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Since taking up the game I have been struggling with hitting the ball fat with pretty much every club, I will even drop kick my driver on occasion. On the other hand my chipping is coming along great.

So yesterday I am working on my iron play and hitting one fat shot after the other. I am at my wits end and say what the heck let me just open up my stance and swing at this ball as if I am 30 feet off the green and chipping up. I then proceed to hit one clean shot after the other no more than 15 yards off center at the worst and with no major loss of distance. Six iron still went 140. This worked with all my irons from 9 to 3.

So I guess the question for you guys is if I should just go with this or continue working on my iron play from a conventional address position. On one hand I have seen some pros on TV with some pretty unorthodox swings, Lee Trevino comes to mind and after all the score card doesn't care how the ball got there. But then on the other hand I am going to have to live through the audible gasp from my playing partners every time I set up to hit a ball like this. "What in Gods name is he doing?"

I was starting to think that getting fitted may help in regards to my tendency to hit fat shots, but the guy at the shop where I buy my equipment said that getting fitted would help in regards to hitting off the middle of the club but my fat shots were more likely due to poor swing.

Hi Murph,

Moe Norman's another with a very unothordox swing he had 54 Tournament Victories
Seventeen Aces (eight on the fly): 4 Albatrosses: He set 33 course records, 4 at 61 and 3 at 59.

With a 3/4 swing that went straight back and through.

I'd get a pro to cast his eye over yours I would suspect its quite simple to resolve.

As TerryE said you should have a pro look at your swing. I've tried using very little backswing on the range, at times when I've been struggling with my irons. The less backswing you take the less that can go wrong. I've found that I can get about the same distance with 1/2 a backswing... sort of a low punch shot. If you're happy with the distance & accuracy, who cares what anyone else thinks. Allen Doyle can take his full swing in a closet and he's a millionaire. But take all that I've said here with a large grain of salt because when it comes right down to it I really don't know what I'm talking about or I wouldn't be a 16 handicap.

I used to hit with a 3/4 swing, but found when I can make a full swing, I get alot more power

Man this is so weird. I finally was able to go to the driving range today(despite a strong wind) and I had the same exact problem. No matter how I tried to work it I kept hitting it fat. So I did what some of you have done and started hitting half swings and boy what a difference. I finally came to the conclusion that I'm doing something wrong at the top of my swing. I also inquired on lessons from the local pro so he could help me with this problem.

Right now it seems I am struggling with kinda the same thing, I am having a lot of problems with the 9-iron accuracy. I can't seem to hit straight. Most of them it goes off to the left of the green ( I am a lefty ). Also, when I hit 3 -6 iron, I seem to shank them them. Very irritating. I wish I could help you Murph, but I am a 19 handicapper, you don't won't my help. I say go with what works, what works for one person, may not work for everybody. Good luck.

many many people choose feel over mechanics. i know that on golf academy when they looked at valerias and pams swings they both said that they both go by feel instead of mechanics. use whatever works for you, IMO, there is no right swing for everyone, what works for vijay might not work for amatuers. id say stick with what your doing if you can do it consistentley and it works

What goes on at the top is that you over swing/collapse, which causes you to come down at too steep an angle which causes you to hit fat...been there!! get a pro or a good amateur to look. (pref pro) You simplify the transition of movement when you hit 3/4's thats why it works.

This was a habit that would bite me on the *** occasionally. Sorted now