In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Stop Shanking Short Chips
2) Stopping It Dead In Its Tracks
3) Drill – Fixing A High Weak Slice
4) Article – Golf Tips On Sand Strategies
5) Article – Set Up For Solid Ballstriking
1) Stop Shanking Short Chips

Is there anything more maddening than shank a short chip shot? Doing so adds an extra stroke to your score and turns a potential par into a bogey or double bogey. Even when you grip down, you still seem to shank the chip. Weight shift is one reason why you do it. Gripping down the wrong way is another. Together, they create the perfect conditions for a shank.

Here are five keys to the shot:

*Grip down on the club
*Settle into your address posture
*Shift your weight to your arches
*Keep your right knee from creeping
*Move the knee forward when swinging

Many weekend golfers take their posture then choke down on the club. That’s asking for trouble. Because of the chipping club’s short shaft—made shorter by choking down—your weight shifts to your toes. This forces you to hang over the ball, creating the conditions for a shank. Your weight is drawn even more toward when you open your shoulders.

Instead, grip down the club first, and then move into your address posture. Make sure you shift your weight over your arches. Once you set your hands, bend from your hips with just a slight knee flex. You should feel like your butt is sticking out, with your arms settling under your shoulders.

When you go to make your swing keep your right knee from creeping out toward the ball. Move it toward the target through impact, not in front of you. When you practice this shot, lay a club on the ground along your toe line. Use the shaft to guide your leg action.

Stop shanking those short chip shots like some weekend golfers do and you’ll save yourself both strokes and frustration.

2) Stopping It Dead In Its Tracks

Short-siding yourself can cost you strokes. If you have to carry a water hazard or a bunker to a tight pin, your ordinary run-of-the-mill lob shot won’t do. It will probably leave you with a long putt for par. What you need is to hit a high lob shot that stops dead in its tracks. But every time you try to hit a high lob, you skull it, sending it across the green. Getting a high lob to stop in its tracks is all in how you set up.

Below are five keys to this shot:

*Position the ball forward in your stance
*Tilt the shaft away from the target
*Maintain the cupped wrist throughout
*Make a long smooth swing
*Make a three-quarter finish

This shot requires practice. But once you’ve ingrained it, it will save you a ton of strokes. The key to the shot is cupping your left wrist (right for left-handers) and maintaining it cupped throughout the swing.

*Use your lob wedge. Address the ball as you normally would for a lob shot. Position the ball half way between the center of your stance and your front foot.

*Tilt the shaft away from the target. When you lean the shaft back, your left wrist cups or leans backward. Maintain the cup from start through impact and all the way into your follow-through.

*Use a long smooth swing. Keep your hands behind the ball at impact, allowing the sole of the club to slide underneath the ball. Follow through to a three-quarter finish.

The aggressive shaft lean at setup adds loft to the club without forcing you to open the clubface. Opening the face reduces its hitting area, making for a risky shot.

Practice the shot until you’ve ingrained it. It’s a good option when you’ve short-sided yourself and need to stop the ball dead in its tracks.
3) Drill – Fixing A High Weak Slice

This drill is for players that hit high weak slices. The problem stems from a swing fault called “crossing the line.” It starts when you try to increase power by taking an extra long backswing. This causes your arms to swing way past their natural stopping point. When that happens, you cross the line (the clubhead pointed right of the target at the top of your swing). This fault causes inconsistent contact and misses that go high and wide to the right.

Many players would benefit from stopping at what would be their three quarters position. If that doesn’t work try using a Nerf football when your practice your backswing. Wedge the football between your elbows. Try stopping it from falling out by keeping your elbows together as you make your backswing. Make sure you complete your backswing with a full wrist cock. That’s what gets you parallel at the top, not your arms.

If you lift your right elbow while the football is wedged in there, it will fall out and you’ll lose power. You need to keep your elbows together at the top and pointed parallel to the target line for a powerful top position.

