Ball-first contact for iron strike

Setup

1. Set one hitting line with stations well apart, so a full swing at one station can never reach the next.
2. At each station, lay a line on the grass at right angles to the target line: a row of tees, a painted line or a club shaft.
3. Fold a small towel and lay it about a hand's width behind where the ball will sit.
4. Everyone hits in the same direction. Nobody goes forward of the line until the coach calls the range clear.

How it runs

1. Round 1, no ball: ten half swings, brushing the grass on the target side of the line. Check where each mark starts.
2. Round 2: put a ball on the line. Ten half swings; the ball goes and the divot starts after the line.
3. Round 3: add the towel behind the ball. Ten three-quarter swings without touching it.
4. Score each ball in round 3: clean strike and towel untouched is 2, towel untouched but thin is 1, towel hit is 0.
5. When everyone has finished, clubs go down, the coach calls the range clear and balls are collected together.

Coaching points

• Set up with the ball a little forward of centre and the weight slightly favouring the lead foot.
• Turn the chest towards the target through the strike so the weight keeps moving forward.
• Hands slightly ahead of the ball at impact; the shaft leans towards the target.
• Let the club take a shallow, bacon-strip divot after the ball rather than a deep dig.
• If the towel is clipped, check the weight at the finish before changing anything else.

Common mistakes

• Hanging on the trail foot and trying to lift the ball into the air.
• Flicking the wrists early, so the club bottoms out behind the ball.
• Ball creeping forward in the stance between shots.
• Swinging too hard too soon; the drill works at half and three-quarter pace first.