In
golf, the short irons are the 7,8, and 9 iron. They are the primary
scoring clubs. Most good golfers have about a 7% error with all clubs. This means that for a 200 yard shot, they'll miss their
target by an average of 14 yards! As the
distance to the
green shortens to short iron range, the
error also will diminish. For a 9-iron hit from 130 yards, the average error is down to 9.1 yards. You'll make more than a few 30 footers if your putting is on.
The swing for a short iron is different from that of a long iron or wood. The focus for a short iron is usually to create a downward blow on the ball that will create maximum height and backspin, so the ball will stop near where it lands (hopefully on the green near the pin!). Whereas the longer clubs require 60% of the weight at address on the right side of the body (for a righty), the short irons are better struck with about 60% of the weight on the left foot. This ensures a crisp downward strike, and virtually eliminates fat shots. For the short irons off level ground, I highly recommend playing the ball in the center of your ankles. This also reduces the chance of hitting fat.