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 – Golf Tips On Sand Strategies
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/Golf-Tips-On-Sand-Strategies.php

5) Article – Set Up For Solid Ballstriking
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/Set-Up-For-Solid-Ballstriking.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

By Jack Moorehouse

We all have days when it feels like you never played golf before or had golf lessons. Even the pros have them. Look at what’s happened to Tiger Woods since he’s returned from his hiatus. He hasn’t played well since coming back. In fact, he had his worse day ever as a pro just a few weeks ago. He also didn’t play up to his capabilities in the PGA Championship. Playing poorly happens to everyone.

What separates golfers with low golf handicaps from those with high golf handicaps is how they handle bad days. On bad days you must recognize what you can and can’t do and use that knowledge. If you start planning and executing shots—no matter what type they are—your confidence will come back and you’ll start playing better. This skill isn’t easy to teach in golf lessons or group golf instruction sessions. But we can give you four helpful golf tips.

Find A Swing That Works
Hitting drives out of bounds costs strokes. When you’re driving poorly, make up your mind to find a swing that works. On days you’re not hitting the fairway with your driver, choke down on your driver. It creates a shorter swing that’s easier to control. Or, use your 3-wood or 2-iron. If you’re missing to one side, plan for it. For example, if you’re missing right all day, aim for the left edge of the fairway and let it come back. If you hit a draw and you’re missing right, use a baseball swing. It gives you the smooth, powerful feeling you want in a swing.

Manage Your Misses
Greens in regulation (GIR) are a key. Every GIR saves a stroke. But it’s crazy to aim for a close pin on bad days—especially if it’s protected. The trick when not swinging your irons well is managing misses. Miss your shots on the correct side of the hole, so you land on the green, not in the rough. If there’s a flat side to the green, aim for that, so you don’t waste a stroke. Also, set up with your feet a little closer together, choke down, and move the ball back a little. These changes improve ball-first contact. You hit lower shots this way, but they work.

Get The Ball Rolling
Hitting a chip to tap-in range saves a one stroke—maybe more. The key to chipping is getting the ball rolling quickly. On bad days, focus on doing that. Check your lie. If it’s deep use a club with more loft. If it’s shallow use a club with less loft. Also, don’t try spinning your chips. You get better roll with less spin. And think draw when chipping. Make practice swings and focus on pointing the toe of your wedge to the sky in your backswing and your follow-through. Notice how you release your left hand through impact, just as you do with your full swing.

Trust Your Instincts
Often, we miss putts because we overanalyze or overthink. After missing a few, we lose confidence. When this happens, trust your instincts. Line up in a comfortable position and swing away. Your instincts are often good barometers. Also, try making practice swings with one hand to regain your putting stroke. The left hand—right hand, if you’re left-handed—is a good hand to do this with. It helps you stand square to the target line and set-up correctly. If you’re having trouble trusting your feel, a good drill is putting with your eyes closed and guessing where the putts go. The drill restores feel.

Everyone has bad days—even the pros. But golfers with low golf handicaps tend to fare better than golfers with high golf handicaps because they don’t let bad days throw them. Low handicappers find what’s working for them that day and what safe shots will get them through the round. Remember our golf tips on bad days and you’ll survive them. Today, you need to figure out how to get it done. Tomorrow you can go to the range or attend golf instructions sessions.

By Jack Moorehouse

Golf is a thinking man’s game. Ask veteran players with low golf handicaps what they think about golf and they’ll probably agree with the preceding statement. Like many thinking men’s games, such as chess, staying two or three strokes ahead often saves you from disaster. Course management is one of those skills you pick up by playing, not by attending golf lessons or group golf instruction sessions. Those who master course management shed strokes from their golf handicaps without even using up a club.

