[JerryG]

You know how I mentioned the "hooked face" nature of irons? Progressively more hooked faced as they get shorter given that they are designed to be played further and further back of low point. Well if you address them up near low point , with a face rotated open to square it to the line you have effectively added loft to the club AND removed a lot of the DOWN in the Angle of Attack. You are set up for a clean pick off and a ball that will fly higher and shorter than normal. As well your clean pick off will in fact be more exacting , demand more precision than a ball played further back at its "straight away" position. Hitting down on an iron makes the contact easier to replicate , its a luxury (less) available to us for long irons say. You can get this feeling of "covering" the ball, trapping it , squishing it ..... it'll will seem like you are trying to squish the ball against the ground (which wont really happen given loft).

One way to practice this is to put a golf magazine a few inches prior to the ball . Trying to hit the ball without striking the magazine first will encourage you to hit down on the ball. Keep working on getting the ball further back in your stance with the shorter irons (ideally back to their "straight away position) and keep sneaking the magazine in closer and closer to the ball. You will have to employ "Grip Rotation" see 7-2 as you move the ball back. As you move your Hands back along the ARc your Left Hand should turn accordingly (it doesnt stay pointed at the target or where ever, it points more and more to the right progressively as you move the ball and Hands further back in your stance). You will need to Rotate the Grip by opening your hands and rotating , spinning the club counter clockwise to square the face to the target line. More and more Rotation as you move the ball further back. This will combination of a square face and down and OUT to Low Point clubhead path will promote, create a draw shot. But not a big draw though as the steeper Inclined Plane of the shorter irons reduces the Divergence between Path and Face and the increased loft and Angle of Attack create more backspin than "side spin" so to speak. In reality its really what Homer called "tilted back spin" rather than "side spin" and backspin. YOu cant spin a ball along two axis at the same time. With the shorter irons there's less tilt to the axis so you dont really need to fear the draw spin tendency too much, but it is there. Huge draws suggest more Divergence than planned for.

This is the recipe for "nuking" a mid or short iron I believe , muscular force helps but this is the geometry being employed. I lose about 10 yards or so with a sand wedge when I play up in my stance.

As far as your concerns about lowering your clubhead into the dirt prior to contact , research Impact Fix. Imagine the divot as something that is a product of the manner in which you set up , not something you go down and after with your swing. Its a "machine adjustment" set according to the ball position. A product of the relationship between the length of your Radius and the distance from the Center of the Radius to the Ground.

Like the ball on a string idea you mention , imagine the Left Arm as a string extending from your Left Shoulder to your Hands. With the string stretched out so its taught (Extensor Action) and your Left Wrist held Level and your Hands and Arms in their desired Impact alignments YOU CAN SET YOUR LEFT SHOULDER ( THE CENTER OF THE RADIUS) IN ITS IDEAL IMPACT POSITION with the Radius of your Arm Swing precisely measured, set for perfect contact. This Impact Fix procedure will ripple through your entire body: waist bend, knee flex , the on plane right Forearm, the location of your head, your gaze at the ball, looking straight out of your eyes rather than down your cheeks , square eye line etc etc. If you return to impact in the same manner blammo. You get the divot, the down , the out , the circular orbit etc.

As an aside chipping yips I believe are often a result of having the ball positioned too far up in the stance. Your body sways over try to get ahead of the ball , a subconscious compensation for the ball being in the wrong place. Its a weird business, as if your brain knows something your conscious mind doesnt (that the ball needs to be hit down on). Never thought about it for longer iron shots but .......it wouldnt surprise me.

Hard pan? Move the ball up for a cleaner pick off if you must ....if you're hitting off a cart path say. But it'll demand more precision and will fly higher and shorter.

Seve used to hit flop shots with his 2 iron for fun. He'd move the ball up near low point , lay the blade wide open, swing a little flatter to take out some of the Down etc. Try it out. They fly to the right, short , high , fade and take a huge sharp bounce to the right on landing....... similar to what a hacker gets when he doesnt want it. Both employ a similar methodology. One intentionally, one not. One set of physics and geometry, one ball response.

My goodness, O.B. That's pure gold!