The golfer will want to work on the following:
- Low Point Control
- Start Line Control
- Having A Predictable Curve On the Ball
- Hitting the Ball the Right Distance
- Maintain Consistency from Hole to Hole and Round to Round
- Add Speed To Your Swing
- Have The Right Equipment
When a golfer has an 8 iron in their hands, they should expect to hit the green. If you are not hitting the green at least 75% of the time with your 8 iron, it is time to really master the 8 iron.
Oftentimes, golfers hits a solid drive, leaving them around 140-160 yards left. For many golfers this is an 8 iron. They step up to the shot with an 8 iron and one of three things might happen that are negative:
- They chunk the shot
- They pull the shot
- They slice the shot
However, hitting the 8 iron doesn’t have to be difficult and with the 5 keys below you can be on your way to hit a solid shot that starts on your target line and curves the way you expect. Ultimately, flying the distance you wanted and leaving a reasonable putt for birdie and at the most walking away with a par.
How To Hit An 8 Iron: 5 Keys
Update: My 8 iron is my favorite club to practice with in my golf simulator. My go to drill to build additional skill is the 9 shot challenge. I try to hit every shaped shot. This helps when I get on the course, but also helps keep my swing balance. However, the go to draw stock shot is still my favorite shot with the 8 iron. Learn this shot and you will be on your way to be a really good golfer!
Before we dive into the 5 keys to hit an 8 iron the way you expect. Let’s cover some of the basics.
What loft is an 8 iron?
An 8 iron is going to range between 35-39 degrees. The newer your golf clubs are the lower the loft will more than likely be. Over the years, the amount of loft on all irons has decreased.
What is the length of an 8 iron?
The length of the average 8 iron will be between 36 and 37 degrees. Unless a golfer has single length club where all the irons are the same length, typically around a 7 iron length.
How To Hit An 8 Iron: 5 Keys
Key #1: Low Point Control
Whether you are hitting an 8 iron, a 4 iron or a pitching wedge, the first key is to be able to control the low point of the golf swing. This leads to solid contact, predictable distances and the ability to strike the ball like a low handicap golfer. The lower the handicap of the golfer, the better chance of the golfer doing this rather easily and at a high level of consistency.
The high handicap golfer will often struggle with controlling the low point, leading to fat shots or thin shots due to the weight being in the wrong location, centers getting too far back or too far forwards or an early casting of the golf club. Here is an excellent drill to utilize to help you develop your low point control:
Here the the steps to take to complete this drill:
- Paint a 2-3 yard long line with some yard paint.
- Place the wiffle ball on the line.
- The goal is to have your divot start just on the target side of your line.
- Go ahead and hit shot after shot, working on controlling your low point and your entry into the ground.
- Assess your success rate out of 20 times and write it down.
- Complete this drill daily for several weeks and see if your game improves at the course.
If you start to hit the ball poorly at any point on your golf journey, return to this drill and keep it simple. One quick tip if you are struggling to control your low point, go ahead and set up with 60% of your weight on your front leg. Keep your head centered without a big shift off the ball and turn more around your front leg.
This will help keep your centers in place and allow you to control the low point. Many golfers struggle with the low point because they don’t get their weight back to their front side early enough and end up casting the club.
Related: Golf Swing Basic – 3 Great Drills
Key #2: Start Line Control
Another sign of a quality golfer is one that has a predictable ball pattern. If you are fortunate to play with a really good golfer, you will notice that they can control their golf ball. There is a 70-80% chance they will be able to have their start line right where they intended. Once you put an 8 iron in their hand, this number will be closer to 90%.
The key here is being able to control the clubface at impact. The ball is generally going to start where the club face is pointed at impact. If the club face is slightly open or right of the target line, the ball will start right. If the club face is slightly closed or left of the target line, the ball will start to the left.
These are the basics of the ball flight laws that have been around for close to a decade now. Having a predictable pattern is important for all clubs, but especially when you get to the 8 iron or smaller, as you once you get these clubs in your hands, you are expecting to hit the ball on the green and give yourself a reasonable birdie putt. Here is another quality drill!
Here the the steps to take to complete this drill:
- Set up an alignment stick down your target line about 12-15 feet in front of you.
- Set up a second alignment stick about 2-4 feet right of the first alignment stick.
- Using your wiffle ball, go ahead and attempt to hit the ball through the gate.
- Assess how many times out of 20 you are successful.
- Write this number down and repeat this drill for as long as your play golf.
A realistic number even for the most advanced golfers might be around 15 out of 20. Even the best golfers struggle to hit their start line from time to time. The major benefit of this drill is to have the visuals to allow you to narrow into a specific target. As you get to the golf course, you will be able to visual the alignment sticks in your mind and hit it through that gate.
Related: 3 Mental Game Resources
Key #3: Having A Predictable Curve On The Golf Ball
Golf can be a scary game when you have no idea what way the ball is going to curve. If a golfer is struggling with the double cross (the shot where you are attempting to hit a fade and hit a draw or vice versa) is when most golfers reach their low point in the game.