But even the most skilled course managers can’t always control where the ball ends up once it hits the ground. Even if you’ve learned to stop the ball dead in golf lessons, you can’t always count on controlling the ball after it hits. Sometimes, you get a good lie. Other times, you get a bad lie. A lot depends on the course and the kind of day you’re having. But golfers with low golf handicaps don’t panic when the get bad lies. Instead, they let the lie dictate their shot.

Below are some poorer lies you’ll face on a course and golf tips on how to play from them. If you’re serious about lowering your golf handicap, ingrain these golf tips. They’ll save you strokes.

Normal Bunker Lies
Not all bunker lies are the same. But you can use your feet to tell what kind of lie you have and how hard the sand is beneath the ball. Get a feel for the sand as you dig your feet in for stability. If the sand is wet and firm, you’ll need a shallow angle of attack, since you want to take less sand with this shot. So open your clubface and stance slightly and aim for a spot about an inch behind the ball. If the sand is deep and fluffy, you’ll need a full explosion shot. Your clubface and stance should be wide open. Take a full steep swing to allow the club to remove plenty of sand.

Shallow Bunkers
Shallow bunkers can fool you. While the loose sand looks fluffy, there’s often a hard surface beneath it. Your clubface will bounce off this surface, resulting in a long bladed shot. Play this lie like a normal pitch shot. Square your clubface and open your stance slightly. Make a three-quarter swing and half an inch behind the ball. Stay firm through impact and into your follow-through. The ball flies out like a pitch shot that you hit slightly fat.

Muddy Lies
The tendency with muddy lies is to try to pick the ball up. This usually results in either a skulled shot or a fat shot one. Instead, cock your wrists in the back swing and hold the position for as long as you can on the downswing. Your hands will be ahead of the ball, which ensures a descending blow. Releasing your hands will cause the ball to fly low and left, if you’re right-handed. Keeping the clubface open, on the other hand, results in a straight and true shot.

Pine Straw
Not every course has pine straw. But many do. Hitting from here is similar to hitting from a fairway bunker. Don’t sole your club, which prevents you from disturbing the straw and moving the ball. Instead, hover your club an inch off the ground and stand a bit taller at address to compensate for the change. To prevent slipping, pretend you’re standing in cement. Keep your feet planted and your weight centered as you swing. This helps you steady yourself and make solid contact. Also, make thin, ball-first contact and sweep the ball off the ground, as you would in a fairway bunker, instead of swinging down on it.

This list of bad lies is not exhaustive. There are plenty more out there, like sidehill lies or hardpan lies. If you’re serious about chopping stokes off your golf handicap, keep track of the bad lies you face regularly and learn to hit from them. If you’re having trouble doing so, set up a golf instruction session with a local pro. Your game will improve greatly by learning to handle bad lies.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Turn Your Stance Into A Launching Pad
2) Stop Pushing And Pulling Putts Forever
3) Question – Hitting A Draw From The Tee
4) Article – Four Mid-Round Fixes Save Shots
5) Article – Let Your Lie Dictate The Shot

Jack’s Note: I’ve never had the privilege of playing some of the best courses in the world…you know…St Andrews, Pebble, Sawgrass, etc. But I’ve got to tell you…there is a new online golf game that lets you play these courses in full HD quality. Best part? It’s free. VERY REALISTIC.

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1) Turn Your Stance Into A Launching Pad
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Generally speaking, accuracy is better than distance. It’s better to be 20 yards shorter on the fairway, than 20 yards longer in deep rough. But sometimes you really need to bomb one off the tee. Or, you’re in desperate need just to hit your driver 20 yards beyond your average. What do you do? Making some subtle adjustments to your stance can turn it into a launching pad and give you those 20 extra yards you seeking.

Below are the three power changes you need to make:
*Move your spine closer to target
*Pull your right shoulder back
*Play the ball back slightly

Turn your address position into a launching pad by making three adjustments. All involve minor changes to your stance:
*Move your spine’s base closer to the target. This tilts your spine slightly to the right, which means your upper body is leaning away from the target. This change encourages an upward, inside-out swing.
*Pull your right shoulder back slightly from its usual position. This change points your swing plane slightly to the right, which helps you swing right of target and increases your chances of hitting a draw.
*Play the ball back slightly from where you normally position it. This change gets you in the habit of swinging slightly right of target on your downswing and adding right to left spin common to huge tee shots.

