Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

Hitting iron shots that soar high in the air and land soft on the green is something that all golfers aspire to. When you watch a pro flag an iron to set up an easy birdie, it’s impossible not to dream of yourself doing the same.

Doing so, however, takes the proper technique, which most recreational golfers sorely lack. Instead of hitting down on the ball and compressing it into the turf, they scoop through impact and lose tons of spin and distance. So instead of watching the ball shoot into the air, instead they produce a low, weak ball flight.

Much of the time, this is due to not getting enough forward shaft lean at impact. If you want the pros hit iron shots, you’ll notice their hands are in front of the ball and the club is actually de-lofted. And while it seems counterintuitive, this de-lofting actually helps the ball fly high into the air, so long as you do so correctly.

Recreational players often struggle with this concept and with executing a swing that produces forward shaft lean. However, with a little adjustment to your setup, getting more forward shaft lean can be easier than you may think.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jeff Smith explains how in the video below.

A trick for forward shaft lean

Lots of recreational golfers have the misconception that they need to return the club to address position in order to hit solid shots, but in reality, that’s not the case. What you really want to do is get the shaft leaning a little more forward, with the handle in front of the club, so that you can strike down on the ball and compress it into the turf.

So, to help yourself a bit in that regard, you can try setting up to the ball with your hands already pressed forward just a touch.

“If we understand that’s how our club is built, we could start that way,” Smith says. “And then we can deliver [the club] by turning through the shot, driving the hands forward. Then all of the sudden, we have more compression, better ball flight and better spin control.”

If you are someone who struggles to get forward shaft lean and proper compression of the ball, give this trick a shot. If you do, you’ll soon be hitting irons with more crispness and set yourself up for more birdie looks.

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