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How to stripe your iron shots just the way Boo does

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Boo Weekley picked up his first win in five years on the PGA Tour on Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by hitting some stellar iron shots down the stretch.

Usually we can talk about how great the putting of a particular player was to claim a win on tour, but Weekley showed everyone that being average with the putter but great with the irons can pay off just as well.

Many amateur golfers have a variety of issues that lead to inconsistent iron play. A lack of solid contact and consistency are usually the top complaints I hear from players on the lesson tee regarding their irons.

So what are some things you can do to improve your iron play?

• Master your aim. Hitting greens in regulation gets even more difficult when you think you’re aiming at one spot but in reality are aimed somewhere else. When on the practice range, always use something (alignment rods, a club, etc.) on the ground to verify your aim. Simply think of it as calibrating your body to feel what it’s like to be properly aimed.

• Take a divot. You can hit good iron shots without a divot, but your margin of error is very small. The best iron shots are struck with a slightly descending blow. This means when the ball is on the ground the club will strike the ball first, then take a divot (although maybe small) in front of the ball. Practice this by placing two tees in the ground perpendicular to the target line about six inches apart. Address the space between the tees as if there was a ball there and make practice swings creating divots in front of the tees (on the side closest to the target).

• Know your yardages. Spending time on the practice range is clearly the best way to discover how far you hit each club. However, most players get in trouble by trying to max out the distance of every club they hit. If you have to swing as hard as you can and make perfect contact to get your 8-iron to go 150 yards, opt for a smoother swing with a 7-iron instead and your consistency will greatly improve.

Take an online lesson with Tyrus York.