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How To Break 80 Newsletter

May 17, 2006

“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
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In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Hitting Fairway Woods and Long Irons
2) Improving Your Touch on Short Delicate Shots

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1) Hitting Fairway Woods and Long Irons 
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Hitting a fairway wood or a long iron intimidates many golfers. But players who hit the ball average distances must master these clubs to drive down their scores and golf handicaps.

Because fairway woods and long irons are “straight-faced” clubs, golfers often think they have to “help” the ball get airborne. As a result, they take a quick, relatively short backswings, throwing their rhythm and timing off and mis-hitting.

Here are 5 keys to hitting fairway woods/long irons.

• Take a normal address position
• Position the ball slightly back
• Take a complete backswing
• Focus on clipping the grass
• End with a full and balanced finish.

With fairway woods and long irons, you hit the ball at the bottom of the swing. This contrasts sharply with short irons, which you hit with a descending blow, and drivers, which you hit with an ascending blow. Take advantage of this and position the ball just behind where you’d tee the ball for a drive.

Also, keep in mind that these clubs don’t create large divots. In fact, most times they create a shallow divot or no divot at all. So when you swing, think in terms of just clipping the tops of the grass as you make impact.

Next time you’re hitting a fairway wood or long iron, don’t panic. Make a real effort to complete your backswing and slide your right shoulder under your chin as you rotate your body. If you do both of these things well, you’ll transfer your weight correctly and make good use of your body pivot.

Here’s a drill for practicing fairway woods and long irons:

Place a tee where you would normally position your ball, with the top of the tee just sticking out of the ground. Take a fairway wood or long iron and try clipping the tee as you swing. When you’re comfortable doing this, substitute a ball.
 
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2) Improving Your Touch on Short Delicate Shots
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Few things in golf are as challenging as the short greenside bunker shot. With the flag only a few feet from the bunker, it’s a difficult shot to make. If you decelerate the clubhead upon entering the sand, you’ll leave the ball in the bunker or mis-hit it. If you strike the ball firmly, you might hit the ball beyond the hole, leaving a long return putt.
Either way is not good.

You need a lot of finesse to make this shot. Here are 6 keys to doing it successfully.

• Widen your stance a little
• Stand a little more open than normal
• Place your hands behind the ball
• Swing aggressively
• Cup your right hand through impact.
• Exaggerate clubface’s open position

You need to take a shallow cut of sand from beneath the ball, just as you would for most bunker shots. But you need to make a couple of adjustments to your set up to generate the flight and soft landing this shot demands.

First, widen your stance a little for more stability. Also, stand a little more open than normally, which allows your hands to clear your hips as you swing. And finally, lower your hands and place them behind the ball, adding loft to the clubhead. Remember: you want to maximize the clubhead’s loft. That way you can be aggressive through impact yet only hit the ball a few feet.

Also, try “cupping” your left wrist as you bring the clubhead back, exaggerating its open position so that the clubhead’s face points skyward. As you come forward from the top of the backswing, accelerate the clubhead into the sand. Try to feel your right hand (for right handers) work in under your left as you complete your downswing.

Finish with a short follow-through. As you do, check to see that the clubhead is fully open and that you’re looking directly at the face of the clubhead. If you are, it probably was successful.

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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
break80ezine@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.

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