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How To Break 80 Newsletter

February 27, 2006

“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
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This issue includes…

1) Hitting From Packed Dirt
2) When to Hit a Hybrid Club

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1) Hitting From Packed Dirt
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Few golfers realize how much a lie affects their shot. A bare lie, as golf tips often tell you, produces a lower than normal flight path, so trying to hit a high cut shot is not recommended by many golf tips. With a grassy lie, the opposite applies. So what do you do when your ball lies on hardpan?

Hitting from hardpan is a challenge. It is intimidating for some golfers. It’s especially difficult when the shot is within 30 feet to 70 feet of the flag and the player wants to chip close to the pin.

Choosing the right club is almost as important as developing an effective technique. Some golf instruction tips suggest using a sand wedge. Other instructions suggest a 9 iron. Either will do because both have a sharp leading edge to cut through to the back of the ball. Find a club you’re comfortable with and stick with it.

Keys to hitting from hardpan:
• Position ball toward back
• Place weight on front foot
• Grip ahead of the ball
• Use chopping motion
• Hit ball cleanly below equator

The best approach in this situation is to hit the ball cleanly. Take your normal stance, with our weight on the front foot. Position the ball toward the back of the stance, with your hands in front of the ball. Use a chopping motion when you hit the ball.

To practice this shot, pick a spot near the green that will provide a hardpan lie. Take the set-up described above, except with no ball. Practice sticking the club in the ground using a choppy up-and-down motion, instead of a back-and-forth one. Without delay, drop a ball on the hardpan and hit away, using the same technique. Repeat this until you hit clean shots. Don’t worry about distance in the beginning. It will come as you master the shot.

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2) When to Hit a Hybrid Club
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Many players dread hitting long irons (2,3,4,5). Even with the proper golf instruction, these players would rather hit a short iron any day. Others prefer higher lofted woods.

Thanks to the Hybrid (Utility) club, a cross between an iron and a wood, these players need no longer even carry a long iron, never mind hit one. This club replaces the long irons in you bag.

A Hybrid club is easier to hit than a fairway wood or a long iron, as most golf tips stress. It has a loft from 16 degrees to 25. It has a low-center-of gravity. And it has a slightly smaller head and lower profile.

The Hybrid club is practically a “universal” club. Use it off the tee, from all lies in the fairway and rough, in fairway bunkers, and near the green, for pitch-and-run shots.

• Off the tee

Tee the ball very low. Position it near the center of your stance but towards the target. Use a smooth tempo, with a full swing. Complete the follow-through.

• From the fairway

Use a ball position closer to the center of your stance. Swing more down and through the ball. Hit the ball first, then take a small divot. Complete the follow-through.

• From the fairway bunker

Assuming a good lie, position the ball in the center of your stance. Dig your feet into the sand. Use a shorter swing. Complete the follow-through. Don’t try to kill the ball.

• From the rough

Position the ball in the center of your stance. Use a 3/4 back swing, with a full follow through and a smooth tempo. Accelerate the downswing through the ball. Again, don’t try to kill the ball.

• From in front of the green

Pitch and run shots as you normally would but swing the club like a putter.

Hybrids can really help your game, whether it be in the longer shots or around the greens. So, if budget allows, go and pick one up and start to see a difference in your game.

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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

To view this newsletter online, please click on this link:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/newsletter022706.html
Also, for past issues of this newsletter and some of my most
recent articles, visit our blog at www.HowToBreak80.com/blog

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, send a blank email to
htb80newsletter@aweber.com
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If you ever compete in match play events, you need to know how to approach them in order to get good results. If you think match play is the same as stroke play in golf, then read on because I’m going to tell you what you need to do in order to succeed.

And lastly, and most importantly, don’t panic if you fall behind early. You can still win the match, if you don’t give up. Eighteen holes is a lot of golf and in order to win you will need to stay positive!

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.

Preparing for a golf tournament, as golf instruction explains, is one of the keys to playing your best golf. If you play in golf tournaments, develop a pre-tournament routine that prepares you for the day ahead.

One challenge when preparing for a tournament is time. You might not have much before teeing off, so make sure you get to the course early as possible. A pre-tournament routine gets the most of the time you have and lets you work on a lot of things in a short amount of time. Structure in practice is something that golf lessons preach anyway.

Many routines start with stretching. It warms you up. It helps prevent injuries. And it loosens the muscles. Many golf tips describe stretches you can incorporate into a sound stretching sequence.

Include stretches that focus on those muscles receiving the greatest stress during your swing. Target areas are your trunk, thighs, arms, shoulders, neck, and back. The sitting trunk rotation stretch and the shoulder-and-thigh stretch are two good stretches to include in your routine. These stretches may not lower your golf handicap, but they will help you avoid some common injuries as you get older.

A pre-tournament routine also includes time on a practice tee. Before hitting, take two or three clubs from your bag and swing them a few times, just as many golf tips suggest. This exercise warms you up and prepares your muscles before hitting a ball. Next, start hitting balls. Begin with a wedge to get a feel for your swing, then move to a mid-iron. Work on swing technique while you hit the wedge and mid-iron. Concentrate on your swing trigger, if you have one. Approach it the same way you would your golf lessons.

After a few minutes of working on your swing, start hitting the ball. Imagine yourself out on the course and in a specific situation. Use your pre-shot routine.
Visualize each shot. And hit it as if the shot counted. Note the distances you hit each shot that day. Knowing how well you’re hitting a club helps during the tournament when it’s time to choose a club.