Having a general idea of the start line and the curve of the ball will give the golfer an advantage. The best way to ensure this is to work on the stock shot drill above.
First you start off simply trying to start the ball on your intended line and then progress to getting the ball to not only start on the target line, but curve back towards your final target. The golfer that can hit the golf shot will have a major advantage over the competition! It also helps eliminate one side of the golf course and provide confidence to the golfer as he or she stands over the golf shot!
The best drill for a predictable curve is the Stock Shot Drill outlined above.
Related: How to hit your 7 iron 200 yards!
Key #4: Hitting The Ball The Right Distance
With the driver many golfers will brag about the driver they hit 300 yards. However, when you have an 8 iron in your hands, if you are trying to hit it 150 and drill one 160 yards, you are often left in a bad place behind the green with an impossible up and down to save par.
The key with an 8 iron is to be able to control the distance you carry the ball. The surprise shot that carries too far and leaves you in a bad position is no good. Instead, dial in your distances and know what you need to hit it a specific distance.
I would highly recommend creating a chart like the one below:
| Club | Carry Distance (100%) | 90% | 80% |
| 2 Utility Iron | 210 | ||
| 4 iron | 190 | ||
| 5 iron | 181 | ||
| 6 iron | 171 | ||
| 7 iron | 163 | ||
| 8 iron | 153 | ||
| 9 iron | 143 | ||
| P Club | 130 | ||
| Approach Wedge | 118 | 110 | 102 |
| SW Club | 105 | 97 | 91 |
| LW Club | 90 | 82 | 74 |
The best way to create a chart like this is with a launch monitor. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a 15,000 dollar plus Trackman, instead I would highly recommend the SkyTrak or one of the Mevo’s. These rather impressive devices provide accurate data on carry distances that you can use to create a chart like the one above.
Check out these 3 quality options below:
This set of data below can help you create a distance chart and maybe even more helpful you can groove a swing, make improvements or develop a stock shot that you have always dreamed about. Ready to take your game to the next level? Check out the pricing on the one of the links above.
This is the data that will be at your fingertips!
- Ball Speed
- Spin Rate
- Launch Angle
- Spin Axis
- Carry and Total Distance
Key #5: Maintain Consistency from Hole to Hole and Round to Round
The best way to ensure you are dialed in with your 8 iron or any of your irons is frequent practice. The ulatimtey, especially for those with minimum time to practice golf is the launch monitor. You can use it at home in your garage with something as simple as a mat or net, as part of a golf simulator setup, or at the driving range during your practice sessions.
The key is to work on the ball striking, work on developing your shot patterns and then understanding your distances. Once you get that all figured out you are one your way to becoming a low digit handicap golfer or maybe even a scratch golfer with enough work.
Related: Ball Flight Laws (complete overview)
Here are some interesting stats to check out:
| Category | Scratch Golfer |
| Greens in Regulation | 67% |
| Fairways Hit | 53% |
| Putts Per Hole | 1.67 |
| Scrambling | 54% |
| Sand Saves | 59% |
| Average Driving Distance | 251 |
The greens in regulation is what will help get most to the next level. When you can hit 12 out of 18 greens, you are well on your way. This all starts with using the drills above and dialing in your distances to manage your golf game at an elite level! Ready to take your game to the next level?
Key #6: Add Speed To Your Swing
Speed is vital in the game today. Hitting an 8 iron 160 yards vs 140 yards is a game changer. With more loft, the golfer is better able to control the dispersion. Instead of hitting a 5 iron from 160 yards, hitting an iron from 160 yards can revolutionize your game.
The good news for many golfers it that adding speed is possible. Through overspeed training with the SuperSpeed Training Equipment and Protocols, once can add 5-7% of speed to the their swing as early as the first training session.
Don’t we all dream of extra speed and distance with our driver and even our irons. When we see the best golfers make a 170 yard par 3 look easy, you too can have that possibility with some extra speed. It changed my game and it can change yours for the better.
Related: SuperSpeed Golf Review – My Results!
Key #7: Have The Right Equipment
The 8 iron is a club that you want to start to dial in, but you have to make sure you hit it high enough and far enough to hold a green. Too many amateurs are playing the wrong equipment for their game and fail to take advantage of the game improvement irons and the graphite shafts that are available. I would recommend getting fitted or at a minimum testing out your irons on a launch monitor at a local golf store.
Related: Does Club Fitting Really Help?
There are plenty of other resources that can help you as well!
- How to get better at golf without lessons (11 Tips)
- How to get better at golf this winter (7 Suggestions)
- How to get better at golf at home (5 Suggestions)
- How to get better at golf fast!
Final Thoughts: How To Hit an 8 Iron
There are 7 steps you can take above to start to get better today. I would the option of speed training and then dialing in your distance. Assess your game and figure out your biggest weakness with your 8 iron and get to work! Enjoy the journey and have fun along the way!