How to Hit Better Irons: 4 Pro Tips from Ryder Cup Rookie Ben Griffin

Two wins. Ryder Cup rookie. Ben Griffin's 2025 season reads like a golf fairy tale, and honestly, it should. The guy went from missing cuts to making Captain Keegan Bradley's team.

Now he's backing up that fairy tale with some serious golf at this week's Procore Championship. Griffin sits atop the leaderboard at 14-under, and — surprise — it's his iron play doing the heavy lifting.

Most of us hack at our irons like we're chopping wood. Griffin treats each shot like surgery. Deliberate. Smart. Never trying to be a hero when being boring will do just fine. Here's what you can copy:

This might sound overly simple, but most golfers sabotage themselves by always hunting pins. Griffin understands something crucial: greens have centers for a reason.

Think about it mathematically. If you're aiming at a pin that's five yards from the edge and you miss by ten yards, you're in trouble. Aim for the center and that same miss keeps you on the putting surface.

Try this: For your next five rounds, forget the pin exists. Just aim dead center of every green. Track how many greens you hit and compare it to your normal rounds. The difference will surprise you.

Griffin's distance control comes from having multiple options with each iron, not from trying to hit everything at full speed. He knows exactly how far his three-quarter swing carries versus his full swing.

Most amateurs have one swing speed: full blast. This leaves huge yardage gaps and forces them to manufacture distances by changing their tempo mid-swing — a recipe for inconsistent contact.

Practice this: Take your 7-iron to the range. Hit 10 shots with a three-quarter backswing, 10 at full length, and 10 with an extended follow-through. Note the distance differences. Now you have three yardages instead of one.

This sounds basic, but watch any amateur golfer and you'll see divots that start behind the ball. Griffin's divots always start at the ball or slightly in front of it. That's the difference between crisp contact and chunky mishits.

When you hit the ground first, the club decelerates through impact. When you hit the ball first, you maintain clubhead speed and get that satisfying "click" sound that tells you everything went right.

Use this drill: Place a tee two inches in front of your ball. Your goal is to hit the ball first, then clip the tee. This forces you to make contact with a descending blow rather than trying to scoop the ball up.

Indecision kills good iron shots. Griffin shows up to every shot knowing his yardage, picking his club based on that number, and then making a committed swing. No second-guessing, no club changes, no tentative half-swings.

Too many golfers stand over shots thinking, "Should I hit 7 or 8?" That mental gymnastics leads to wishy-washy swings that produce mediocre results.

Make it automatic: Get yourself a good rangefinder and spend some range time hitting to specific yardages. Create a simple chart of how far you carry each iron. When you know your numbers cold, club selection becomes mechanical instead of guesswork.

Griffin's breakthrough came after stepping away from professional golf for most of 2021. When he came back, he wasn't trying to reinvent his swing or find some magical technique. He just got really good at the fundamentals.

The beauty of solid iron play is that it makes every other part of your game easier. Hit more greens and you'll have more birdie putts. Miss fewer greens short-sided and you'll save more pars. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.

Griffin's success story proves you don't need to be the longest hitter or have the prettiest swing. You just need to be smart, consistent, and committed to the process rather than obsessed with perfect outcomes.

Most golfers could drop several strokes just by adopting Griffin's conservative approach shot strategy. The pins will always be there — but so will the center of the green.