The Iron Oval
Why this drill
Driver gets all the dispersion attention, but approach spread is where greens get missed. Fifteen 8-irons on a tracked range draw your true iron oval — and its width, not your best shot, should be choosing your flags.
Setup
A tracked bay showing shot plots or landing points, an 8-iron, fifteen balls, one target at the club's stock distance.
The drill
Fifteen stock swings at the same target, full routine, no steering — the oval only means something if the swings were honest. Then read the plot: left-right spread in yards, long- short spread, and where the center sits versus the flag. Apply it immediately: your safe flag radius is half the oval's width. Most mid-handicaps discover a 25-yard-wide iron oval and a lifetime of aiming at flags five yards from trouble — the numbers end that argument.
One thought to take with you
Aim the oval, not the arrow — you bring the whole pattern to every shot.