Awesome question and awesome video! Addressing the ball with some forward shaft lean has transformed my ball striking in ways I literally didn't think was possible.
Mary is my wife. I'm her husband Phil. I have been plaYING FOR 45 YEARS.. i'M 85 AND LOVE GOLF. I happen to get on your video this morning. I watch this video and kept your lesson in mind. I have been trying to draw the ball for 45 years with no results, up to now. Today day, I hiit 4 great draws. Wow. Can't wait to watch your iron videos. Thanks
During a recent lessons with my club pro, I was told to keep my setup hand position inside my left thigh for sand shots and pitches of 50 yards or so. But I've been experimenting with that position on longer irons and have seen some success, especially in ball striking. Thanks, Chris.
For so long I had the hinge at address all wrong for full shots vs pitch shots. Literally had them backwards. This video was a eureka moment for me and I’m finally hitting nice draws
I've always had a problem of hitting the ground before the ball with irons, or in compensating for that, thinning the ball. I tried this setup advice and suddenly iron shots are solid, reliable, straight and longer. Not what the video is particularly aimed at, I know, but it turns out to be an incredibly effective tip. It appears that I'd been trying to hit the ball on the upswing, so either having to hit the ground first or hitting with the base of the club turned up and the blade edge hitting the ball first. Moving hands forward at address (and returning to that position during the swing) seems to make me hit the ball with the clubhead behind the hands, thus striking the ball with the club face, then striking the turf. Which, no doubt, is second nature to many, but I suspect that I'm not the only golfer who's never worked out how to manage this basic action! So thanks for helping.
Very good advice from Chris...if you're a golfer who is trying to "time-up" the flattening of the left wrist at impact, that can be very dangerous. By setting the hands forward at address, you have eliminated the need to "time" the flattening of the wrist at impact. You can swing through the impact zone freely, knowing your hands are where they need to be at impact.
Thanks Chris I have been looking for 1 video the last 3 days that finally makes this clear there is no one setup for everyone. Now I can work on my game.
What a great tip , tried this tonight on the course as I’ve suffered with a cupped wrist for years , there was a instant improvement, a great fix with a lot of things in my swing , thanks Kevin
This is exactly what I am working on at the moment. I normally address the ball with my hands similar position to yours. I put some white foot spray on the mat at the range. I noticed that I bottom out more on the ball. I tried leaning my hands much more forward toward the middle of my front thigh. I was then bottoming out about 1 or 2 inch after the ball. My ball striking improved 100%. So will definatly be taking this set up to the course. Thank you for the explanation. You certainly know your stuff.
Thanks for this tip Chris. I struggle to flatten out the left wrist. I've noticed that I've been playing with a very vertical shaft with most clubs and even tend to drag the club back delaying my wrist set. I'll experiment a little with shaft lean now.
Thanks for this video and great explanation Chris. Having that bowed wrist coming into impact is definitley something im working on to help compress my irons instead of the thin weak shots ive been hitting before. I prefer bowing the left wrist slightly as it hinges in the backswing instead of keeping the hands further forward at address, this video definitley helps reassure me with that. 👍
Chris Ryan, thanks for the work you do to post these videos, your consistently explain concepts in a way that not only make sense to me, buy they become actionable in my quest for improvement. You are one of the best on RU-vid!
Thanks Chris. I also lean the shaft towards the left side at address, feels more natural even in the takeaway... you lesson made complete sense. Appreciate it.
Cheers for this, I have been researching "what is a closed stance in golf?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Reyuhaffad Underlying Recognition - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? It is an awesome one off product for discovering how to revealing an effortless golf swing technique minus the headache. Ive heard some great things about it and my buddy got amazing results with it.
I’ve noticed that having the handle too far forward makes it hard to bring the club around my body and stay compact. I tried keeping the shaft more vertical with my 5 iron and noticed my swing felt a lot more natural with better ball contact.
Thanks a lot for this video. I was having problems with returning to a straight wrist at impact. I now place my hands forward, and all my shots are now quite straight!!! Thanks!!!
