Golf Tips and Instruction-Feb. 27, 2006
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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
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Until next time, Go Low!
Jack
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