“Knockdown” Your Irons And Knockout Your Opponents

Do you take a divot past the original location of the ball when using your irons? If you don’t, the bottom of your swing arc is not where it should be, and having a repetitive bottom to your swing in a game where the ball begins on the ground is the most important swing fundamental to understand and develop.

To develop a powerful iron game which works well on windy days and doesn’t curve off-line, the divot needs to begin slightly AHEAD of the original ball location. To prove to yourself where your divot begins place a coin adjacent to the ball, hit the shot, and look at where the divot began relative to the coin. This impact condition compresses the ball, allowing the ball to rebound off the clubface and into the air.

In golf, the term KNOCKDOWN SHOT is used to describe a low shot into the wind. To create this ball flight, place the ball slightly behind the centerline of your stance, make a shorter than average backswing and practice to develop the image/feeling that you are going to “bury” the ball into the ground with the clubhead. To add this vital shot to your “arsenal”, use the details above and try it. Allow your mind to picture the shot you wish to hit… DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY!

Ultimately, your goal should be to develop the ability to execute the knockdown shot into all your full swing iron shots, but now with a centered ball position. Do this, and you will eventually develop the same divot pattern the pros do. The knockdown shot is not a specialty shot reserved for the best players. You have the capability of creating this shot; try it, and you may just knockout your opponents!

For questions or more help with your own knockdown shot feel free to contact me at gschulze@pga.com.