Unlocking Pure Iron Strikes with Grant Horvat
Struggling to make solid contact with your irons? In our recent YouTube tutorial, golf pros Eric Cogorno and Grant Horvat break down one of the most important—but often misunderstood—elements of a consistent golf swing: the weight shift.
With clear demonstrations and a simple alignment rod drill, they explain how proper movement can dramatically improve your ball striking and how you swing your irons.
The Importance of a Forward Weight Shift
Grant says that he starts with 70% of his weight on his lead foot when hitting irons. While this may sound extreme to some, the reasoning is sound: starting more forward makes it easier to return to that position and ensure a downward strike. This helps guarantee a clean hit, with the low point of the swing occurring just in front of the golf ball.
Something to keep in mind: wherever your weight is, the club will want to bottom out. Therefore, forward weight equals forward contact—key to hitting the ball first and ground second.
Common Mistakes and the Death Move
A major takeaway from this guide is avoiding the “death move,” which is shifting your weight too far to the trail side during the backswing, particularly outside the trail knee.
Grant stresses that the weight should stay inside the trail leg to preserve structure and avoid an inefficient recovery motion during the downswing. As he demonstrates, excessive lateral sway leads to a loss of coil, power, and consistency.
The Alignment Rod Drill
Using a simple alignment rod placed between the feet, Eric and Grant show how to monitor your hip movement. During the backswing, Grant’s trail hip stays inside the rod, never swaying behind it. Then, the magic happens: before the backswing even finishes, the hips begin moving forward—initiating an efficient downswing sequence.
Watch how the hips shift past the rod into the finish demonstrates how the best players move their mass toward the target early and throughout the swing.
Finish Strong With Forward Hips
One of the biggest keys to pure iron play is getting all of your hips ahead of the golf ball by the finish. This move ensures a downward strike and prevents hanging back—a major cause of inconsistent contact. Grant notes that when he’s playing poorly, it’s often due to hanging back or arching his spine. Driving the hips forward helps avoid these issues and creates a clean, powerful release.
The takeaway is clear: start slightly forward, shift early, and get the hips through the shot. Whether you’re a golf weekend warrior or a serious student of the game, integrating this movement pattern can help you hit more consistent, tour-level iron shots.