If you lean it a little it also promotes a little more inside the line takeaway, which doesn't hurt either........this guy does a really good job in helping people. The struggle is you have to commit to it and not revert back to old hand positions the first time you squirt one off to the right. Committing to changes in your golf swing requires patience, and most of us don't have a lot when it comes to golf.
Best piece of information . Now I know that shaft lean is important but at the same time not that important pending if you can achieve a flat wrist at the top
just had a lesson and asked the pro about hand/handle position. the forward position is what we went with. feels weird but works lovely. also stops me flipping/looks a lot better on camera too.
Brilliant explanation! Chris, You have a gift for making the complex understand able to the common golfer. My follow up question concerns the grip. Should I take my grip with the club vertical and then lean the club forward?
Hands in a forward position is the correct setup. It is the way the club is designed otherwise you have simply added loft and made it more difficult to consistently flight the ball. The sweet spot...if you will...on an iron is about groove 3,4. If you add loft at address you will strike the ball far closer to groove 2 which not produce the solids strike and flight as intended by design. If you are referring to a particular shot, say a fade it is really no different. Simply a change in alignment and delivering a normal swing along that alignment will produce a fade. Staying “square to square” is where all players should begin and end with the large body muscles moving the club. Taking the hands out of the swing is the key to producing quality ball compression and steady consistency. Cheers.
Thanks Chris. Great video! Can you please also comment on the effect the hands' set-up position has on the (initial) backswing plane? I've been battling with an inside takeaway for years. Having the club vertical (i.e. not leaned forward) at address has helped me to achieve a more upright takeaway.
Thank Chris , I am blading or topping golf ball , for me this helps me also for better impact , and hit ball with sweet spot. I place my hands inside of left leg. This works for me :) , I like your channel so much. Thanks for this work.
Very clear explanation why some players do that for their set up. Before I watched this video I wasn't sure why I have mine lead hand a bit more forward to set up, I tends to do that from mid irons to wedge shots. I find very difficult to aim to the target esp with more loft clubs, even I tried yours method. Hopefully you can do a video help us solve it
Hi Chris, I thought the design of Irons required a progressive forward Shaft Lean at Address, with the 7 Iron about 1 inch forward and Wedge about 2/3 inches forward. Your Video suggests vertical is OK if you can handle the Cupping to the correct flat wrist at impact. Love your work.
Setting up with the iron shaft forward isn't optional. It's the design of the club. People have the wrong idea about what a "square" clubface is. What really occurs is the hands hold the club 30-40 degrees shut. But once you drop the trail shoulder in the process of bringing the club down to the ball, this places the shaft ahead of the ball, thus "squaring" the face. What this does is allow us to move into the shot, impacting the ball correctly, with 2 club deloft on irons. The design of the club dictates the hands be forward, otherwise the swing must be manipulated and thus decreasing consistency and repeatability.
I've noticed that Stenson has a very pronounced forward press prior to his backswing, which adds to his take away trigger. When I've had lessons I've been told to have the handle forward which produces more sideways tilt at address
Great videos Chris. Seen a lot of stuff recently about the role of the right arm/wrist for a rt-handed golfer. Some say this is really where the power resides? News to me. I know a long distance driver and he agrees. I just can't imaging getting much power from "pushing" with the right arm/wrist. Any comments?Bruce, Toronto, Can.
That was a great explanation. Never heard it presented that way. However my problem at least visually to me is that to align the club head (iron) I find that I am moving my hands forward because if I try and take the handle back to neutral as you show in the video the club appears to me to be dead left. Especially with the wedges. I know I must be missing something becasue I have never heard or seen this issue addressed.
It seems that regardless of when you create a flat left wrist during the swing, it is still possible to have a cupped left wrist at impact if the right hand and wrist overpower the left. This is my problem, since I’m very right side dominant and want to add “hit” to the swing with the stronger right hand and wrist.
