Why Michael Kim Is One of the Best Long Iron Players on Tour with No Laying Up | Titleist

Michael Kim and No Laying Up discuss how to master long irons. Michael is one of the best long iron players on the PGA TOUR and he will be the first to tell you there is no secret formula.

Kim grew up as a short hitter - 130 pounds heading into college, hitting the ball nowhere. Out of necessity he got comfortable with long irons early, while the bigger hitters around him were reaching for shorter clubs. That foundation never left. Today he ranks among the top players on tour from 200 to 250 yards and his approach is straightforwardly simple - standard height, standard trajectory, three yard draw, every time.

The reason is practical. Long irons spin less. Mixing trajectories and taking yardage off introduces variables that work against you. Kim's three yard draw with a full release is repeatable. His lazy draw with the six iron at 200 yards carries 197, spins around 5700 and lands at the right angle. His stock four iron at 225 carries 227 at 4500 spin. The numbers are consistent because the approach is consistent.

He plays his ball slightly back in his stance - not conventional for everyone, but for Kim it feeds the draw, keeps him behind the ball and lets him release it fully. Move it too far forward and he gets over the top. Close the face slightly at address when he needs to keep it lower. Hit the shorter club harder rather than take something off the longer one. These are the adjustments that have made a 200 to 250 yard approach feel like a strength instead of a liability.

There is also a story about Kenny Perry at Colonial, a conversation overheard during COVID that helped Kim commit back to hitting a draw - and what happened after that. Drawers may be a dying breed on tour but Kim is not convinced that is a problem.

Chapters:
00:00 - Michael Kim Warms Up
00:18 - Meet Michael Kim
00:30 - Why Michael Kim Plays the Pro V1x
00:57 - Top 10 on Tour from 200 to 250 Yards
01:33 - Growing Up as a Short Hitter
01:53 - How Kim Thinks About Long Irons
02:07 - Keep It Simple - The Stock Draw Every Time
02:48 - Six Iron at 200 Yards - The Numbers
03:26 - Why Kim Uses More Technology in the Four Iron
03:32 - Hitting It Lower - Ball Position and Face Angle
04:07 - Tracking Spin Rates with Long Irons
05:18 - Standard Four Iron at 200 Yards
06:04 - Club Path and the Natural Draw
06:56 - Growing Up Hitting a Draw - and Going Back to It
07:36 - The Common Miss and How to Manage It
08:44 - Kenny Perry at Colonial - The Story That Changed Everything
09:31 - Moving Back to 225 - Stock Four Iron
10:25 - Managing the Gap Between Four and Five Iron
13:18 - Wind and Condition Dependent Club Selection
15:28 - Nuke One - Going for Maximum Distance
16:03 - The Results and Final Thoughts

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