Knowing how to compress your irons isn’t just a way to flex on your weekly playing partners — it’s a skill that elevates every aspect of your iron game. However, there’s one fault that amateurs make that prevents them from being able to compress their irons. According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher David Armitage, amateurs commonly make the mistake of thinking they need to hit the turf before the ball when entering impact with their irons.
This mistake not only causes a lack of compression, but it also weakens the strike because it becomes challenging to find the bottom of the golf ball, leading to a clubface that’s not as stable — resulting in inconsistent contact and ultimately a shot that doesn’t travel as far.
“When your body is going forward, the club face stays stable. When your body is backing up, the club face is going to be unstable,” Armitage says.
“Ball strike, distance and direction, they’re all linked together,” he continues, “So what I really like to work on is trying to help [amateurs] understand that they have to hit ball and then turf.”
If that sounds like you, don’t worry. Armitage has a simple drill that will help you learn how to do just that.
While the key to compression is hitting ball first, there’s an important nuance. Many amateurs assume compression comes from “hitting down” on the ball. Armitage clarifies that, although a compressed iron shot requires a descending angle of attack, this isn’t about hitting down — it’s about moving forward through the ball.
“The club’s traveling down, but it [the descending angle of attack] is created because the body is going forward towards the target,” he says, “If I want to create compression, I’ve got to get my my body moving forward from my from the ground up.”
To learn how to do that properly, Armitage says to try a simple tee drill. Start by setting up to a ball with it positioned in the middle of your stance. Mark your ball position with a tee or an alignment rod by placing it above or below the ball to indicate your midline.
Next, measure about three or four ball lengths toward your target from your ball position and place a tee just outside the last ball. Remove any other balls you may have set out, and make a swing with a single goal in mind: hit the tee.
After five to 10 solid swings where you clip the tee, you can reintroduce a ball. Either place a tee where the ball would go or simply visualize the spot, and as you swing, aim to hit that tee while striking the ball.
“Forget about the ball almost,” Armitage says.
As you get the hang of it, you’ll likely notice that your compressed shots sound and feel different. Your weight transfer will become more efficient, your dispersion will tighten, and your ball flight will take on a more penetrating trajectory.
