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How To Break 80 Newsletter

August 23, 2006

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

1) Tall Golfer Tips
2) Overcoming a Lack of Confidence In Chipping
3) Question of the Week-The Correct Putting Stroke

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1) Tall Golfer Tips
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Being tall isn’t always an advantage in golf. Sure, it widens your swing arc, enabling you to hit the ball farther than a shorter player, but it also complicates your technique, introducing wasted motion in your swing and leading to inconsistency and other problems. That’s why it’s no coincidence that many of the game’s top players have been of less than average height.

Keep these 5 adjustments in mind if you’re tall:

• Widen your base
• Flex your knees more
• Push your hips/knees toward the target
• Raise your left hip slightly (for right-handers)
• Swing within yourself

Instability is a major problem for tall golfers. To overcome this, tall golfers should widen their base and flex their knees more than normal. Make the minimum distance between your feet shoulder-width, which lowers your center of gravity and promotes balance.

After assuming a comfortable stance, tall players should push their hips and knees toward the target slightly and raise their left hip (for right-handers) a little. This movement sets their right side a little lower than the left, further promoting stability.

Finally, take a comfortable swing. Don’t try to smash everything. Take no more than a three-quarter-length back swing and swing to a balanced finish. Staying within yourself when you swing promotes consistency, which is what you’re after. Since a tall person already has a naturally wide arc, generating distance is never going to be a problem, so he or she doesn’t have to swing hard.

Being tall doesn’t have to be a problem in golf. In fact, it can be an advantage if you make the right adjustments. Also, make sure their clubs are fitted correctly. Only with clubs measured to their physique will tall players be able to set-up to a shot correctly and consistently—a troublesome task for every tall golfer.

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2) Overcoming a Lack of Confidence In Chipping
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If you’re one of those players whose chipping is driving them crazy, there’s hope for you yet. There’s an alternate approach to chipping that will boost your confidence in your short game and provide better control of the ball. This approach sees chipping as just an extension of your putting.

Here are 5 keys to chipping as you putt.

• Select the right club
• Play the ball back in your stance
• Keep your hands and weight forward
• Spread your elbows out
• Stroke the ball as if your were putting

One of the keys to this shot is club selection. Most players use an 8-iron, but some favor a 7-iron. Once you’ve chosen a club, set-up as if you were going to putt the ball, using your normal putting grip.

Play the ball back in your stance, off the inside of your right foot (for right-handers). Keep your hands and weight forward, favoring your left side, and spread your elbows out. Hold the club almost vertically, so the heel is raised off the ground. This positions the ball off the club’s toe and helps you “deaden” the ball and control its roll.

Using a gentle rocking of your shoulders, allow the club to rise up several inches off the ground in the backswing, and then hit down on the ball slightly, clipping it into the air. Try to maintain the width of the gap between your elbows and focus on making an “arms and shoulders” swing. Use the same stroke you use when putting. That’s all there is to it.

This approach to chipping takes your wrists out of play. As long as you keep your head still and concentrate on making a short firm follow-through, you’ll end up striking the ball solidly. In time, you’ll learn to control the ball’s roll.

Chipping as you putt is great for when you’re on, or just past the green’s fringe and you’re not comfortable using a putter. You can also use this approach for longer shots. Just lengthen your stroke a bit, as you would if your were putting. For really long chips, use a 5- or 6-iron.

Try the chip as you putt approach on the practice green before using it on the course. Master it and you’ll not only regain confidence in your short game, you’ll even cut a couple of strokes off your score—all at the same time.
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Question of the Week
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From Gary Reid, Melbourne, Australia

The Correct Putting Stroke

Q. Great tips and info. They’ve really helped. Which putting stroke should I use? Some people say “out to in” for good putting. Others say “straight back and straight through” the line. Can you give me some insight?

A. Thanks, Gary. With a good putting stroke, the putterhead moves slightly inside going back, and then returns straight through “impact” and on towards the target. However, if you stand hunched over the ball instead of straight up, your stroke will tend to be more like that of a pendulum, straight back and through.

Try this drill to help promote a straight putting stroke. Find a straight four-foot putt and lay two clubs on the ground so they form parallel rails to the hole. Stroke a series of putts running the putterhead back and through without touching the shafts of the clubs. If the putterface is completely square, the putt will be holed every time. Repeat this drill until the stroke becomes instinctive.

If you’ve got a golf question you’d like answered, send an email to us at questions@howtobreak80.com and we’ll review it. I can’t guarantee that we’ll use it but if we do, we’ll make sure to include your name and where you’re from.
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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

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 award-winning 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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