, (2) rhythm, (3) a proper turn and shifting of the weight, and (4) a good follow-through.

A player must have good form if he is to achieve success in golf. Naturally, some players aren't as formful as others, but they are almost identical at two important stages of the swing—the address and at impact (Fig. 89). Develop your form, and the development of your game will follow naturally.

Fig. 89. It helps to have good form during the swing, particularly in the hitting area.

Every golfer has a different tempo to his swing. You should develop a smooth, powerful swing that will generate the maximum power through the ball. Good tempo and good timing go hand in hand in a golf swing. The windup should start slow and be unhurried. At the start of the downswing, the first move should also be smoothly performed; then, as the hands and arms reach the hitting area, they can lash out and through the ball with all of the power the legs and body have generated. A good point to remember is that the upper part of the body winds up the swing and the lower part of the body starts the unwinding process.

The weight is shifted to the left side much faster on an iron shot than it is when you are hitting a wood. The reason for this is that the shaft and the swing are shorter, thus making the swing more upright. Also, the ball must be contacted on the downswing, so the action of the body, arms, and hands must be faster. Another thing: The wrists are broken sooner on the back-swing with the irons, because this aids you in making the downward hit.

The weight shift is accomplished by the entire left side, but mainly by the left hip, followed by the straightening of the left leg and planting of the left heel on the ground. A strong pulling-down action of the left arm and shoulder follows as the left hip moves slightly laterally and then around. This clears the left side, eliminating blocking action which results when the left leg buckles and the body slides too far past the ball. The movement described above eliminates another enigma the beginning golfer encounters —the fat shot. The fat shot is caused by the beginner failing to shift his weight to the left side early in the downswing. As a result, he takes turf in back of the ball instead of in front of it, because either he starts out with too much weight on his right side or he initiates the downswing with the upper part of his body rather than the lower part.

One final word of caution about this weight shift: It must be smoothly done, not in a jerky, convulsive movement.

Turning out of the shot properly is one of the last things a golfer learns how to do. Assuming that you have moved into the downswing correctly, you can increase your directional control immeasurably if you will permit your right hand and arm, as an extension of the clubshaft, to follow through toward the target (Figs. 90 and 91). Do not permit your right shoulder to rush around in front of you. This would throw the entire swing outside the line of flight. Instead, the right shoulder works under the chin so that you can follow through properly on line with the target.

Fig. 90.     The     follow-through.      Directional force  of  blow  should  always   be  toward  the target, with the right arm and clubshaft forming  a  straight  line toward the  intended   line of flight.

Fig.   91.     Rear   view   of   follow-through.    A: the  clubhead   and   right  arm   go  toward   the target,   the   right   shoulder   works   under   the chin, not around it.

Fig. 92. Set the hands in a fully cocked position as you begin the downswing. This will give you more power and distance in all of your shots.

Finally, in the process of building your swing you should continually strive for power. Power is an elusive thing for a golfer to capture, and, when he captures it, he can still lose it at a flick of the wrists—and that is usually where the trouble starts. Most golfers expend their power long before they get to the ball, instead of building it up. This casting-type action is good for a fisherman but not for a golfer.

Occasionally, I find that I lose power, and this usually is traceable to my hand action. By practicing for a while, I find that I can reverse this casting procedure and gain back the 10 or 15 yards that I have so suddenly lost. In other words, instead of casting, I cock my wrists just as I begin my downswing. This has the effect of firming up my hands and setting them for the hit through the ball (Fig. 92).

Many players cock their wrists immediately on the backswing, while others form a gradual cock going back, and then a full cock just as the downswing is begun. I am of this latter school of golfers and believe it to be the best and most effective method of obtaining maximum power in your iron shots. This maneuver causes the shaft of the club to dip slightly downward as the downswing is begun and ensures that no expenditure of power will take place until the last split second before the ball is contacted. The left side, incidentally, is highly instrumental in bringing about this late cocking of the wrists. Initiating the downswing with your left hip and left side tends to lower your hands and arms in close to your body, and, almost automatically, the wrists are set in a fully cocked position quite early in the downswing.

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