How to Hit a Driving Iron: 4 Tips for Distance and Control

A driving iron isn’t necessarily a club that works for every player. Sometimes, when the wind is howling or the fairway runs firm and fast, the driving iron is a perfect club to take out.

Some look at it like a mini driver. It offers plenty of distance and sometimes more accuracy than the driver.

We will go through the exact setup tweaks, swing keys, and wrist-control drills that can help take a relatively difficult-to-hit club and make it something you rely on.

Key Takeaways

If you want to save this information for the next time you are heading to the driving range, at least get the basics on how to hit a driving iron.

• Position the ball forward of center but not as far up as your driver.
• Lean the shaft slightly forward at address and keep 60–70 % of your weight on the lead side to promote a downward strike.
• A stable, flexed lead wrist will ensure low launch; the HackMotion can let you know if your lead wrist is too extended.
• Start the downswing with body rotation while preserving wrist hinge. With these lower lofted clubs,, you must incorporate the body into the swing.
• Work on your driving irons with the Motorcycle Drill and Casting Drill in the HackMotion app.

How to Hit a Driving Iron

All of the steps below are necessary when learning how to hit a driving iron. Sometimes, the simplest things, like your setup and club positioning, are the most important to ensure you are hitting your driving iron correctly.

Dial-In Your Setup

The best place to start is your setup. If the ball position is incorrect, you may struggle to maximize distance. Also, if you are playing a driving iron off a tee, make sure that you keep the tee height low.

• Ball position: roughly one ball forward of a stock 7-iron (roughly lead-ear inside).
• Tee height: no more than a quarter-inch, you want to ensure it’s just off the ground.
• Weight & shaft: 60–70 % lead-side pressure with the handle about an inch ahead of the ball. This presets forward shaft lean and encourages a downward blow, which should give you some extra yards.

Maintain a Stable Lead Wrist

A driving iron has a very low loft. Therefore, any incorrect manipulations made to the clubface at the last second could increase spin and change your ball flight or direction.

The goal here is to maintain flexion in the lead wrist through impact.

Start by checking your lead wrist position at the top of the swing. Is it flat, or slightly flexed at least? Use HackMotion to monitor lead-wrist flexion throughout the swing.

One of the biggest issues amateur golfers struggle with is too much lead wrist extension at the top of the backswing.  Green numbers (more flex than at setup) mean lower launch and tighter dispersion.

Shallow Without Casting

If you try to attack a driving iron with your arms and hands (without incorporating the body) you’re going to struggle with the point of contact.

Power comes from preserving that angle in your lead wrists through impact, not dumping it early.

You also need to initiate the downswing with the lower body rotating.

Feel the clubhead trace the slot as your hips unwind. The goal is “handle leads, club follows,” postponing release until your hands reach thigh-high.

The best way to practice this is using the HackMotion casting drill, as seen in the Drills to Practice Driving Iron section in this article. You can work on this action in real time with feedback.

Commit to a Three-Quarter Finish

One last tip to ensure you can hit these clean driving iron shots is to commit to a three-quarter finish.

This shot is all about control, and if you swing with a 70–80 % tempo and finish chest-high, you’ll have a lot of control.

Think of this more as a well-compressed stinger-type of shot. Something that will hit the fairway and continue to run with nothing stopping it.

The key is to have your lead wrists in the right position to deliver a square clubface at impact.

Drills to Practice Driving Iron

Now that you have the basics of how to hit a driving iron and what will help you hit this club well, here are some drills you can use on the driving range that will improve your driving range capability.

Motorcycle Drill (HackMotion App)

The Motorcycle Drill is a classic wrist action drill where you can work on ensuring your lead wrist position is not extended and your clubface is not open at impact.

If you want to start learning this drill with an 8-iron or 9-iron, you may have more success, then work your way up to a driving iron.

Casting Drill (HackMotion App)

The Casting drill is great for golfers who struggle with the downswing sequence or forget to incorporate the lower body into their golf swing motion.

It is located in the HackMotion app, so you can work on it in real time. 

Line Drill for Low-Point Control

Get creative with this simple line drill. If you can’t use spray paint there are alternatives. The goal is to ensure you get your contact more accurate when using these lower lofted clubs.

Hit Hard, Stop Quick Drill

The Hit Hard Stop Quick Drill is great if you feel you are not compressing your driving iron the way you should.

Try this drill using a Smart Ball, but if you don’t have one, you can use a headcover between your forearms.

Final thoughts

A driving iron can be the ultimate fairway finder. The goal is to ensure the lead wrist stays stable and the strike stays forward.

Prioritize a compressed hit by starting with a forward-leaning setup, monitoring your wrist data with

HackMotion, and drilling the Motorcycle and Line Drills until the low-flight feel is second nature. For more wrist-specific practice ideas, check out the full HackMotion Drills Library.