By Jack Moorehouse

When you’re within 20 yards of the goal in American football—the Red Zone—you must score. If you don’t, your team’s offense failed. When you’re within 40 yards of the green—8-iron, 9-iron, and wedge distance—the Scoring Zone—you also must “score.”  Put another way, you must drop the shot as close to the hole as possible, leaving you an easy putt. If you don’t, you’ve cost yourself a birdie.

Obviously, the more birdies you make, the better your score and your golf handicap. But before hitting from this distance, you must answer six critical questions. Answering them improves your chances of dropping it close significantly. In this article we’ll discuss these six critical questions and provide golf tips on how to hit them better, improving your chances of collecting more birdies.

1. How Far Do You Hit Each Club?
Dialing in your short irons is mostly about distance control. In other words, you must know exactly how far you carry each club on the course, if you want to hit it close. Distance control is what teachers focus on in golf instruction sessions. If you don’t know how far you hit each short iron, go to the range. Practice making normal and hard swings. Get a feel for just how far you hit each club using each swing.

2. How Do You Hit Each Club?
Direction control is also vital when hitting short irons. So in addition to getting a feel for distance when practicing at the range, track your tendencies with each club. Do you draw or fade the shot? When you swing harder, do you pull or push the ball? Find the answers to these questions on the range first, so you’re not educating yourself on the course. Keep them in mind when playing a shot within the scoring zone.

3. What Kind Of Swing Do I Make?
Some weekend golfers shorten their swings when hitting short irons. Or, they ease up. This leads to bad shots. Take your normal swing and hit through the ball in the scoring zone. Hit them just like they teach in golf lessons. If you need more distance, don’t swing harder. Take an extra club. And don’t try to hit the ball really high. You may lose control of the shot. If you don’t hit these clubs well, take some golf lessons and practice at the range. Also consult golf tips on hitting them.

4. Where Do I Want To Hit This Shot?
Directional accuracy demands that you aim correctly. When you’re practicing with these clubs on the range, work on alignment, too. Begin every shot by standing behind the ball. Then follow your routine. In addition, picture an imaginary line from your long distance target to an immediate one a few feet in front of the ball to the ball. Align your club to the target line and the ball. Then, align your body parallel to the imaginary line.

5. What Are Your Conditions?
The best short iron players monitor their conditions—their sate of mind and their physical condition—on every hole. Your conditions really matter. If you’re angry or pumped up, you’ll hit the ball longer than you normal. If you’re tense or tight, you may hit it shorter.  compensate for your condition. Also, track how you hit the ball under the various conditions.

6. What Are the Playing Conditions?
Like your personal conditions, playing conditions matter as well. What type of lie do you have on the course? How firm is the green? What is the wind doing? Is the green above or below you? The answers to these questions have a major bearing on the shot. Run through them before you hit any shot.

The last thing you must do before hitting a shot in the scoring zone is remind yourself to never short-side yourself. Never miss a shot to a spot that gives you no green to work with coming back. You want to be aggressive in the scoring zone, but be smart about it. Follow this cardinal rule and you’ll be glad you did.

Answer the questions listed above before hitting a short iron and you’ll make more birdies. Make more birdies and you’ll not only trim your scores, you’ll also cut your golf handicap by several strokes. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

You’re obviously interested in golf or you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Well, imagine if you could make a great living by having a golf related business. Imagine turning your golf passion into a business that not only gave you great profits and financial security but gave you an awesome lifestyle.  All of this without needing to be a PGA pro or without even needing a lot of golf knowledge.

If you’d love to do that then go here and watch this video now:

http://www.golfbizinabox.com/indexa.htm

It’s a FREE video and if you’ve got any interest in turning your golf hobby into a great lifestyle business I strongly recommend you watch that video now.

Here is the link again:

http://www.golfbizinabox.com/indexa.htm

After watching the video make sure you sign up for free to find out more.  This could be your year to do something totally new and unique that could change your life for the better.

Jack

P.S. If you’re interested in golf just a little bit then you can turn that interest into a great little business to provide some nice extra cash. Or you can turn your golf interest into a hugely profitable golf business that gives you everything you want in life.  The choice is yours if you know how.

Then follow the instructions in the video!

