Golf Tips and Instruction-April 26, 2006
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How To Break 80 Newsletter
April 26, 2006
“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
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In this issue we’ll discuss…
1) Fixing the Dreaded Shank
2) How to Avoid “Early Turn Syndrome”
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1) Fixing the Dreaded ShankÂ
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Just mentioning the dreaded “s” word intimates golfers. A shank
occurs when a ball is caught in the angle between the clubface and
the hosel, spinning the ball sideways almost at right angles to your
stance. It results either from a severe in-to-out swing path, with a
closed clubface, or an equally exaggerated out-to-in swing path.
The problem is that at impact the player’s hands–and therefore the
clubhead– are farther away from his body than at address. The
cause: either standing too close to the ball, preventing the hands
from swinging freely past the body, or shifting one’s weight forward
on one’s toes, throwing the hands and clubface too far from the
body.
Here are 5 keys to avoiding the shanks:
Assume good posture and alignment
Settle your weight back on your heels
Relax your grip pressure
Focus on the path of your swing
Swing the club freely through impact
If weight shift is the problem, curling your toes inside your golf
shoes, and maintaining them throughout the swing, cures it. If it
doesn’t, place a golf ball under the front of each foot, pushing your
weight back on your heels. Then hit some balls. Maintaining too
tight a grip also contributes to the shanks. Gripping the club tightly
prevents it from swinging freely past the body through impact.
To improve your swing path, try this drill:
Place a ball about a half-inch outside your ball. Then, try hitting the
inner ball cleanly. Try to sense that your hands are closer to your
body through impact and that you’re going to hit the ball on the
club’s toe. If you hit both balls, your hands and the clubface are
still too close to the ball. Try exaggerating the feeling until the shanks
disappear. This drill really works. Try it.
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2) How to Avoid “Early Turn Syndrome”
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Many players suffer from it. Even players with low golf handicaps.
“Early turn syndrome” occurs when certain parts of your body–either
your hips, shoulders, or both–complete their rotation before your
arms reach your swing’s apex, breaking the linkage between the arms
and body. A good example of this is when your hips turn or “spin out”
way I front of the hands coming through impact.
To cure this syndrome, the right side of your body must control the
amount of turn in your swing. It provides resistance to slow the rotation of your knees, hips, and shoulders, restricting the amount of early turn you’re able to make and allowing you arms and club to move away in “sync” with your body. Your trunk’s big muscles then complete the backswing motion in tandem with your arms.
Here are 5 keys to a good full rotation:
Widen the stance a little
Settle weight on right side
Lift chin up away from body
Stretch out in the takeaway
Brace knees to support coiling
Widening your stance generates stability, while settling your weight
on the right side promotes a good full turn and a powerful coil. Lifting
the chin creates more room to turn the left shoulder underneath,
which also promotes a good coil. Extending the arms in the takeaway
pulls the left shoulder under the chin, while the muscles on the left
side stretch out as the body coils. The knees also support the coiling
of the body in the backswing.
To feel the resistance of a full turn, try this: from address, take your right hand off the club and let it hang in front of you. Now push your club back a short distance, letting your left hand pass under your right. You should feel some resistance on the left side. When you do, put the right hand back on the club and complete the backswing.
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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
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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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.
