Driver vs. Iron

Setup

For an iron, position the ball about two inches inside your left heel and assume a neutral spine tilt (your right shoulder should be only slightly lower than your left). Your feet should be just inside shoulder width, and your arms should hang freely with your hands over the front portion of the golf ball. To adjust for a driver, maintain the same ball position relative to your left heel, but move your right foot back so your feet are just outside your shoulders. Tilt your spine farther away from the target (the right shoulder should be significantly lower than the left) and place your hands over the back of the ball.

Impact Differences

A proper setup position with an iron features a relatively neutral spine angle, allowing for a more downward strike, which is critical to solid iron impact. The hands should lead the handle of the club into the ball, creating ball-first contact and a divot past (after) the spot where the ball was struck. Tilting the spine away from the target with a driver promotes the necessary ascending (upward) strike. The hands should be even with the ball at impact, not in front of it as it is with an iron.