Select specific targets and try to hit them. It’s important to play target golf, even on the practice tee. In fact, play target golf whenever you hit a golf ball, unless you’re working on a specific swing fault. It helps you get the most out of each practice session, as many golf lessons explain.

Work on those shots that you might encounter during the tournament —punch shots, fades, and draws. Practice any type of shot that you think might help during the tournament. Hit a few of each. Use the same techniques emphasized in golf instruction manuals.

Finally, a good pre-tournament routine includes putting. The star drill helps you get the most out of your time on the tee. Find a hole on the practice green that has a slight slope to it. Then take five balls and spread them in a star pattern around the hole about 3 feet away. Practice putting from this distance. Them move the balls out to 4 feet, always keeping them in the star pattern.

By spreading the balls out in a star pattern, you get the most common putts you’ll face on the course. Pick out a target line. Visualize the ball going in before putting. Then putt the ball. Do it just the way golf lessons recommend. Also, try lagging a few long putts, just to get the feel for it. Spend about 15 or 20 minutes putting, if you have time. There are other drills you can use in place of the star drill. The key is finding one that works for you.

Golf lessons tell you to keep your head down when putting. Use your pre-tournament routine to work on keeping your head down on putts 5 feet or less. The earlier you look up on short putts, the more likely it is you’ll miss. Many professional golfers, including Nick Faldo, wait until they hear the sound of the ball hitting the bottom of the cup or know the ball has definitely missed the cup before looking up. It’s a good way to force yourself to keep your head down.

Another challenge when playing in a tournament is that you might be playing a course for the first time. If that’s the case, find someone who has played the course and ask him or her how it plays. Find out as much information about the course as you can. That knowledge will help you during the tournament. Actually, this is good advice anytime you play a new course. Good course management can help you lower your golf handicap.

Playing in golf tournaments is fun. It’s a chance to play different formats and different courses, ones you might not play otherwise. It’s also a chance to play against golfers with a variety of golf handicaps. To play your best golf, develop a pre-tournament routine and follow it the day of the event.

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.

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How To Break 80 Newsletter

February 20, 2006
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This issue includes…

1) How to Hit a Draw
2) Chipping With an 8 or 9 Iron
 
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1) How to Hit a Draw
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Knowing how to hit a draw (or a controlled hook), like knowing how
to hit a fade, is a valuable skill. Like the fade, it comes in handy
when there’s a bunker or other obstacle between you and the pin,
or in instances when you need the ball to curve from right to left. A
draw also rolls more when it hits the grown.

The secret to hitting a draw, like the secret to hitting a fade, is
sidespin. The draw follows an in-to-out path (for right handers), so
you need sidespin to build up air on the right side of the ball, which
will push it left. A closed stance and a closed clubface at impact
produce the correct spin.

Take a normal square stance. Then, draw your back foot a few
inches back, closing your stance and clubface. It aims directly
along the target line, as with the fade, but it follows and in-to-out
path, not the out-to-in path of a fade. Adopt a slightly stronger
left-hand grip to encourage a more active release of the hands.
It also imparts sidespin on the ball.

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
• Strike the ground at 4 o’clock
• Release the club through impact

The clubhead follows an inside track (inside the target line) on
the takeaway and backswing. The club points to the right of the
target at the top of the backswing. How far right depends on how
much of a hook you want to play. Strike the ground at 4 o’clock
and release the club through impact. Feel the toe of the club
pass the heel, as you release your hands.

When practicing a draw, try imagining the ground as a clock face,
with 12 o’clock pointing directly at the target. Focus on hitting the
ball at the 7 o’clock position to produce a draw. Hitting the ball at
that position ensures that you’re on the right swing path.

Remember, not every shot requires a draw but when pulled of
properly, it can add distance and control to your game.

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2) Chipping With an 8 or 9 Iron
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Technically, the chip shot is the easiest golf shot to learn, as most
golf tips tell you. It’s also one of the most critical.

When I say “chip shot”, I mean a shot that hits the green and rolls
to the flag. Its use varies but it saves strokes when executed properly.
It’s ideal when you’re on the collar of the green with no obstacles
between you and the flag. The key is selecting a spot on the green
and hitting it.

You can chip with either an 8 iron or a 9 iron. Take a slightly open
address position, with your weight forward. Position the ball closer to
your back foot, hands in front of the ball. Placing your hands this way
“hoods” the clubface, giving you the loft of a 7 iron. Also, grip down on
the club 4 or 5 inches for more control.

Keys to chipping:
• Set right address
• Grip down on club
• Aim for spot on green
• Hinge wrist at takeaway
• Hands lead in hitting zone
• Keep wrists firm through impact
• Follow through on shot

Hinge your wrists slightly during takeaway and strike down on the ball
crisply. Your hands should lead through the hitting zone. For solid
contact, return the hands and arms to where they were at address,
which helps produce ball-and-turf contact. Keep the wrists firm through
impact, and don’t turn the wrists over during follow-through. Stay
relaxed and loose throughout the shot.

One exercise to practice chipping is the random ball drill. Take several
balls with you and your chipping club(s). Spread the balls around the
green. Pick out as many different lies as you can. Create scenarios as
much like actual play as possible. Practice chipping with the iron of
choice. Master chipping with one club before moving on to other clubs.

So, next time you reach for the putter from the fringe, consider using
that 8 or 9 iron to improve accuracy.

===============================================
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

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, send a
blank email to htb80newsletter@aweber.com
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