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Met Methods - Bryan Dougherty - Knockdown Shot

One of the traits that separates the great golfers from the average is the ability to change trajectories with their irons and wedges. Hitting shots that are higher and lower than your “normal” trajectory is part of becoming a great ball-striker. Flighting your shots lower than you usually do, especially when there is some wind in your face, is an essential skill for anyone who wants to get better at any level.  

 

Related: Instruction Blowout | Callaway Video Library

 

There are three adjustments you need to make to help knock down your irons: 


 

Grip – Make sure your lower-hand grip is strong to very strong, with the crease between your thumb and index finger pointing towards your trail shoulder. This will help keep the club from rotating open in the backswing, and you can concentrate more on body rotation in the downswing, which is the vital factor in flighting your irons. 
 


 

Swing Length – Instead of adding a full wrist hinge at the top of the backswing, I like to feel as though my backswing is complete when my lead arm is parallel to the ground. Generally speaking, your body rotation is complete at this point, so that is where I want to finish the backswing for a lower ball flight. Concentrate on width with your arms and a full body turn; the follow through should feel like it’s “cut off” at this point as well. You’ll want to hold your finish with the trail arm parallel to the ground. This will ensure you’ve made a controlled, well-rotated swing through the ball. 
 


 

  1. Head Rotation – To avoid adding dynamic loft at impact, try swinging like Annika – by which I mean that we need to let our head and chest rotate through the ball a little early to prevent “flipping” the club at impact. (Annika Sorenstam was legendary among pros for the movement of her head before impact: she simply let her head follow her shoulders as she rotated through.) The number one reason average golfers have trouble knocking down their irons is because their body pivot stalls as the club gets near impact. Once the body pivot stalls, the clubhead gets thrown at the ball, passing the hands along the way. If this happens before or at impact, you are effectively adding loft to the shot and the ball will launch higher than intended and most likely balloon in the wind. Practice the feeling of your head and chest being the catalysts of your rotation through the ball, and you’ll soon be knocking down your irons (and some flagsticks) like a pro!