Sergio Garcia is widely regarded as one of the best iron players of his generation, with incredible control over his shot shape and spin when approaching the green.
His efficient and consistent swing from the fairways is the foundation of the 2017 Masters winner’s success. The Spaniard’s ability to hit exactly the shot he needed in the conditions presented to him allows him to find greens in regulation as well as any player in the game.
The 45-year-old is currently playing on the LIV Golf Tour, where fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm won the individual title this season. Following the conclusion of the season, he gave some advice to amateurs on how they can hit their irons consistently.
Sergio Garcia named the most important thing for mastering iron play
Garcia said that the most important area in golf is the two feet around the ball itself. That’s a more important area for amateurs to master than their backswing and downswing. If golfers can align their clubface and strike through the ball, then they can hit clean, consistent shots.
He took to LIV Golf’s YouTube for their “LIV lessons” series to hand out the following piece of critical advice. Garcia said, “The most important thing in golf is these two feet, from here to here [pointing one foot behind the ball, and one foot in front of it].
“If you can get the club doing the right thing from a foot and a half before the ball, and a foot past it, that’s all you need.
“Obviously, the better your backswing is and the better your downswing is, it’s a little bit easier to control that area. But if you can get it consistently from here to here [one foot behind the ball, and one foot in front of it], that’s all you need to hit it great, and hit it exactly how you want.”
Garcia went on to say that success in those two feet is found before the club is even lifted off the ground. It’s all in the setup.
He continued, “If you set up [badly], then it’s going to be much more difficult for you to be consistent on those two feet you need to be good in.
“If you work on a good setup, the most important thing is to trust and to make sure you get through the ball.
“If you can keep matching that speed with your body and get it through, then it’s much easier to control your club and your speed through impact. That’s what I try to tell amateurs the most.”
Scottie Scheffler’s advice to amateurs on how to consistently hit greens
Garcia isn’t the only world-class player handing out iron advice to amateurs. Even the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, has some tips on how to hit more greens.
Scheffler had a Tiger Woods-esque 2025. He won the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, meaning he is one major away from the career grand slam, and has six wins to his name in 2025.
Like Garcia, Scottie Scheffler is one of the most consistent iron strikers in the game, but it’s his course management that is key to him eliminating bad misses from his rounds. Once players have taken Garcia’s ball striking advice on board, they should listen to Scheffler about where to hit their shots.
Speaking to TaylorMade back in 2024, Scheffler said, “Basically, my thought process is coming into the green, I want to hit the highest percentage shot possible, that is going to get me at the worst to be on the green.
“Typically, I am working the ball from the middle of the green towards the pin, and the shot I try to hit depends completely on how I feel over the ball, and a lot of that depends on where the pin location is.”
Aiming at the centre of the green is solid advice for any amateur. If you don’t have control over the accuracy of your irons, make the high-percentage play. Then, once you begin to add shape to your approach shots, you can work the ball towards the hole like Scheffler.
That way, should you misjudge the ball flight or not get enough movement out of your shot, you are far more likely to find a green in regulation, even with a miss.