It was surprising to see Tommy Fleetwood not win on the PGA Tour in 2026 following the Englishman’s triumph at the Tour Championship last season.

Tommy Fleetwood is known for being one of the best ball-strikers around. Even this season, when the 35-year-old could not quite find his best form, he still finished inside the top-50 on the PGA Tour for strokes gained approach.

In 2025, Fleetwood was sixth in that category. He also went on to hit some incredible shots at last year’s Ryder Cup as he contributed four points in Europe’s victory at Bethpage Black.

And he has previously revealed the drill that many tour players use to help them hit better iron shots.

Tommy Fleetwood explains a drill tour players use to help with their iron shots

It is incredibly frustrating for amateur golfers when they hit a fantastic tee shot but then fail to capitalise after a terrible strike in the middle of the fairway.

There are days when it seems impossible to not catch an iron shot thin, while other rounds can be marred by a number of shots that involve the club hitting the ground well before the ball.

“A lot of guys, they hit down on the driver, but in the irons, they try and hit up. They don’t trust the loft that is on the iron already. They don’t create a down hitting motion, they don’t take a divot, and they don’t get that strike and penetrating flight on an iron that is so important,” he said.

“Guys like to talk about feeling the ground with their irons. You hear a lot of tour players, they feel the ground, they use the ground, they feel how their feet work. Guys hitting up, I feel like they never quite get off their right side with an iron. They stay back, they try and lift it up, which generally results in a fat or a bit of a skull.

“One of the tips that I like that I’ve seen a lot of tour players do on the range, they take their left foot off [the ground] in the backswing, and they try and stamp or step in to the shot. People have talked about walking into the shot sometimes, but I particularly like, I’ve seen a lot of guys take it back and stamp in. You can’t fall back, you have to step in to the shot, get your weight on that left side, hit the ball first, create that nice flush divot and get that flight that you want.”

The mistake Tommy Fleetwood sees many amateurs make with their irons

One of the challenges for amateur golfers is selecting the right club for the shot. Most casual players do not have any access to the sophisticated technology that professionals use on a daily basis.

It can be difficult, therefore, to pick up on any patterns with certain clubs. However, Fleetwood did suggest that a large number of amateurs would benefit from taking more club than they initially think.

“Definitely [amateurs do not take enough club]. Sometimes you don’t realise how much room you have past the pin,” he said.

“I think a lot of players see their full distance as their carry distance. That’s not always the case. Also, you can hit a good shot 40 feet short, it is 80 feet further to get it 40 feet long and it’s the exact same distance away.”

It can feel risky to take a lot more club when there is trouble behind the green and you are concerned about thinning the ball off the back of the putting surface.

But if the strikes do improve with the drill Fleetwood explained, those shots should feel far less daunting.