Mastering the iron is a vital part of playing golf. As good as you may be with the drivers, wedges, or putter, irons are a must-have in every kit. They allow you to hit accurate approach shots or even drive off short par-3s to ensure you reach the green efficiently. Pros who have mastered the art of playing with the iron have often found a lot of success on the fairway. Players like Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and many others are great examples of that.

Today, we’re here to learn from some of those experts. LPGA Tour stars and outstanding iron players, Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez, and Ruoning Yin, have all provided vital tips on what made them so good at using the iron. So let’s learn from the best to understand how you can get better as well.

Annika Sorenstam

If the PGA Tour had Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, then the LPGA Tour had Annika Sorenstam. She is certainly the most prolific golfer in the history of women’s golf. Her illustrious career saw her win a whopping 72 LPGA Tour titles, 17 LET titles, and 7 JLPGA championships. Her list of accomplishments also included 10 major wins. In fact, Sorenstam started her career by capturing the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. Such outstanding achievements required her to be efficient in every aspect of her game.

When it came to the irons, Annika only had three tips to give to every young professional:

1. Positioning yourself based on the kind of iron you’re using is vital to ensure you don’t skim the ball or dig into the grass. Ensure the trajectory of your swing aligns with the length of the iron and the position of the ball.
2. Always keep your rear foot straight and firm. This gives you more balance and make any modifications to your swing based on the kind of lie.
3. It’s important to understand that you’re supposed down with the iron instead of trying to lift the ball with it. Trying to get elevation using the angle of the iron leads to mishits and a lack of power.

Nancy Lopez

Nancy Lopez is another legendary golfer who has amassed an abundance of titles. She has won 31 times on the LPGA Tour, including 3 major championships. In her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, Lopez captured 9 titles, including the 1978 LPGA Championship. It’s safe to say that she was a spectacular golfer during her active years. Now that she has retired, she is spreading her wisdom with the young golfers. In a video collaboration with BIGPLAY Golf, Lopez revealed what helped her be so great with her irons.

For her, it was very simple. She explained that you just have to look at the back of the ball and see if you can find the underside of it from where you’re positioned. Instead of forcing your iron to lift it, you should practice striking the ball under it to not only get a bit of elevation, but also a lot of distance. Once that becomes muscle memory, then everything else about playing with an iron becomes extremely easy.

Ruoning Yin

Unlike Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez, Ruoning Ying is still building her legacy on the LPGA Tour. But she has already established herself as one of the best iron players in the league. At just 22 years of age, Ronnie has already won 5 titles. Her biggest win came at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where her ability with the iron helped her beat 2-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso and everyone else by 1 stroke.

According to Yin, the three vital qualities that make any good iron hitter great are:

1. Have good rhythm
2. Make good contact
3. Don’t be afraid to drive through it

She believes practice and consistency help in improving your skills with the iron. With better swing tempo, perfect contact on the ball, and great follow-through, you will have more control over your iron shots and gain the confidence to execute them accurately.