It is with great pleasure and honor that I announce the weekly Break 80 Newsletter was awarded the distinction of an APEX Publishing Excellence Award.

We were chosen out of thousands of nominees and have been voted as the Best Golf Email Newsletter on the web. For those who don’t know about APEX, APEX is an independent third party that has been reviewing editorial pieces such as newsletters, ads, reports, web sites, etc. for over 18 years. They seek out the “best of the best” based on editorial content, the ability to achieve overall communications excellence and a few other criteria. The judges informed me that the competition was quite stiff and that many folks who won before had not
won this year.

I guess I can’t really say I’m surprised with this announcement and I mean that without a hint of arrogance. I mean it because there are countless golfers who email every day telling us how they have lowered their golf handicaps as a result of this newsletter. In fact, a big part of how I designed the newsletter is based on feedback from my readers and constant testing.

So, thanks for helping us get this prestigious award and look for your weekly newsletter, as always, every Wednesday.

Got a comment on this post?  Just click the Comments link below. 

Best Regards,

Jack

P.S. The newsletter will always have a subject line of [Go Low Ezine] or “Your Break 80 Newsletter”.

A common putting flaw I see in my golf lessons is excessive wrist action. Increased wrists leads to a loss of control of the putterhead before impact and an abundance of missed putts. With greens in better condition these days, the need for precision in putting has grown . In other words, you must overcome this putting flaw to achieve a lower golf handicap. Enter the long putters.

Long putters curb wrist action by anchoring the putter to a fixed point—your stomach or your sternum. While I prefer a regular putter to a long one. I encourage players who take my golf lessons to use whichever putter works for them. I also encourage them to learn the proper technique using a long putter, which I described in my golf tips.

Three broad categories of putters exist: regular, long, and extra long. Regular (or the standard length) putters measure 33 to 36 inches long. Long putters (or mid-length) putters measure 38 to 45 inches. And extra-long putters measure from 46 to 52 inches or so. Most long putters have split grips. Try several types before choosing one.

Once you’ve selected a putter, you need to learn how to hit it. Below are some golf tips on hitting long and extra-long putters.

Extra Long Putter
The extra long putter takes wrist action almost completely out of play, replacing it with a fixed center (sternum) around which your putterhead moves. With the extra long putter you need to think pendulum. The sweeping pendulum-like stroke needed with an extra long putter is more consistent than the stroke required for a regular length putter. Plus, the club is easier on the back than a regular length putter. However, the extra long putter does have a weakness—lack of distance control.

To use the long putter, place your top hand at the top of the putter’s grip and place the grip against your sternum. You can grip the club with the other hand as you normally would. Or, you can try another grip. Some players hold the shaft like a pencil. Others hold the shaft between the curled index finger and middle fingers of the right hand. Either way works as long as the top of the shaft ends at about the height of the logo on your shirt when you’re in a slightly upright putting stance and the putter’s sole is resting on the ground.

You have two ways to applying force with a long putter—bending and straightening of the right arm or rocking motion your shoulders. Some players prefer to bend and straighten their right arms (for right-handers). Others prefer to rock their shoulders back and forth. Whichever method you choose, it’s essential keep the upper body still so it can act as the fulcrum around which the pendulum- like swing moves.

Mid-Length Putter
Mid-length putters are 10 to 12 inches longer than a regular putter and have either an extended grip or a split one. With this type of putter having the right length club is critical. The putter should extend to about three inches beyond your belly button when you’re standing in the upright position. Your height and body shape will determine the exact length for you.

Using a mid-length putter is a lot like using a regular putter except, of course, for anchoring the putter to your mid-section—which provides the foundation for your swing. The anchored shaft stabilizes the club around the hinge point, taking the wrist out of play. You’re options for putting the ball are the same as with the long putter. User either your right arm to pull and push the club or your shoulders to provide a smooth, rhythmic swing.

Both the long putter and the extra-long putter are viable alternatives to a regular length putter. Both minimize wrist action when hit properly and both need a stable anchor point to be effective. Both they also require you to learn a new a putting technique to hit them properly. But learning a new putting technique is only the first step in using these putters. You still need to practice with them every chance you get, if you want to lower your golf handicap.

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 handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

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How To Break 80 Newsletter

July 12, 2006

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

1) Hitting A Fail-Safe Flop Shot
2) Correct Posture + Correct Path= Better Putts

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1) Hitting A Fail-Safe Flop Shot
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If you watch golf on television, you’ve probably seen Phil Mickelson hit one of his patented flop shots. From experience, I can say that Lefty has no equal when hitting this shot. He always seems to hit one when he needs to.

Phil usually uses a lob wedge for the shot. But since weekend golfers hit so few of these shots, many replace the lob wedge with another club. However, you can use another wedge instead if need be. Just remember to open the clubface.

Five keys to hitting a flop shot with a wedge are:

• Use a wedge with minimal bounce
• Place hands even with or slightly behind the ball
• Swing to the left (for right handers)
• Finish the shot around your body
• End with your club shaft vertical

The secret to hitting this shot is in the bounce, the set-up, and the follow-through.
First, select a wedge with minimal bounce, especially in the club’s heel, then place your hands even with the ball or slightly behind it at address. Placing your hands even with or behind the ball opens up the clubface and makes the bounce of the wedge more pronounced.

The idea is to take advantage of the more prominent bounce, which helps the club “thump” the ground at impact. Ideally, you want the club’s trailing edge to go into the ground while the clubface’s leading edge slides under the ball. On the follow-through, your arms must swing to the left (for right-handers), keeping the club from delofting and bouncing off the ground and into the ball. End with the club shaft vertical. Keep your legs quiet throughout the shot.

