6 Best Golf Drills for Achieving Solid Iron Contact
The iron strike is a bit different than the driver or fairway woods. You need forward shaft lean, a flat left wrist, proper body rotation, and weight transfer to hit solid irons.
If you are struggling with getting the feeling of perfect impact, these 6 golf drills for solid iron contact could help.
Each drill will have you focus on the impact position with your irons and how you can perfect it.
We kept things as simple as possible, so most of these just require a golf ball, some tees, and a place to hit balls.
Which Drill Is Right for Your Iron Contact Issues?
If you already know what’s causing your iron contact issues, try the suggested drill to fix it:
- Hitting Fat Shots (Ground First): Towel Drill
- Flipping or Early Release: Ruler Drill
- Struggle with Low Point Control: 3 Golf Ball Drill
- Not Sure How to Sync Arms & Body: Merry Go Round
- Struggle to Shift Weight Properly: Lead Leg Loaded Drill
- Clubface Open / Poor Wrist Action: Motorcycle Drill
- Inconsistent Release & Weak Impact: HackMotion Release Drill
The Secret to a Better Golf Swing Starts with Your Wrists!
Your clubface angle at impact determines 80% of your shot’s direction—your wrists control that angle. Click here for the best drills to master your wrist action and take control of your game.
6 Drills to Improve Iron Contact and Ball Striking
Playing with Low Point (3 Golf Ball Drill)
If you consistently hit behind the ball or can’t seem to “trap” your iron shots, you likely need to improve your awareness of where the club is contacting the ground.
This simple drill helps you learn to control the low point when hitting iron shots by manipulating your upper body position and the timing of your arm extension.
- Video Timestamp: 0:57-1:50
3 Golf Ball Drill – Step by Step:
- Set markers: Place three golf balls or tees in a small line on the ground—these serve as reference points for where you want the club to brush the turf.
- Experiment with body position: Begin by moving your upper body slightly backward and forward, taking small swings to see where the club hits the ground.
- Feel the arm timing: Notice how extending your arms too early moves the divot behind the ball. Delaying the arm extension moves it forward.
- Alternate feels: Practice swinging so the club contacts the ground ahead of the ball/tees. That’s the proper low point for solid iron contact.
- Wear HackMotion if possible: Monitor if your wrists are “breaking down” at impact—keep them more stable as you pass through the strike zone.
Body Awareness – Merry Go Round Drill
Getting the upper and lower body to work together is one of the most important aspects of solid iron contact.
One of the most common mistakes is hitting the ground before the ball. If your upper body tilts back instead of rotating through the shot, you may struggle with the inconsistency of your iron shots.
The “Merry Go Round” move ensures you stay more “on top” of the ball and rotate properly into impact, promoting better compression and a forward low point.
- Video Timestamp: 3:20-4:00
Merry Go Round Drill – Step by Step:
- Get set: At address, place a bit more weight on your lead foot.
- Twist forward: Turn your upper body so your chest points down toward the ball and slightly ahead of it (like you’ve rotated onto your lead leg).
- Square shoulders: From that twisted position, square your shoulders to the target while keeping your weight forward.
- Feel the sequence: Do slow, half-swings. Many golfers say this feels like they are “covering” the ball. Your upper body remains more over the ball, which helps the club strike ball-first.
- Checkpoints: Practice a small backswing to impact, then use an abbreviated follow-through. Keep the weight left and the chest turning through.
Ruler Drill (Anti-Flip)
The Ruler Drill is great for golfers who flip their wrists just before impact.
Most of the time the flip is caused by an open clubface leading into impact. As a last-minute fix players flip to try and save the shot.
The Ruler Drill trains you to maintain or move toward a flatter lead wrist instead of re-extending it at the top.
- Video Timestamp: 6:00-7:30
Ruler Drill – Step by Step:
- Prepare the glove: Slide a plastic ruler (or similar stiff card) inside your glove, running along the back of your lead wrist.
- Address the ball: If you set up with too much wrist extension, you’ll likely feel slight pressure from the ruler against your forearm.
- Backswing checkpoint: As you swing halfway back, focus on “removing” that pressure by flattening or gently bowing the lead wrist.
- Top of backswing: Maintain that flatter (or slightly flexed) wrist feel—don’t let the ruler dig into your forearm.
