How to Gain Confidence Hitting Your Long Irons

In some golf circles, you could be led to believe that long irons are a dying breed. And, to be sure, you don’t see as many three- and four-irons in golf bags as you would have seen a generation ago.

Even further, you’d have to look long and hard before you would find a player carrying a two-iron. So, should you just forget about the long irons altogether and focus instead on fairway woods and hybrids?

Not so fast!

Sure, for some players it will make sense to toss out a long iron or two, but this category of clubs still has a lot to offer.

There are shots that you can hit with a long iron that simply aren’t possible with other clubs. As long as you have the basic level of skill required to hit a long iron, there is a lot to gain from sticking with them at least in some capacity.

To use your long irons effectively, you are going to need confidence. Of course, confidence can be hard to come by with clubs that are so tough to hit, but we have a few tips that might turn your mindset in a positive direction.

Spend Some Quality Time Together

This is where it all starts. You simply aren’t going to have confidence in a club that you never use in practice.

Many golfers will head out to the range and get started with some wedge shots, which will be followed by some short- and mid-irons. Then, the player will jump up to the driver, skipping over the rest of the bag entirely. If your four-iron is collecting dust during practice sessions, how are you going to improve?

Make it a point to use as many of your clubs as possible during a given practice session. You never quite know what types of shots you’ll encounter on the course, so prepare yourself as thoroughly as possible by bringing plenty of variety into your practice routine.

Even if you only make a few swings during each practice session with your long irons, those swings will add up and those clubs suddenly won’t seem as intimidating as they did previously.

Dedicate a Round to Long Iron Work

Most of the time, when you head out for a round you are focused on shooting the lowest possible score for that day. And that makes sense, since low scores are the whole point of this game! However, you don’t always have to play for score, as it’s perfectly acceptable to head out to the course with the intention of doing nothing more than working on your game.

If you have time for this kind of round, consider dedicating it to hitting as many long irons as possible. Leave your driver at home and start each par four and par five hole by hitting a long iron shot from the tee. Since those tee shots will be shorter than your drives, you may then need to hit quite a few long irons into the greens.

By the end of the day, you could wind up hitting 20 or more long irons – and hopefully at least a few of them will work out beautifully. You might be surprised that you are still able to shoot a decent score this way, and you should come away with improved confidence in your ability to make long irons work for you.

Play to Your Strengths

Long iron shots are not the time to mess around with trying to hit shots that aren’t in your wheelhouse. For instance, let’s say that you are a player who fades the ball on almost every swing. As long as you can rely on the ball to fade time after time, that’s a great way to play the game.

If that is your pattern, don’t go against it and try to hit a draw when you are holding a long iron, even if the shape of the hole would suggest that a draw is the better choice.

You might try to produce a draw from time to time with a short iron, but that is a much easier task than doing the same thing with a long iron. You’ll have more confidence in these clubs if you only ask them to do something that is well within the limits of your skills.

See a Professional Club Fitter

Hitting a perfectly-fitted long iron is hard enough – you don’t need to make the task any harder by using a club that isn’t a good match for your swing. Specifically, if the shaft is too stiff, or too heavy, you’ll always struggle to get the ball airborne properly.

By taking the time to visit a professional club fitter in your area, you can tune your long irons properly, so you aren’t fighting an uphill battle. While you are there, the club fitter may be able to analyze the rest of your set and determine other ways your clubs can be adjusted to suit your needs.

Will having your long irons fitted to your game mean they will suddenly be easy to hit? Of course not – this is still golf, after all. A fitting session can add to your level of confidence, however, as it will give you the peace of mind that comes with using a tool that is properly-suited to your needs.

A Sensation to Savor

The feeling that you get from flushing a long iron perfectly and seeing the ball soar down the middle of the fairway is unlike anything else in the game. Can long irons be tough to hit? Sure – but they can also be responsible for some of the best shots you will hit in your life.

We hope the tips in this post will help you see your long irons in a positive light, as an asset in your bag rather than a burden. Get out there and use your long irons with pride!