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Perfect Your Posture For Better Swings
2) Putting Up A Tier
3) Question of the Week – Playing Soft Shots
4) Article – Simplifying Your Sand Play Saves Strokes
5) Article – Dial In Your Short Irons Now

Jack’s Note: Tired of hitting bad chips? Watch the free video on the foolproof chipping method here.
1) Perfect Your Posture For Better Swings
===================================================
It gets harder to change bad habits the longer you have them. So you need to correct them as soon as you discover them. Otherwise, they’ll become ingrained and you’ll never root them out. If bad habits plaque your swing and you’re looking to make a change, the best place to start is with your posture. Good posture increases the chances of striking the ball solidly.

Below are five keys to good posture:

1. Keep your spine straight through the swing
2. Bend forward from your waist
3. Keep your knees flexed but not too much
4. Place your kneecaps over your insteps
5. Point your fingertips outside your shoes

You address position greatly impacts your swing. If your looking to perfect your swing or get rid of bad habits, a good place to start is with your posture. Good posture increases your changes of hitting the ball on the sweet spot.

To check your posture, set up to an imaginary ball. Relax your body and let your arms hang straight down. Your posture is good if your kneecaps are over the insteps of your feet and your fingertips point to the tips of your shoes. If your fingertips point inside the tips of your shoes, you’re too upright. If the point outside the tips of your shoes, you’re bent over too far and your too flat.

Also, keep an eye on your knees. Many golfers don’t flex their knees enough. In addition, make sure your spine is straight and that you’re bending forward from the waist to avoid slumping your shoulders.

If you’re unhappy with your swing or you’ve developed bad habits and you’re looking to make a change, start with your posture. If you’re set up with good posture, your chances of hitting balls crisply greatly increase.
2) Putting Up A Tier

A long putt of about 40 feet up a tier is tricky. We tend to leave the putt short on the first tier well below the hole. If the slope is high enough, the ball may even roll back to you. Either way, you’ll probably three-putt or four-putt. If you play on a course with numerous tiered greens, leaving these types of putts short can really cost you. But staying true to your stroke fundamentals provides the solid contact you need to get the ball to the hole.

Below are five keys to putting up a tier:

1. Add the pace of the two putts together
2. Set your eyes over the ball
3. Set your hands under your shoulders
4. Keep everything still at impact
5. Imagine yourself bowling up a hill

The problem here is that you’re really dealing with two putts: The one that gets the ball up the first tier and the one that gets the ball from the edge of the tier to the hole. To determine the ideal stroke length for this putt, add the stroke lengths for those two putts together.

Next, take your normal putting stance. Then set your eyes over the ball and your hands below your shoulders.. This sets you up to make solid contact, enough to get you up and over the first tier and to the hole

As you make your practice strokes visualize yourself “bowling” the ball up the hill. Get the feel in your right hand (left hand for lefties) for giving the ball sufficient force to get it up and over the tier’s crest. Try re-creating the feeling when you putt. Keep your sternum still at impact

If you’re putting from the left side of the hole (the cup is to your right), the slope tends to bend the ball the right. The opposite is also true.

Long putts up a tier can cost you a ton of strokes. Golfers often leave these putts short. Sometimes, we’re so short the ball rolls back. The secret to sinking tiered putts is making solid contact. Follow the golf tips given above and you’ll do it.
3) Question of the Week – Playing Soft Shots

Q. Hi, Jack. How do I play a soft landing approach shot from 50 yards and less or from the bunker? My shorts normally run six feet after pitching.

Thanks,
Charles Pitara

A. Thanks for the question, Charles. You’ve actually asked two questions here. One questions is about soft approach shots. The other is about soft landing shots from a bunker. Let’s address them one at time:

Soft Approach Shot
The key to the super soft pitch shot is the left arm action (right arm action for right-handers) given to the ball on the shot. You must swing the club and the left arm to the left of the target after impact on nice soft pitches from 30-50 yards out.

To start, use a sand wedge for this shot. Open your stance and the clubface a bit. Then, make an upright swing. These adjustments encourage the clubface to cut across the ball slightly, imparting sidespin, which helps the ball stop. The key is holding the club firmly with your left hand after impact. Don’t let the clubface’s toe pass its heel the way it does normally. To see if you’re making the shot correctly, check your divots. They should be small and should point to the left of your target. If they do, you’ve hit the shot correctly.

Soft Sand Shot
Your sand wedge is the club of choice for this shot as well. Position the ball forward in your stance and open the face of your sand wedge, adding loft to the club. As you swing back and through, keep most of your weight on your back leg. By keeping your weight on your back leg, your sand wedge maintains its original loft at impact. The ball pops out high and settles quickly on the green.