- Hit shots slowly: Let the muscle memory build. Keep the ruler off your arm through impact; you’ll eliminate flipping and improve low-point control. Wearing your HackMotion can help you tie some data to this and ensure you create a repeatable backswing.
Towel Drill
The Towel Drill is one of the simplest and easiest to set up. It works great if you are known for hitting fat shots with your irons.
All you need to complete it is a golf towel.
- Video Timestamp: 7:30-8:55
Towel Drill – Step by Step:
- Fold a towel: Make it just thick enough to notice if the club brushes it.
- Place behind the ball: Set the folded towel a grip-length behind the ball on your target line.
- Clip the ball, miss the towel: Practice half-swings, ensuring you make contact with the ball first, then the turf—without touching the towel.
- Move the towel closer: As you improve, slowly inch the towel closer to tighten your contact window.
- Pair with HackMotion: Watch your wrist angles. A stable lead wrist through impact helps prevent that “drop” behind the ball.
Lead Leg Loaded Drill
Courtesy of instructor Justin Parsons, this “lead leg” or “one-leg” style drill helps you get your chest over the ball and shift pressure to your lead side early.
If you are a player who feels like you are hanging back on your iron shots or not compressing them, this Lead Leg Loaded Drill is a great one to try.
- Video Timestamp: 1:05-1:50
Lead Leg Loaded Drill – Step by Step:
- Drop the trail foot: Address the ball with your feet normal width, then pull your trail foot slightly back so most of your weight sits on the lead leg.
- Swing back: Feel a smaller backswing, resisting any sway away from the target.
- Drive the left side: As you transition, keep your chest moving toward your lead side.
- Maintain balance: It’ll feel like you’re swinging almost off one foot. If done well, you’ll strike the ball with a descending blow and crisp contact.
- Gradually widen stance: As you improve, move the trail foot back to normal but retain the same weight shift feel.
Motorcycle Drill (Clubface & Wrist Control)
One of the best drills for improving wrist action in the golf swing is the HackMotion Motorcycle Drill.
This drill teaches you how to properly twist the grip (like turning a motorcycle throttle “off”) to get the lead wrist bowed (flexed) instead of cupped (extended).
This helps close the face earlier in transition and delivers more shaft lean at impact.
Motorcycle Drill – Step by Step:
- Start normal: Take your standard setup. Most players have a slight wrist extension at address.
- Move to the top: Pause at the top and check your wrist extension data if you’re using HackMotion—many high-handicappers over-extend here.
- Twist the throttle: On the downswing, rotate your lead wrist toward flexion as if you’re closing the face down.
- Small pump swings: Practice pumping from the top down to hip level (shaft parallel to the ground) with that “motorcycle” feel.
- Watch ball flight: If you over-flex, you might hook it. If you still slice, add a bit more “motorcycle” move.
- Practice in real-time: The HackMotion Motorcycle Drill is located in the drill section of the HackMotion app. Practice in real time to track your progress.
HackMotion Release Drill
If you have trouble getting your hands forward at impact, this short-swing release drill from HackMotion can be a game-changer.
It’s designed to ingrain a better wrist and hand path from club-parallel through impact and into a short follow-through.
If you can’t get your wrist action correct from waist high to waist high, you can’t do it in the full swing.
Perfect Your Release with HackMotion
Fine-tune your release for consistent contact. Start with a short swing to master control before adding power.
HackMotion Release Drill – Step by Step:
- Set up for a mini-swing: Address the ball like you’ll swing only from waist-high down to waist-high.
- Swing 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock: Focus on taking small swings to keep the wrist ahead of the clubhead.
- Check your wrist angles: HackMotion will show if your lead wrist is still too extended or your trail wrist isn’t maintaining enough bend. Stay “in range.”
- Gradual speed-ups: Once you can deliver a perfect release in slow motion, gradually add more power and length to the swing.
- Reassess: If your data starts creeping out of range (showing a flip or cast), slow back down until you master the release again.
Final Thoughts
Your wrists control the clubface of your golf irons. Therefore, getting the wrists in the correct position can be all you need to hit solid iron shots.
You’ll notice that almost every drill discusses a flexed lead wrist and forward shaft lean at impact.
Use your HackMotion combined with these drills to start seeing straighter and higher iron shots that easily fly to your target.
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