Golf Instruction Zone: How to Flight the Ball with Driving Irons

In this tip, Ted Frick and Stefany King of the Classic Swing Golf School at Legends Golf Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. demonstrate how to hit it low by finishing low.

Ted Frick: All right, so today we’re going to talk about flighting your golf ball. And you can see right here behind me, we got the cover shot, the Classic Swing Golf School. Stefany’s going to hit a shot underneath of it.

Now about mid-way through the season on the LPGA and the PGA tours, we started seeing the guys and girls going to these crossover or these driving irons. So we carry Mizuno and Ping at the Classic Swing Golf School. We came out with just a Fli Hi 4 iron by Mizuno.

Now, here’s what’s taking place. The golf shot that Stefany’s going to hit is approximately 150 yards. In her bag, that’s a stock 5 iron. What we’re going to do, because we got the wind in our face. Remember this when the March winds come in, in that early spring golf, the March winds and the wind’s in your face, you’ve got to bring that ball flight down. So you’re going to have to grab a stronger golf club, so instead of the 5 we’re going to move down to the 4. But we’re going to show in the setup and the swing how to flight your golf ball.

Let’s take a look at the setup here. So a standard crossover Fli Hi or hybrid variation, you would see the ball played maybe two inches inside the lead heel, and that’s going to get some really good launch on the golf ball. But right now what we’re going to do is we’re going to omit this. We’re going to move the ball back to center. So think about your sternum being the center of your body, play the ball in the center of your stance.

Now, also, with a longer iron, you would probably be a little favorable with your weight distribution. Say 55 to the lead side, 45 to the trail. When we’re trying to flight the ball and bring it down and the ball moves back, more weight moves forward. So in Stefany’s setup, she’s going to get almost 70, 30 in the setup.

And now what she’s going to do, she’s going to hit this shot. And we’re going to follow the famous statement by Sam Snead: to hit it low, finish low. Now Stefany’s going to go at it, almost full speed. But she’s going to go into a full extension, both arms straight follow-through. But the setup and the club selection help bring this down.

Check this out, this is going to fly, 150 yard shot. It’s going to fly about 135 in the air, then it’s going to roll the rest of the way here. Let’s give it a shot, ball’s back, handle weight forward, good turn, extend through it.

There it is, check this out. So it flew underneath our cover shot. There she goes, bouncing right up onto the green, 150 yards.

So flighting your golf ball, take out your golf club, work on your setup. But follow in Sam Snead’s story, you want to hit it high, finish shy, but to hit it low, finish low.