The long irons in golf are the 1 through 3 iron. Striking the long irons well requires a sweeping swing that is free of casting, and requires patience. Since the clubface angle is close to upright vertical, any angle between the target line and the normal to the clubface's direction at impact will result in significant sidespin being applied to the golf ball. It is this sidespin that makes the ball curve off-line, resulting in a hook or a slice. The tempo when swinging the long irons should be slow, especially on the backswing and start of the downswing. Rushing the tempo while swinging back or starting down is usually disastrous. People think that they need to swing long irons harder than other clubs. The opposite is true. Swinging hard with long irons usually produces an undesirable and unpredictable result.