Irons · Drill
Make the Swish Loud and Keep Your Chest Down
Part of our irons programs for topped or thin, weak contact. Build a program with it
Speed, not muscle, makes distance. Hear it for yourself. Turn a club upside down, or use a stick or towel. Make practice swings and listen for the whoosh. You want it loudest just past where the ball would be. A few minutes before a round helps. Next, think "chest down," not "head down." Locking your head can stiffen your upper body. Keeping your chest over the ball holds your posture for ball-first contact. Stay down a few inches past the ball before you come up.
The drill
- Make whooshing practice swings.
- Make the sound loudest past the ball.
- Keep your chest over the ball.
- Hold your posture through impact.
- Rise up only after the ball is gone.
Why it works
The swish is a simple sound measure of clubhead speed. If the sound peaks just past the ball, the club is still speeding up at impact instead of slowing down before it. Keeping your chest over the ball holds your spine angle, so the club bottoms out in front of the ball and you get ball-first contact. Thinking chest down instead of head down lets your neck and shoulders stay loose and your body keep turning.
Common mistakes
- The swish is loudest at the top or before the ball, because you throw the club early.Start the downswing with a smooth turn and let the club speed up late, so the loudest sound comes just past the ball.
- You lock your head still and your shoulders and arms tighten.Let your head move a little with the turn and focus on keeping your chest pointed down at the ball.
- You stand up early as you swing through, which lifts your chest before impact.Stay in your posture until the club is a few inches past the ball, then rise and finish.
How you'll know it's working
- You hear the loudest whoosh just past the ball position, not at the top or behind it.
- Your chest still faces down at the ground when the club passes the ball.
- The ball is struck first and the divot, if any, starts just in front of it.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Make slow swishing swings with the club upside down and no ball, and match the loudest point to a spot on the ground just past where the ball would be.
Harder: Hit balls with a normal club while keeping the swish loudest past the ball and your chest down until the ball is well on its way.
Common questions
Why do I hear the swish before the ball?
It usually means you are releasing the club too early and it is slowing by impact. Hold the angle in your wrists a little longer and let the club speed up through the ball.
Should I keep my head down when hitting an iron?
Keep your chest down rather than locking your head. A fixed head can stiffen your upper body, while a steady chest holds your posture and helps you strike the ball first.
