How to Hit Short Irons: 5 Tips to be More Accurate and More Confident with Short Irons

Your short irons should be a strong part of your game. They can be used to make birdies, pars, and even save you from double bogeys or more.

But if they are so important, why are so many golfers scared of them?

To be successful with short irons, golfers must apply good fundamentals, as well as a smooth tempo, with accurate visualization. It’s an intricate part of the game that intimidates most amateur golfers while advanced players embrace the challenges and reap the rewards.

Get your short irons working for you, not against you, with these tips and drills.

Master Your Short Irons (Key Takeaways)

Proper short iron improvement requires time and effort, but for those needing a quick overview, ensure you utilize these key takeaways the next time you’re on the course.

• Always keep your hands ahead of the ball from start to finish for crisp contact.
• Monitor and optimize your swing tempo for all short iron swings.
• Finish each swing in a balanced and controlled follow-through position.
• Focus your practice efforts on creating consistent contact instead of power.
• Utilize visualization to adapt to any short iron shot you face.

Top 5 Tips to Hit Short Irons More Accurately and Consistently

Short irons are often referred to as scoring clubs, but to take advantage of their benefits, you should be following these tips as a foundation for improvement.

Keep Your Hands Ahead at Impact

At impact, your hands should be leading the clubhead with a neutral flex in your lead wrist.

At slower swing speeds, it’s very common to see golfers flipping their wrists to try to add height to their shots. This should be avoided at all costs.

The easiest way to get your hands ahead at impact is to start with your hands ahead at address. Just before initiating your swing, apply an inch or so of forward shaft lean.

This will help your lead wrist stay in a powerful and accurate position throughout the swing.

The proper hand position in the golf swing can be easily monitored with Hackmotion sensor, which act as a golf coach right on your wrist. Having instant and detailed information helps you stay ahead and will improve your chipping and pitching, as well as your short irons.

• Video Timestamp: 2:00-4:14

Control Your Swing Tempo

Short irons are a delicate part of your game, and keeping them consistent will be a lifelong pursuit.

Having a repeatable tempo is the best chance any golfer has to optimize their short irons and continue to improve their game.

Tempo refers to the overall speed and rhythm of your swing. Good tempo means there’s no jerky or rushed movement, especially from the top of the backswing. Everyone’s tempo will be different, depending on their playing style and overall comfort.

Use these cues to develop and maintain a tempo you can call on in any situation.

• Count “1-2-3”—1 for takeaway, 2 at the top, 3 as you swing through.
• Practice with a metronome app to focus on rhythm during and in between swings.
• Warm up by hitting balls with your feet together to promote good balance.

Aim for a Full, but Controlled Finish

Hitting short irons with sometimes short backswings still requires full or definitive follow-throughs.

The enemy of any short iron is deceleration, so to avoid this, the best short iron players in the world always swing through to a confident and stable finishing position. 

Stopping or “quitting” on your shot causes inconsistent contact or loss of distance. Committing to a full, balanced finish keeps your swing speed and strike quality consistent.

Here’s what to look for in a great follow-through stance.

• Balanced Body—You should be able to hold your finish without staggering or falling over. Your weight should be predominantly on the front (lead) foot. Your back (trail) foot should be up on the toe with minimal weight on it.
• Full Rotation—Your hips and shoulders should be opened, and your chest facing the target or slightly left (for right-handed players).
• Club Position—The club finishes high and around the body, not stuck low or forced. In a comfortable place behind the head or neck, parallel to the shoulders.
• Spine and Posture—Spine remains relatively straight and extended at follow-through (not hunched). Good players maintain their spine tilt relative to the ground until well after impact.

Focus on Solid Contact Instead of Power

Short irons are primarily used for accuracy and precision rather than distance. The key goal is to control trajectory, spin, and direction, ensuring you hit consistent and predictable shots that land close to the target.

Solid contact guarantees that the ball flies on the intended line with the correct loft and backspin, maximizing your chances to set up birdie or par opportunities.

Overemphasizing power with short irons can lead to inconsistent impact with wrists flipping, poor weight transfer, and general loss of control.

Solid, crisp contact also provides better feedback and confidence, allowing you to gauge your swing and make necessary adjustments. Hackmotion identifies when your short iron swings are overpowering and suggests drills to address the specific problem.

One of the best drills for creating consistent contact is the Hit Hard/Stop Fast drill below.

• Video Timestamp: 3:07-7:59

Commit to Your Target and Visualize the Shot

Creating a strong mental game is often overlooked, but it can make a huge difference, particularly with short irons.

Knowing all the fundamentals of short irons is needed, of course, but that won’t be much help if your mind isn’t focused properly.

You don’t have to be a Zen master to learn how to visualize golf shots. Start by allocating five to eight seconds of your pre-shot routine to concentrating on the details of your shot and how you want your swing to feel. Do this right before you hit the ball.

The brain and body function more effectively with clear goals. Picking a small target can also improve focus, reduce distractions, and tune your alignment and swing path. Even just taking a deep breath before addressing the ball can help ease your mind, allowing the body to do what it was trained to do.

Drills to Improve Short Irons Quickly and Effectively

Practicing your short irons should be a joy! Improving their performance means you’ll make more birdies and pars and take the pressure off the rest of your game.

Start with these four drills specifically adapted for short irons.

3-Ball Impact Point

As mentioned above, contact is more valuable than power here, and this drill ensures you’re striking the ball consistently.

If you’re using Hackmotion, you can make mechanical improvements simultaneously; however, if not, you can still pinpoint your exact point of impact with this drill and know what to change.

All you need is golf balls and a target, so using this drill with a simulator or at-home setup is possible. It will also indirectly benefit your long game as you train your body to be more precise at the point of impact.

• Video Timestamp: 1:08-3:20

Dynamic Setup Drill

Hitting short irons requires more feel than some of the other, more mechanical aspects of the game.

Yes, fundamentals are important, but once you have them in place, you want them to work together in harmony. This drill helps incorporate rhythm and tempo into your short iron swings.

Towel Drill

Here is a more advanced drill to help develop clean and crisp contact with your short irons. It requires a combination of tempo and fundamentals to be successful at and will bring your short iron game to the next level.

Use this in conjunction with Hackmotion for tour-level training. The Hackmotion will monitor your swing positions and tempo speed, allowing you to focus on visualization and a balanced follow-through.

This is just as good, if not better than having a private instructor right by your side.

• Video Timestamp: 1:16-2:17

Practice Distance Control, Not Just Direction

This drill is primarily used for chipping and putting, but can also be adapted for use with short irons on a larger scale.

It’s a great way to test your distance control and ensure you’re making good contact on a consistent basis.

• Video Timestamp: 1:54-4:50

Final Thoughts

Your short irons are some of the most-used clubs in the bag. Any player who is consistent and confident with these clubs stands to shoot their best scores most often. An experienced player will have control over both their fundamentals and their tempo.

Using Hackmotion is the most effective way to improve your short irons because it covers all areas. Like a golf coach, it will notify you when you’re out of position or off tempo. Use the sensor to track and improve your short irons in the least amount of time.