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I am having trouble hitting good iron shots off the tee box on par 3's.
I am a 13 hcp and this seems to be what keeping me from lowering my scores.
I am either hitting them pulled left or slicing right. Neither is consistant. It seems
like as soon as I tee my ball that I have my driver swing in my mind and I'm swinging up at it or if I think too much about hiiting down on it and I'm hitting them fat. Please help me with this as it is making my scores anywhere from 3-7 shots higher per round.

sounds like it's time to change your thinking some. i think you're too concerned about getting the ball to the green and over swinging.

first, make sure you have more than enough club.

2) through out the swing, you must keep a steady spine angle and firm right knee. very key points.

3) the only thought going through your mind should be "a smooth swing round my spine". think of nothing else.

Try not using a tee...lots of people do that on par 3's.

I have the same problem...something about the tee changes my swing...I dropped tees for awhile, but real progress came by going to grass tees and hitting for a week only off of tees...

Put it on the ground. Teeing it up only promotes an upward swing with the irons. I don't use a tee because irons are meant to be hit off the grass anyway.

leave it teed up . A teed up ball is easier to get airborne than hitting the grass . Besides you have greater chance of chunking it. Your problems are more of a swing issue.

LIke Arnold Palmer said tee a ball up every time you can to make a perfect lie just tee it abouve the ground very little

sounds like your in the same boat as me. Same sort of ballpark handicap and its been the par 3's over the last few months that are stopping me improving by about 4-5 shots a round. A par is unusual it seems. I can easily go 5/6 over on a course with 4 par 3's yet can normally get pretty close to hitting greens from fairways from 120-180 out. I'm going to try losing the t for a while and playing it asif its a fairway shot in my mind. Good luck!

to tee, or not to tee, that is the question?

I disagree...it is 100% mental...it is easier to hit off a tee once you can wrap your mind around it...

That's my advice as well. If you can use the tee...use the tee. The key is to not tee it more than a smidgen above the ground.

It has to be a mental thing as I used to hit these shots very well. Then about a year ago I began to have trouble. I started moving my stance to a closed stance to swing more outside, but then that began my worst problems. Now I think I'm too steep because I'm fatting the shots. But when I take a longer swing I'm blading the ball or it goes way right or left. I am now confused of the proper swing it takes to hit these shots. I know I want the ball on the tee and I do tee it just above the ground but I just can't get a consistant shot to the green.I l might be swaying a bit on my backswing instead of keeping my leg steady like mikey300 said but I could use more suggestions please.

i at one time had the same problems, and since i started to concentrating on those three particular areas, the iron game has greatly improved. this is something you can work on at home, put a golf ball underneath the outside of your right foot, so that your foot tilts in and make pratice swings to the top, you will feel the resistance on your knee. legs and torso. while at the top, look over ar your right knee, it should appear to still be straight across from your right foot. this is the feeling you should have with your normal swing and will stop any swaying or reverse pivots, one of the biggest contributors to fat and skulled shots. the other is too much head and spine movment. you master just these two keys, and your ball striking will greatly improve.

It really sounds to me like this has gotten inside your head. This is easy to say but harder to do: Relax! Try to play the par threes like you are playing the second shot of a par four. Don't put so much mental pressure on yourself and make the same swing you have been making all day.

totally agree with this.