5 amazing tips for hitting your long irons cleanly, according to a pro

If you’re anything like me, hitting long irons can be a struggle. Of course, there are times when I catch one of the screws and send the ball up the green, but that’s more the exception than the rule.

Hybrids and high altitude forests (shoutout My trusty 7-wood) are solid replacements for long irons, but there’s just something about hitting a 4-iron that feels right. When you can hit your long irons with ease, it’s the sign of a true ball striker.

Learning to hit long irons can be difficult, so it would be wise to listen to the pros. Recently, in a thread posted on X, PGA Tour for Michael Kim posted his keys to hitting long irons, and you can check them out below.

Kim’s long iron tips

Michael Kim may not have the career resume Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy, but he still achieved a lot. He won Player of the Year honors in 2013 while playing collegiately for Cal, and he also appeared on a Walker Cup winning team. After reaching the Tour, he won his first event of 2018 at the John Deere Classic. And while he hasn’t picked up a win since then, he’s still one heck of a hitter.

Over the past two seasons, Kim has twice placed in the top 60 at SG: Approach the Green – and in 2024, he did a lot of damage with a long iron in his hands. From 200 to 225 yards, Kim ranked near the top of the PGA Tour in average proximity to the pin at just 34 feet.

So how does Kim get the most out of his long irons? His best tips are listed below.

1. Stay wide and loose

“Swing-wise, it’s mostly the same things I’m working on with my driver,” he says. “Keep it wide and deep, stay back in transition and release the club completely. Personally, I need to focus on fully releasing it with hands and arms once it gets to the 6 or 5 iron. The longer the club, the more I have to use my arms and hands to release it. You can’t hold it with the longer things.”

Longer clubs have longer shafts, so it’s important to feel more release on the downswing. With a shorter iron you can get away with holding it longer, but not so with long irons.

2. Hit your stock shot

“Unless it’s blowing more than 20 mph, I’m hitting my shot, which is a high 5-yard draw,” Kim says. “You don’t need to cut it to get smooth, you can get all the spin and height you need with just one draw with the club set up correctly. No butter cuts, no chip shots, no extra height, just stock shots. It’s a hard enough shot on its own, there’s no need to make it even more complicated.”

Stay in your natural ball flight when hitting long fairways. Long clubs are already hard enough to hit, so don’t make things more difficult by trying a shot you’re not completely comfortable with.

3. Aim for the green center

“The limits are irrelevant for the most part when I have a 4 iron,” he says. “My goal is to hit the green and that’s it. From 225, anything on the green is positive stroke earned. I might favor one side over the other if there’s something I absolutely have to miss like a water or a bunker that’s hard up and down. Every time I get an urge to do something more with it, I remember my coach telling me, ‘It’s a scary 4-iron. Just hit the freaking green’”.

If the pros are just trying to hit the green from long distances when a long iron is in their hands, you know it’s tough. Don’t worry about trying to stick it close. Pick a target that eliminates trouble (green center usually works) and focus on hitting that line hard. You won’t make many birdies with a long iron in your hands, but you can make a lot of big numbers if you’re not careful.

4. Go after her

“If I’m in between clubs, I’m always taking the shorter club and swinging harder,” he says. “I personally have a tendency to drop it if I’m swinging gently because I’m not releasing it nearly enough. Much easier to release it completely when you rock harder on it. Also, if you swing softer, there’s going to be less spin and with longer clubs, it can drop a little bit, which can make (hitting straight) an even more difficult challenge.”

Amateurs are notorious for leaving their shots short, so it’s usually advised to take a longer club, but Kim goes the opposite way because of his tendencies. No matter which club you choose, remember to stay aggressive with your swing.

5. Use technology to your advantage

“Use technology to your advantage,” he says. “I started using a much more forgiving 4-iron starting in 2013 and have never looked back. It is much more forgiving with distance and accuracy. I think 90% of am’s should use hybrids or woods and the longest iron is a 6 iron. The woods are better than the rough, easier to get up in the air, and kinder to the flesh. I still use my long irons because I don’t have as much trouble getting the ball up and my distribution is a little bit better.”

Hitting long irons feels great, but consistency can be an issue. If you can’t hit the ball as far as you’d like, don’t be afraid to use a hybrid or a wood.