Matt Fitzpatrick firmly cemented his place as one of the very best golfers in the world with his win at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday.
Fitzpatrick has bounced back incredibly well from his poor form in 2024 and he’s now ranked inside the top 24 after beginning the year outside of the top 70.
The Englishman’s superb iron play was the bedrock of his success at The DP World Tour Championship.
Fitzpatrick’s playoff victory over Rory McIlroy in Dubai on Sunday highlighted how he is capable of beating the best players in the world.
His game is more than good enough to hold up under intense pressure, and he proved by winning the US Open in 2022.
One of the 31-year-old’s main strengths is his iron play, so it goes without saying that amateur golfers should listen intently to any golf tips he has to offer regarding approach play.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s drill for amateurs who want greater iron control
Just recently, Fitzpatrick shared some bunker play wisdom with amateurs looking to improve out of the sand.
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This time his focus was centered on a drill he uses to improve control with his irons.
When speaking during an instructional video for Protiviti on YouTube, Fitzpatrick explained the drill he regularly uses to improve the way in which he controls his iron shots.
He said: “Having strong control can be the difference maker between putting for birdie and scrambling for par.
“On this drill we tend to have 18 shots. The first one will be a fade, the second one will be a stock shot, which for me is normally a fade, and then the third one will be a draw.
“You do that six times, and you do that so each of those three goes the same distance.
“The key for us is that we imagine a straight line to our target and our fade or draw cannot cross that line, so it has to start left for a fade and stay left and for a draw it has to start right and stay right.“
Being able to shape your iron shots both ways is hugely important if you are to reach another level in the game.
The main benefit of being able to fade and draw your irons
The ability to fade and draw your irons will actually enable you to play higher percentage golf.
For instance, if you’re faced with an approach shot with the pin cut tight on the left of the green but you can only hit a fade, you’ ll be in all sorts of trouble.
You will have to start your ball wide of the green on the left which means that if your ball doesn’t fade back towards the flag, you will be short sided.
The best way to approach all irons shots is to start the ball at the opposite side of the green to where the flag is and work it back towards it.
That was the way that Jack Nicklaus played in his prime and the same can be said for Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler.
This is obviously a skill that only low handicappers will possess.
If you play to a five handicap or below but only have one shot shape in your locker, it’s time to try to get comfortable hitting it both ways.
However, if you are a mid-high handicap player, drawing and fading the ball on demand simply won’t be for you just yet. However, you can still focus on minimalizing your risks by erring towards the fat side of the green with your approach shots.
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