Through The Ball

Simple ways to sharpen your iron play

- DUSTIN JOHNSON

IMPACT ZONE

RIP IT OFF THE TURF

Some guys on tour take thin divots and others gouge them out. But we all do one thing the same way as the club reaches the ball—we have the clubhead moving its fastest in that space just before and contact. You’ve got to save your power for the impact zone, which means feeling smooth as you swing back and down. You want your downswing to pick up speed as the club approaches the ball. I’ll talk more about my backswing and transition on the following pages, but just know that I’m swinging at only 85 percent on most iron shots to make sure everything is synced up. Try changing your tempo so that everything feels smooth until that last moment before the club reaches the ball. That will help you rip it off the turf.

MY IRON PLAY in 2019 wasn’t as good as I wanted, so after the surgery on my left knee at the end of the season, I worked on getting my ball-striking back to where it was a few years ago. I think a lot of golfers can relate to dealing with the ups and downs of each part of the game.