Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer. When a pro makes contact with the ball with an iron or wedge, you’ll notice they ...

Powerful and accurate ball-striking is achieved most easily when you’re able to get to impact with your hands leading the way, and that’s especially true when it comes to iron play. Most amateurs, ...

A term you’ll hear quite frequently in golf instruction is “forward shaft lean.” As in “you need forward shaft lean if you want to hit the ball solidly.” I know it’s something I’ve typed many times, ...

There’s no feeling like hitting a crisp iron. It’s the type of shot that keeps us coming back for more. Problem is, for lots of recreational players, those shots are few and far between. Ball striking ...

Where the shaft should be at impact is one of the most misunderstood points in golf among mid- and high-handicap players. And what most think happens and how to make it happen is why it is ...

In this lesson, we focus on one of the biggest separators between a weak strike and a compressed, tour-level hit - shaft lean. We explain what it is, why it matters for ball-first contact, and how to ...

When a pro makes contact with the ball with an iron or wedge, you’ll notice they always have some forward lean in the shaft. This is a product of getting their hands in front of the ball at impact, ...