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I am an 8 handicap and I'm having a little trouble striking the ball. I know to be a good iron player, you need to hit down on the ball and hit the ball first, then take the divot. I have a tendency to hook or hit a shot fat, both from swinging too hard. I can still hit my irons a long way (6 Iron 185-190). But my mid irons don't spin much when they hit the green. Does anyone have any tips? I think it might be ball position. Do I need to play the ball back a little?

-Jim

Unless your shots are running through the greens I wouldn't be worried about how much they spin. You might want to address that swinging-too-hard problem that's causing you to miss greens entirely. JMO

With an 8 handicap you are doing many great things. What you may think about is that where ever your club bottoms out ("...tendency to hook or hit...fat") is where your weight is at impact. So your weight is most likely on your back foot at impact. Change this so that most of your weight is on the forward foot at impact.

You have the wrong target in mind. The golf swing is one whole motion in the direction away from, then toward a target. If your target is the ball, then you will never get to the FINISH of the swing. If there is a tree halfway along the race track, you do not drive to the tree and then let the car coast to the finish... you drive it all the way to the end. Do not get to the ball and then give up. Drive the swing all the way to the finish and in the direction of your target.

do you forward press? maybe you need to forward press a little. Where is the ball in your stance?

Forward press, ball back, swingplane more vertical or combo of all...

Practice hitting your irons from off a tee that is almost completely in the ground. If you are properly striking the ball first the tee probably will not leave the ground and the divot will be in front of the tee. It's a good visual.

I have yet to play with anyone personally who can spin the ball from 5iron range, especially considering that given your said distances with 6iron, could be nearly 200 yards with 5iron. That's not to say that folks can't do it, just that I personally have never seen it.

And I agree about overswinging. There's an old bogey golf tip that still works when you become a better player -- take one more club and swing more smoothly. That one thought has helped me greatly with iron play this season.

I agree with PA Playa...this has helped me as well except that now that I swing more smoothly I hit the ball farther...