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How To Break 80 Newsletter

May 24, 2006

"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Conquering Uphill Lies
2) Hitting the Pitch-and-Run Shot

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1) Conquering Uphill Lies 
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Golf courses are all different. Some are flat. Others are hilly. On hilly courses you’ll encounter plenty of uphill lies, so you need to know how to handle them. Consider these three factors when hitting from an uphill lie:

• your setup
• the slope
• the shot’s trajectory

Thanks to these factors, playing from an uphill lie is tricky but not difficult. Below are five keys to hitting from an uphill lie:

• Select the right club
• Tailor your stance
• Keep the same weight
• Swing with the slope
• Finish in balance

Club selection is a key consideration. The angle of the slope changes the effective loft of a club, changing the shot’s trajectory. In severe cases, a 7-iron becomes a 9-iron. Experience will tell you just how much of a change to expect.

Another consideration is stance. Tailor your stance to the slope. Your spine needs to be perpendicular to the slope, meaning your shoulders will tilt back and your right knee will support most of your weight (for right-handers). Weight distribution at address ultimately determines the shot’s success.

A third consideration is your backswing. Keep your weight pretty much where it was at address in the backswing. The less drift, the cleaner the shot. And concentrate on making a wide takeaway and keeping your wrists quiet in the backswing’s early stages.

Finally, go with the slope. Since your weight’s farther back and your lower body less active than usual, you’ll have a tendency of pulling the ball left, caused by your hands getting over active at impact. Top avoid this, keep the clubface looking at the ball as long as possible by swinging with the slope. Finish in balance, with the right leg supporting some of your weight.

The best drill for hitting from an uphill lie is to drop a ball on an upslope, and hit. Work on the shot until it becomes second nature.

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2) Hitting the Pitch-and-Run Shot
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Hitting an accurate pitch-and-run shot is a lifesaver. It shaves at least one, and maybe two or more, strokes off your score. But hitting this shot isn’t easy. You’re using a lofted club—a 9-iron or a wedge—and trying to get the ball to run when it lands. The harder you hit it, the more backspin you impart, causing the ball to stop when it lands.

The key to the pitch-and-run is hitting the ball with overspin, releasing it on contact with the ground. Here are 6 keys to doing it successfully:

• Play the ball farther back
• Stand almost square to the target
• Approach at a shallow angle
• Encourage right arm to turn over
• Keep grip pressure light
• Rotate/release your right arm

Play the ball farther back in your stance than normally. Standing almost square to the target, lean your weight forward, place your hands ahead of the ball, and swing the club at a shallow angle. Try to pick the ball cleanly from the grass at impact.

As your body turns through the shot, encourage your right arm to turn over your left, releasing the clubhead. Your stance allows you to work the club more inside the target line than normal. Feel the clubhead’s toe closing as you strike the ball. Keep the backswing and the follow-through reasonably short.

Also, maintain light pressure on your grip throughout the shot. This helps release the clubhead. Remember, try to pick the ball cleanly from the grass. Any attempt to hit at the ball only deepens your approach, imparting backspin on the ball.

To learn how the shot feels, try tossing a ball underarm. Try making the ball run as much as possible, almost as if you were bowling. To do that, your right arm must rotate and release, just as you do with the pitch-and-run shot.

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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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