By Paul Myers
The six iron is the point in the set when you transition from ‘long’ irons to ‘mid’ irons, and it is also the point where you can start to be a little more aggressive. Make no mistake, you still have to make a quality swing to hit a good shot with a six iron, but you can also think about hitting the ball closer to the hole than you can with a four or five iron. As long as you make solid contact with the ball, there should be no trouble getting your shot up into the air when swinging a six iron – so you can set your sights on the green and try to set up a birdie putt.
If you would like to hit more of your six iron shots close to the hole, consider using the following keys.
Key #1 – Plenty of Right Hand Release
You don’t want to drag the club through the hitting zone when you are using a six iron. Instead, you want to use plenty of right hand release to rip through impact and launch the ball with plenty of backspin. One of the keys to hitting the ball close to the hole with a six iron is to create a lot of backspin on your shots, and an aggressive right hand action will let you do just that.
Key #2 – Take a Big Divot
It is always a good idea to hit down through your iron shots from the fairway, but it is even more important when you get down to the six iron and shorter. Make it a goal to take a divot on every six iron shot you hit from the fairway. This is another way to generate plenty of spin, and it will make it easier to keep the ball on line with the target as well. It might be a little uncomfortable at first to take a divot with this club, but doing so will give you a great opportunity to improve your game.
Key #3 – Maintain Knee Flex
This is a point that is important with all of your clubs. When you stand up to the ball at address, you should have a comfortable amount of flex in your knees. As the swing progresses, it is important that you maintain that flex until you arrive at your finish position. Players who lose their knee flex in the backswing or downswing will have trouble making solid contact or generating any kind of power. Focus on holding your knee flex steady early in the backswing and the rest of the swinging motion should take care of itself.
When you can hit high and accurate six irons, you can get the ball close to the hole on a regular basis. Learn how to hit down on your shots with this club to impart backspin and hold the ball on target for as long as possible. The six iron is still a challenging club to hit, but the tips above should help make it a little bit easier.