Why I Swing the Way I Do
Easy answer: it's how I've always done it, and I'm thankful I had a teacher who didn't try to fit me into any norm. The technical answer? I stand very close to the ball. This creates a naturally steep backswing path, which explains why it looks like I lift the club straight up to the top.

IMPORTANT!
Build a Barrier

In college I'd often make the bad mistake of hitting balls out onto the range without a target. When you do this you tend to start hitting the ball farther and harder. It does you absolutely zero good to hit your irons farther than your average. You want to nail that average every time. Every iron needs to have a barrier. My father stressed hitting to a target and then never hitting past it. If I wanted to hit past it he would hand me a longer club.