There’s a difference between the iron shots that very good amateurs and pros hit, and the ones the rest of us hit. Our irons shots lift off the club face like they were thrown off it, and make a lazy arc through the sky. At least our better ones do. Those other iron shots, the ones the good guys hit, take off like they were shot from a gun and fly toward the green like a pin-seeking missile.

That’s not a shot we have to admire from afar. You can hit your irons like that, too, and you do it by hitting the ball first, ground second. The whole idea is for the clubface to still be moving downward as it contacts the ball. You might have heard about hitting down with your irons. This doesn't mean you hit down as if you were chopping wood. Rather, it means to hit the ball with a swing that bottoms out after the ball has been struck.

When you hit a golf ball you have to aim at something. I don’t mean the green ahead of you, for example. I mean something on the ground, something right in front of you that want the clubhead to hit.

Most people aim for the back of the ball. When you aim there, the downward arc of the swing will bottom out at that point so the clubface momentarily travels parallel to the ground. The club sweeps the ball into the air and the result at best is one of those lazy fliers we think are good shots. At worst, you miss a little and hit the ground behind the ball. Fat City. If your handicap is 15 or above, this is probably where you live.

What we want instead is a swing arc where first contact between the club and ground comes in front of the ball, the bottom of the arc coming after that.

Once you’re ready to swing, direct your attention to a point on the ground about one inch in front of the ball. Ignore the ball. Aim your strike for that point in front of it. You’ll catch the ball on the way down with the clubface on or very close to the sweet spot, and the full force of the swing will be imparted to the ball.

Another way to accomplish this is to think to yourself, just before you take the club away, "Ball first, ground second," then let your subconscious mind take over.

Also, since the clubhead is still traveling downward at contact, the face is de-lofted. This is how you turn a 6-iron into a 5-iron and get more distance with no additional effort.

Take some time to work this out at the range. You might start by aiming for a point directly underneath the ball, and as you get the idea, gradually move the aim spot forward until you find the spot ahead of the ball where you get the best results.

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