Many weekend golfers slide forward on this shot, shifting their weight to their front side dramatically on the forward swing. The shift takes loft off the club and causes it to dig into the sand, making the ball come out low and hot.

These shots are somewhat advanced. So if you’re a poor pitcher, work on the basics before trying it. But if you’re a good pitcher and you want to improve accuracy, this shot may be just the thing. Practice it to master it.

If you’ve got a golf question you’d like answered, send an email to us at questions@howtobreak80.com and we’ll review it. I can’t guarantee that we’ll use it but if we do, we’ll make sure to include your name and where you’re from.

===================================================
If you want to truly discover the secrets of shooting like the Pros and creating a more reliable and consistent swing, check out: http://www.HowToBreak80.com

Also, for past issues of this newsletter and some of my most recent articles, visit our blog at www.HowToBreak80.com/blog

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Simplifying Your Sand Play Saves Strokes
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/simplifying-your-sand-play-saves-strokes.php

5) Article – Dial In Your Short Irons Now
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/dial-in-your-short-irons-now.php

Until next time,

Go Low!

Jack

P.S. Feel free to share this newsletter with family and friends. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter.htm
About the Author

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 and Shoot Like the Pros!”. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicaps quickly. His free weekly newsletter goes out to thousands of golfers worldwide and provides the latest golf tips, strategies, techniques and instruction on how to improve your golf game.

Even players who thrive on crushing the ball know that hitting it long isn’t always the best strategy. Sometimes, they need to hang back and save that muscle for another time. We call it playing smart. Tiger Woods is a great example of a player who plays smart. He knows when take what the situation gives him. That’s one reason why he’s one of the world’s best golfers. For weekend golfers, playing smart can save strokes and keep your golf handicap from ballooning.

But playing smart isn’t always the first thing on your mind when in trouble. Many golfers try “miracle shots” to salvage the situation when in trouble. Often, it’s a shot they’ve never hit before. Save miracle shots for when you must try one. The rest of the time, play smart. It may not seem like the best strategy, but it can save you strokes later on. In my golf lessons I emphasize three situations when playing smart works well. Below I describe these situations and provide golf tips on how to play them.

Ball In High Grass
When we say high grass, we mean high grass—the no man’s land of rough. You know the kind—where you could be standing over the ball and not know it. The problem with this rough is that it’s much thicker than regular rough. It’s so thick it can catch your club and turn the hosel before the clubface is even close to the ball. Thus, it may take multiple shots to get out. It’s that thick.

The only remedy for this lie is to take your wedge and attack the ball with a hard descending blow. But first you need to adjust your set up using these golf tips: Use an open stance but close the clubface a bit. Next, take a firm grip, aim just behind the ball, and swing down hard. These adjustments make it easier for the clubface to cut through the grass. Make sure, you also swing through—because if your club gets stuck, the ball will, too.

Ball In Bunker
While a ball buried deep in the sand requires a shot like the one described above, a regular lie in the sand—one where the ball is sitting on top of the sand—needs just the opposite approach. The goal here is to “shave” the ball out, not shovel it. Here, you need to take a smooth controlled swing with an open stance and clubface. Aim to make contact two inches behind the ball. It will fly out softly with minimal sand, saving you strokes and landing the ball close to the pin.

Playing The Punch Shot
The punch shot is a third play smart situation. The object of the punch shot is to keep the ball low, straight, and precise. It makes for a great approach shot in the wind. But it also makes for a great shot to salvage par from the trees. Many players use a longer iron to make this shot, but a hybrid works just as well, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips newsletter. Here’s how to make a punch shot work for you:

Play the ball just back of the middle of your stance, which takes some loft off your club and enables the ball to fly lower with backspin. Take a three-quarter swing, mostly with your arms, and keep your wrists firm and hands quiet on the downswing. Make a smooth controlled swing, with out decelerating or hurrying through the shot, and keep your follow through short and low. The punch shot is a great weapon to have when in trouble or when playing in a stiff wind.

These three common “play smart” situations are often discussed in golf instruction session and golf articles. There are more not so common play smart shots. Look for them and then store them in your mind so you’ll remember them. In these situations, forget the “miracle shot” you’ve never hit before unless you’ve no other choice. Playing smart helps keep a lid on scores and stops golf handicaps from ballooning.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.