Golf Tips and Instruction-July 5, 2006
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How To Break 80 Newsletter
July 5, 2006
“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
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In this issue we’ll discuss…
1) The Role of the Head In the Swing
2) Correct Posture + Correct Path= Better Putts
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1) The Role of the Head In the Swing
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I was playing with a friend and his son last week when the boy botched a 7 iron from the fairway. He had looked up from the ball too soon. His father, by way of instruction, told him to keep his head down throughout the shot. The father’s advice was right on. The boy hit the next shot 160 yards.
Don’t take the idea of keeping your head down as meaning that you should keep your head locked in a set position through impact though. Locking your head in position throughout your swing can cause swing problems. Instead, let your head turn naturally through the ball for maximum power.
Keeping your head down too long contributes to the slice inducing “chicken wing.†That’s where your back elbow moves away from your body during the swing. Keeping your head locked also contributes to back and neck problems. If you look at a photo of Davis Love III off the tee, you’ll see his head is down well after impact. As a result, Love has chronic neck problems.
Players like Annika Sorenstam and David Duval take an opposite tack. They allow their heads to turn toward the target through impact. This movement enables their hips to clear out of the way, creates better extension of their arms after impact, and lessens the strain on their backs and necks.
Practice Drill
This drill is designed to get you to turn your head through impact. Tee up a ball and then place another ball about two feet in front of the first and slightly inside the target line. Hit the first ball while you look at the second one.
Looking at the second ball rotates your head toward the target while keeping it in sync with the movement of your upper body. In doing so you should feel your hips clearing much more easily and your arms extending fully through the swing, adding some extra distance to your shot.
Next time you’re practicing at the range, try allowing your head to move naturally during your swing. You may find yourself adding some distance to your shots with actually trying.
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2) Correct Posture + Correct Path= Better Putts
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Most recreational golfers don’t consider posture a key element in putting. In fact, they usually ignore it unless their back is bothering them. But matching posture to stroke type is one of the secrets to consistently putting well. How you stand to the ball determines how you stroke it.
Your shoulders move perpendicular to your spine when putting. If your posture is upright, your shoulders move “around†the spine, promoting an open-to-square stroke. If your putting posture is bent over, your shoulders move “up and downâ€, promoting a pendulum-like stroke.
To putt well, you must match your posture to your stroke; otherwise, you create a mis-match between posture and stroke, inhibiting consistency. Below are the four possible scenarios.
• Match: Upright spine angle/ “around†open-to-square stroke
• Match: Bent over spine angle/up-and-down pendulum stroke
• Mis-Match: Upright spine angle/ up-and-down pendulum stroke
• Mis-Match: Bent over spine angle/ “around†open-to-square stroke
If your posture is too upright for your square-to-square stroke, it will force you to pick up the putter in an attempt to keep the face from opening. The tendency with this mis-match is to pull the ball. Another sign of a mis-match of this type is too many lip-outs.
If your posture is too bent over for your open-to-square stroke, it will force you to open the putter face at impact, resulting in a push. If you’re pushing or jerking your putts, it’s a sign that your stroke and posture don’t match.
If you want to change your stroke, keep the above in mind and match posture with stroke. Remember, more often than not, the putter face opens not by conscious effort of the hands or arms, but by naturally moving the putterhead slightly to the inside of the target line during the backstroke.
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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
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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.
