I Was Striking My Irons Like 94% of Golfers… Until I Fixed This
PGA coach Alex Elliott explains why 94% of golfers struggle with thin and fat iron shots due to excessive trail arm depth in the backswing. He demonstrates how a 'deep' right arm causes an early release (throwing), leading to inconsistent ground contact. Elliott provides a simple setup adjustment for the trail elbow and a powerful towel drill to help golfers compress the ball and gain up to 15 yards of distance.
Avoid letting the trail arm get too 'deep' or far behind the body in the backswing, as it forces an early throw on the downswing.
Position the trail elbow more on top of the hip at setup and keep the elbows closer together throughout the swing.
Use a towel placed 1.5 to 2 clubhead lengths behind the ball to monitor and correct your low point.
The shorter the club, the closer the towel should be placed to the ball for the drill.
Focusing on backswing structure is more effective for fixing strike issues than trying to fix impact directly.