Although it’s a tricky shot, you can play a flop shot off most lies, even bare ground, but only if your wedge has minimal bounce. It’s also fail-safe. The longer your swing, the higher the ball goes but only slightly farther. Therefore, you can take a long swing and still not hit the ball over the green.

Work on this shot next time you’re at the range. Like Michelson, know how to hit it when you need to.

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2) How to Sink Those Big Breaking Putts
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If you have ever had a big breaking putt, you know how dangerous they are. A slight miscalculation and the ball goes sailing by the hole, leaving a long return putt to save par. Or worse, bogey. Big breaking putts are “feel putts.” They’re makeable, if you use your imagination.

The 5 keys to sinking big breaking putts are:

• Pick out the breaking point
• Align your stance square to that point
• Keep clubface square to the target line
• Swing putter with normal pace
• Putt to the spot you picked out

Alignment is the biggest problem with this type of putt. Most golfers line up square to the hole, then push or pull the ball offline, hoping it will follow the right path to the pin. It seldom does.

Instead, aim for a spot on the green you think is the putt’s breaking point. Align your feet and shoulders parallel to the target line and square to the point. Keep the clubface square to the target line, swing the putter with normal pace, and putt to the breaking point, having calculated the other putting variables. Also, study the last 6 feet of the hole closely. It tells you how the putt will break.

Practice Drill
One drill to help master the big breaking putt is the Tee Drill. Place a tee at the breaking point of a big breaking putt. Point the tee toward the hole. Use the tee as your guide. Then, putt the ball to the breaking point and let the ball roll down to within a couple of feet of the hole. Concentrate on speed and pace. Pick out the most difficult breaking putts you can find. Vary them when you practice.

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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.

Distance control from a bunker isn’t easy to learn. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things in golf to master. Golf instruction and reading golf tips help, but it takes practice to learn how to hit it close to the pin from different bunkers. But even a modest improvement here cuts strokes from your scores and lowers golf handicaps.

The perfect set-up for right-handed players is to aim left of the target, generating a slight fade. To produce it, adopt an open stance and an open clubface at address, and then swing along your bodyline. The ball will fly right of where your body and feet are pointing. I have players practice this set up a few times during my golf lessons before moving on to hitting bunker shots from various distances. Below I’ll go through some of the more common scenarios where you need to get it up and down to lower your golf scores.

Greenside Bunkers
The length of your backswing with a greenside bunker shot isn’t nearly as important as the follow-through, as I’ve discussed in my golf tips. The longer the shot, the longer your follow-through needs to be. For short shots, the club should finish knee high. For medium-length shots, the club should finish chest high. For long shots, the club should finish well above your chest.

The key to making a good bunker greenside shot is acceleration. You need to accelerate through the shot until the club passes though the sand. Don’t stop at impact, like some players do in my golf lessons. Hit through it. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself hitting from the bunker again.

Bunkers with Tight Pins
Greenside bunkers with tight pins are really tough shots, especially if the sand is soft and fluffy. You can’t ground your club in the bunker, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips, but you can feel the sand with your shoes when you step in the bunker. If it’s fluffy, you may need to blast out of the bunker. Use a sand wedge, open the face, and take a full swing hitting the sand about four inches behind the ball. The open face forces the ball to fly higher and land softer.

If the ball is plugged, don’t open the clubface. Close it. Then cock your wrists quickly and take a steep downswing. Try to hit the sand just behind the ball. That will unplug it and throw it out of the bunker.

Longer Bunkers
An alternative to hitting the traditional bunker shot is the bump and run. The theory is that you improve your distance control the sooner you get the ball out of the sand and onto the ground and rolling toward the target. However, you need to have the right situation— a low-lipped bunker, some room to roll the ball, and an unplugged lie—to hit the bump and run from the sand.

Take a 6 or 7 iron, instead of a sand wedge, and address the ball with a slightly open stance. The shaft and your body should be leaning forward. Position you hands away from your body so that the shaft is more vertical than normally. Without grounding the club, take it back slowly and accelerate through the ball. Hit down on the ball. It comes out low and runs as soon as it hits the ground. See my golf tips for more info on making this shot.

Fairway Bunker Shots
The 80- to 100-yard bunker shot is the hardest of all. At least that’s what some players who’ve taken my golf lessons think. Ideally, you want to have the ball fly high and land softly. Instead of a sand wedge or a 6 iron, try an 8 iron but grip the club more in your fingers than normally. And make sure the heel of the club is higher than the toe at address and that the face is open. Aim slightly left of your target, stand a little taller, and hit the ball before the sand.

The key to the fairway bunker shot is the body turn. The tendency with this shot is using your arms and hands only. You need a full body turn to get the distance you want from this shot. Therefore, you need to get your body in the act. Keep your lower body stationary and turn your chest away from the target, so it stays in front of the club.

Additional Golf Tips on Bunker Shots
For uphill bunker shots, use a less lofted club and swing normally. For downhill shots, adjust your shoulders to the angle of the slope and swing down the slope. If you want to stop the ball when it lands, remember this: The faster you swing the club and the closer the clubhead comes to the ball, the more spin you put on the ball.

Tour players get up and down from the sand more than 60 percent of the time. If you’re can do it only half that number, you’ll eliminate unnecessary strokes and lower your golf handicap.

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 was able to figure out the secrets of shooting in the 70’s on a consistent basis without quitting your day job. Jack has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.