These three adjustments don’t have to be big. About one inch each is fine. Then, swing normally. Make sure you don’t overswing! And don’t grip the club too tightly. Strangling it slows your swing.

These three changes turn your tee shot into a draw. So your ball travels farther and rolls more when it hits the ground, giving you the 20 extra yards you want.

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2) Stop Pushing And Pulling Putts Forever
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A bad day with the flat stick can cost you strokes and can turn a good day on the course into a not so good day. Pushing or pulling short easy putts is heartbreaking. It can also undermine your confidence. Sometimes, you just need to make a minor correction to your putting stroke to eliminate any flaws that have crept into your stroke, which you can achieve with a little help from some string on the practice green.

This drill fixes your:
*Eye line
*Body aim
*Face aim
*Impact position
*Swing path

Fixing a faulty putting stroke is easy: First, find a flat section on a practice green. Then stick two six-inch nails in the ground about 10 feet apart. Place one nail on the opposite side of the hole and the other near your ball. Run a string line from one nail to the other. Pull the line taut and tie off the string to the nails.

Next, stick two tees in the ground about six inches in front of your ball. Place the tees about four inches apart, creating a sort of gateway. Position the ball directly underneath the string line. At address, it should look like it’s slicing the ball in half. Your feet should be parallel to the string and the putterface perpendicular to the line.

When putting, try rolling the ball between the two tees. Make sure your putter swings slightly inside the string on your backstroke and slightly inside the string on your though-stroke, creating a slight arc. At impact, your putter should be moving directly underneath the string.

This putting station eliminates flaws in your putting stroke. It provides instant feedback, telling you if you’re pushing or pulling putts. You can then correct your stroke.

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3) Question of the Week: Hitting A Draw From The Tee
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Question

Dear Jack:

I have a fade of various degrees with my driver. On my home course a draw would help me score better, but I cannot seem to be able to do this. Can you help me learn to hit a slight draw with my driver?

Thanks,

Jack Gamble

Answer

Thanks for the question, Jack. Some courses are perfect for draws. But learning to hit a draw if you normally hit a fade or a slice isn’t easy. It takes some work to master the shot. Below are five keys to hitting a draw:
*Adopt a closed stance
*Use a stronger left-hand grip
*Follow an inside track
*Aim right at the top of the swing
*Release the club through impact

The key to hitting a draw is to shallow out your swing. To create a shallow angle of attack, you need to quiet your shoulders and let your arms control the swing. Adjusting your stance and grip also help.

Start by taking a square stance. Now draw your back foot back a few inches, closing your stance and clubface. With this stance your clubface aims directly along the target line, but follows an in-to-out path in to the ball, rather than a fade’s out-to-in path. Adopting a slightly stronger left-hand grip encourages an active release of the hands and imparts the necessary sidespin on the ball for a draw.

Here’s a drill to help you learn to hit a draw:
Tee up a ball. Position it forward in your stance. Drop to your knees. Now swing back and through, knocking the ball of the tee. Don’t worry about how far you hit it. Swinging back is easy. But coming forward is not. You’ll probably hit the ground a few times before hitting the ball cleanly. That’s your shoulders kicking in. You’ll make solid contact with the ball once your arms learn to control the shoulders.
Practicing this drill helps you hit a draw. Before long, you’ll be hitting one on demand, just like the pros do.

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 – Four Mid-Round Fixes Save Shots
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/Four-Mid-Round-Fixes-Save-Shots.php

5) Article – Let Your Lie Dictate The Shot
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/Let-Your-Lie-Dictate-The-Shot.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

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About the Author
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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.