Even though this says it is for irons it explains my issue with the driver. I have always wondered why I can hit a 3 wood much more accurately than a driver without the mega fade and this explained it to a "T". On my 3 wood I start with my hands forward causing the forward shaft lean. I have no idea why, but I have been doing this for years without having been taught. I am much more consistent with the 3 wood. I guess I am no good at flattening the wrist without this forward shaft lean. I am going to try this with a driver and see what happens. I will also look to implement this into my inconsistent mid irons game.
Hi Chris. Do you have a video on the routine for setting up to hit your irons. For example. Do you take your grip first then align your feet and posture. Would you take up your posture first and align your club face behind the ball with your left hand then complete your grip with your right hand? What it the correct routine?
hi Chris - great video on hand position for irons. I will also check out your driver one. My question is on long irons, where the ball is more forward in your stance. Do you still have the handle come back to your zipper/belt buckle position, or is it forward as much as the ball is so as to remain perpendicular to the target line? I tend to have my wrist pretty flat at impact usually, so don't feel I need to start with a big forward press of the shaft. Thanks!
Hi Chris, love your videos. Can you make a video about the angle of the wrists at impact? If the right wrist full extension is 90 degrees to your forearm, at impact is the wrist stay at 90 degrees, 45 or back to neutral?
This has been posted for two years. Too bad I didn't see it back then because I've spent two years trying to overcome inconsistent strikes and the ball going right before I figured out on my own that I wasn't keeping my left elbow pointed down in the follow through and that forward hands allows me to hit much more accurately without going right.
Chris, aren’t irons built so that the shaft leans slightly forward when the club face is square at address (mine are). As such, aren’t your hands always going to be slightly forward of the ball at address?
If you decide to have the handle forward at address would you simply move it forward after you have taken your grip or do you set the handle forward and then take your grip? I have tried both and they produce different results concerning where the v's made by your hands point.
Chris, Thanks - very helpful! My swing has gone in the crapper and I need a swing thought to avoid coming way over the top and as a result, coming outside in and shanking it off the hosel...please help!
Thanks for the video Chris, your videos help me tremendously. I have a really important question that would really help me out. I have the same extension on my lead wrist at address. It helps me put leverage on the club handle during my backswing “hope that’s ok to do?” But at impact my club face is open. So what do u recommend I do? Should I have a Flat leading wrist at address ? I really like to extend my wrist at address so I have that Leverage and that “pushing the heel down so there’s pressure down on the heel so at impact I can compress” please advise it would be greatly appreciative. Btw: i score a consistent 42-45 on a 9hole. Just Incase that matters. Thanks again Chris!!
So even with the forward press the club face should be square to the target since you essentially make impact with the ball in the forward press position? That makes sense. I will have to work on it. I have been making solid contact lately. I think my swing plane is good so it must be a closed club face at impact. The flight of the ball seems to indicate a closed face. I was told years ago not to have a forward press. I will try this. Thank you.
Refreshing to here a golf pro say its down to ur preference. Iv been for lessons in the past with a top 25 teaching pro and he took my shaft lean out at address saying it not the way to set up. Iv just ordered the DST compressor training club. Whats your thoughts on it? Thanks
I have always played golf with the handle forward at address, and I tend to post up strong on the lead foot. Some of the guys give me a hard time about my setup and alignment, despite my ballstriking being superior to theirs in most cases My explanation to them was I pre-set my position so that I don't need to worry about flattening my wrist, which made no sense to them at all. It is nice to see that my golf swing anomaly is not uncommon, though I do from time to time struggle with low left shots with my shorter irons due to this technique and having a fairly strong grip to begin with. It is something I would like to change, but when you hit them pure, and compress them like I do it is hard to convince a change is really necessary. Would you suggest trying to fix this or just learn to live with it as I have for years?
@@ChrisRyanGolf I will work on that, lately I have been gripping the club more neutral then turning into my usual strong grip (open face maybe 5-10*). Sometimes I end up with a big block to the right, sometimes I fan the face open more in the backswing and end up hooking it because I will instinctively close the face rapidly lol. I will work on it.
