Fred Couples’ 5 Keys to Laser-Like Accuracy with Your Irons

Golf lessons are constantly evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new Timeless Tips series, we highlight some of the best advice teachers and players have shared in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we’re looking back at our July 1998 issue, where Fred Couples shared five keys to accuracy with your irons.

There is no one as smooth in golf as Fred Couples. His swing is a lot like his temperament: cool and calm. When you see it swinging, you may even fool yourself into thinking that hitting a golf ball is simple.

But as we all know, that’s not the truth. Hitting a golf ball is a maddening exercise where success is the exception rather than the rule.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t strive to emulate Couples’ approach. And in the July 1998 issue of GOLF Magazinehe showed us how, with the help of his then coach Paul Marchand. Below, check out the former Masters champion’s five keys to accuracy with your irons.

5 keys for pairing for accuracy with your irons

Fred Couples is known for his long shots off the tee, but incredibly accurate iron play has been a cornerstone of his career. Throughout the 1990s, Fred’s name has topped the PGA Tour’s year-end statistics, not only in driving distance, but also in greens in regulation, low scoring average, and eagles and birdies, all products of his laser-like precision with his irons.

Case in point: At last year’s Players Championship, he captured the fearsome par-three 17th at the TPC at Sawgrass. Later that year he made approach shots at the British Open, PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. And at this year’s Masters, Couples led the field in driving distance, but more importantly, they put down four underpowered rounds with iron shots that appeared to be fired using a lens and reticle.

These kinds of results certainly involve luck, but the skill of hitting the ball is the backbone of any game that produces as many ‘lucky’ shots as Fred’s. In this article, I’ll explain the five accuracy tests I’ve seen Fred perform masterfully since we were teammates at the University of Houston. As Fred’s coach, I have found that Fred is hard to beat when all these keys are working. His accuracy skills give him the ability to hit the ball where he wants, when he wants.

Whatever your skills, increasing your accuracy is a surefire path to lower scores.

1. Freedom of movement

Fred’s mental and physical approach to golf can be summed up in three words: freedom of movement. It is also the most important characteristic of his swing. He doesn’t force any movement or manipulate the club through impact. Fred understands that the great paradox of the swing is that the more you try to control the club through impact, the less control you have over the shot.

Trying to drive the club into impact is an epidemic flaw among amateurs, sometimes even among those with strong swing mechanics. Mechanics are certainly the foundation, but golf requires a swing that goes beyond positions. To be effective, it must be a free-flowing movement.

Working on positions has its place: the practice range. When you practice your mechanics, you don’t have to worry too much about where the ball is going. Your goal should be to develop a feel for the skill you are trying to learn. Before you end a practice session, however, it’s crucial to add range of motion back into your swing by trusting the new feel you’ve been working on.

2. Rhythmic transition

Fred has a very long swing that gradually, almost imperceptibly, builds up acceleration in the downswing. Its signature look of effortlessness is the result of rhythmic movements in the transition area, where the backswing ends and the downswing begins.

It is in this transition area that most amateurs fall victim to ‘top hitting’, which involves swinging the club outwards and away from the body as they attempt to quickly bring the club back into impact. Fred does the exact opposite: when the club reaches the top of his swing, he begins the downswing by moving his hips and his left leg diagonally to the right of the target line. At the same time, his right elbow begins to drop rapidly, albeit smoothly, to his side, after which his torso relaxes forcefully.

These synchronized movements result in a very shallow clubhead path, slightly inside its stance line. This path promotes full release of the clubhead through impact, consistent bottoming at the bottom of the swing, and the ability to repeat and control the speed of his swing.

3. Rotation of the club face (and body).

The ability to consistently square the clubface at impact is the essence of accuracy, but deliberate manipulation will never get the job done. In the hitting area, the club face must rotate in an arc from open to square to closed relative to the target line. Trying to force this action – with your hands or right shoulder – will lead to wild inconsistency.

As the club swings through the hitting area, the club face rotates at a rate similar to the rate at which the body rotates – if you let the club swing freely. The more similar the two rotations are, the more accurate you will be. This literally takes the obligation to straighten the club magazine out of your hands.

‘To understand how the clubface moves in harmony with the body, take a full practice swing, stopping the club at waist height on the backswing and at waist height on the through swing. At both points, the toe of the club should be pointing upward, and the shaft and club head should be in front of your body and parallel to the target line. If so, your swing squares the clubface through impact, and your body rotates in sync.

4. Develop feeling

Good mechanics and feel are like the chicken and the egg: it’s a puzzle to figure out which came first.

You need to have some understanding of how your swing works mechanically, but you also need to know what it feels like when it works. A popular term for this is ‘muscle memory’. Scientists might argue whether or not this term is accurate, but it gets the idea across.

To best execute your swing on the course, you need to be confident that you can repeat the feeling of a good swing by heart. Then the mind is free to let go of the body. This is an intangible feeling that Fred strongly relies on and relies on, and you should too. Golf may be a game for thinking people, but by trusting your swing and making it happen, golf becomes a sport.

One of the best ways to develop this feeling is to hit shots of different distances with the same club. Starting with a 6 or 7 iron, make a full turn and full motion, but swing so smoothly and slowly that the ball flies half its normal distance. See how many balls you can hit solidly and the same shortened distance. Then vary the distance by gradually changing the speed of your body rotation.

The ultimate test is a favorite of Fred’s: hitting a driver or 3-wood to a short par three. In these photos, Fred hits a 3-wood from 147 yards, about half his potential with this club. The only change he makes is slowing down his body and keeping the club in sync with the slower rotation.

Learning to vary the speed of your swing will help you get a good feel for the club. This awareness will increase confidence in your ability to repeat the motion without thinking, an instinct that leads to more consistent ball striking.

5. Consistent pre-shot routine

One trait all pros have in common is a dedication to their pre-shot routines. Fred is no exception. Amateurs, on the other hand, rarely have a routine, which is confusing because it’s the easiest “pro move” to imitate.

Once over the ball, a pre-shot routine gets the mind and body moving from memory, not a list of mechanical instructions. When performed correctly, a routine will clear your mind of everything except visualizing the goal and confidently anticipating what the shot will feel like to perform.

Fred limits swing thoughts to the practice t-shirt. And when he’s working on something, he doesn’t care where the ball goes. He just concentrates on his mechanical thoughts until it becomes part of his feeling. Once that is accomplished, he shifts his attention back to the goal with the help of his routine and lets go of the swing thought. Additionally, Fred often practices the key shots he will need on the court while on the practice tee, complete with his pre-shot routine.

In this article, Fred and I have defined key concepts, such as freedom, rhythm and feel, that can make your swing more accurate. These keys, once part of your golf instincts, will work together to improve your accuracy. Use them on your next round, and maybe you’ll hit one in the hole like Fred did.

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