Supposedly, Tiger Woods used his driver only once in winning the 2006 British Open. In its place, he used low irons and fairway woods. I’m not sure exactly sure how many times he used his driver, but it wasn’t much, highlighting something I advocate in my golf lessons and golf tips—knowing when to leave the driver in the bag cuts strokes from your score and your golf handicap.

Tiger succeeded at the British Open because he played smart golf. That requires strategically positioning the ball when you have to, which in turn means sometimes using the 3-wood, a hybrid club, or a low iron off the tee. Here are some tips on when to use each.

The 3-Wood
The 3-wood is easier to hit than the driver. It’s especially useful when you must hit the fairway or when you want to draw or fade the ball on doglegs. It’s also great on holes with tight fairways. Some experienced players use it almost exclusively from the tee. Novices find the 3-wood a great substitute for the driver most of the time.

Since the 3-wood is easier to control than the driver, it’s easier to learn to hit a fade or draw with it. You don’t have to significantly alter your set-up or your swing. The key to hitting a draw is approaching the ball from inside the target line on an arching motion. With a draw, the club tends to point to the right in a laid-off position at the top. The key to hitting a fade, on the other hand, is approaching the ball from outside the target line. With the fade, the club points to the left in a laid-off position at the top.

Learning to shape your shots with a 3-wood isn’t exceptionally hard. All it takes is the right technique, a little visualization, and some practice. Using the 3-wood at the right time can cut your average score—and maybe your golf handicap— by at least a couple of strokes.

Low Irons
If you tend to hit a fade, your low irons will serve you well off the tee. These clubs are good in windy conditions, such as when you’re hitting into a crosswind or a strong headwind. You can also use them on short par-4s when you want to hit the fairway. Since you’re not turning your wrists over when you swing, the ball won’t run as much as with the 3-wood or driver.

The punch-fade shot, for example, is ideal on windy days. It’s a low-trajectory shot designed to cut through the wind. It requires a swing path traveling less around and more out-to-in, producing the fade

Start with a slightly open stance and the ball positioned toward the middle of your stance. Keep your back swing upright to encourage a steeper angle of attack while the right arm extends against a bent right wrist through impact. Try not to let your right hand release over your left.

Hybrid Irons
A hybrid club is ideal on holes with tight fairways. They’re also good on holes that provide a lot of run. You can use a low, hard draw to position your self where you want to be or combat a strong headwind. You can use it to replace a low iron, if you have a hard time hitting one.

As with a low iron, you hit down and through with a hybrid club, instead of sweeping the ball off the tee, as with a fairway wood. To execute a draw, set-up with the ball slightly back in you stance, which should be closed a bit. Hood the club slightly by pointing the toe at the target.

When you swing, approach the ball from the inside as you usually do when hitting a draw, but stop well short of parallel in your back swing. On the way through the ball, turn your hands over slightly with the right hand resting above the left (for right-handers) and your right wrist staying bent. A flat left wrist and a slightly bent right wrist keys this shot.

While none of us are Tiger Woods, we can still play like him. Knowing when to keep the driver in the bag helped Tiger win the British Open. The same strategy can cut strokes from your scores and slash your golf handicap. Keep this strategy in mind the next time you’re on the course.

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

August 9, 2006

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

1) Defeating Downhill Lies
2) Overcoming a Dominant Left Side

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1) Defeating Downhill Lies
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Playing from a downhill lie—like hitting from an uphill lie—is tricky but not difficult. Unfortunately, some weekend golfers let the shot throw them, costing them strokes.

You need to consider three things with a downhill lie: (1) your stance, (2) the launch angle, and (3) the club’s loft. If you factor these things into the equation, you’ll defeat the challenge of a downhill lie.

Below are five keys to hitting downhill shots:

• Select the right club
• Tailor your stance to the slope
• Keep your weight forward
• Stay down on the shot
• Chase the ball down the hill

Club selection is key with a downhill lie. The slope effectively changes the loft of your club, making a 7-iron into a 6-iron, for example. In a severe case a 7-iron becomes a 5-iron. This change, in turn, alters the trajectory of the shot, so you use a less lofted club with downhill lies. Experience will tell you which to use.

Stance is another key. Your spine should be perpendicular to the hill’s slope and your weight should be slightly forward, with the ball back in your stance. Tailoring it to the slope sets up the rest of the shot.

In the backswing, keep your weight on your front foot and concentrate on making a wide takeaway. Also, keep your wrists quiet in the backswing’s early stages. Staying down on the ball at impact ensures solid contact.

To assist your balance, put more emphasis on swinging with your arms and hands and less on turning your body. Since your lower body is less active than usual, you’ll have a tendency to pull the ball left. Chasing the clubhead down the slope eliminates this tendency.

The best drill for hitting from a downhill lie is simply dropping a ball on a downslope and hitting away. Work on the shot until it becomes second nature and you’ll build confidence in your capability.

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2) Overcoming a Dominant Left Side
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Has anyone ever told you: “Pull hard with your left sided. Don’t use your right side”? If they have, they’ve given you bad advice. The golf swing is a two-side affair, with one side working in harmony with the other. You must treat your swing as such, if you want to get the most out of it.

Pulling hard from the top of your swing with your left side (for right-handers) creates a series of complications that can impact your swing dramatically. These complications then “block” your right side from contributing to the swing. The end-result is a swing that delivers the club too much from the inside and leaves you no choice but using a “hands-oriented” release through impact to start the ball on line.

Both sides of your body play significant roles in the golf swing, but they do it at different times in the swing. While more emphasis is placed on the left side as you start down from the top, the right side must take the leading role at the half way stage. If you’re in the correct hitting position, you can fire through the ball with your right side as hard as you like. It’s all a matter of harmony.

Here’s how to develop the feeling of both sides working in harmony:

Left Side Swing Drill
Everything starts with your stance. With the ball positioned in the middle of your stance, drag your left foot back until the toe is even with the heel of your front foot. Keep your hips and shoulders square to the target line.

Then, from the top of your swing, you should feel the pulling motion of your left side and the downward motion of your left arm moving in conjunction. Your right foot, knee, and hip, however, remain in place, resisting for a fraction of a second. About halfway through, your right side (including the right arm and hand) should take over through impact, just as if you were hitting a forehand tennis stroke.

If you do this drill correctly, you’ll feel your left arms and hands being closer to your body through impact as your chest opens up to the target and the club moves back through the inside. Repeat the drill. After a while, the two sides working in harmony will be second nature to you.
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Question of the Week
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From Bill Phalen, Staten Island, New York

Hitting Fairway Woods and Long Irons

Q: My shots from the fairway, woods and irons, are terrible. I usually hit one or two good shots, the rest are thin or weak pushes. It’s especially bad when I’ve hit a good drive. Any ideas?

A: Thanks for your question, Bill. Hitting fairway woods and long irons isn’t easy. Many players have the same problem. Since they’re “straight-faced” clubs, golfers often think they have to “help” the ball get airborne. As a result, players take a quick, relatively short backswing, throwing their rhythm and timing off.

Unfortunately, rhythm and timing are key to a good swing. To get them back, make a real effort to complete your backswing. Also, slide your front shoulder under your chin as you rotate your body. If you do both well, you’ll recover your rhythm and timing. You’ll also transfer your weight correctly and make good use of your body pivot.

Ball position is also key. You hit the ball at the bottom of the swing with these clubs. This contrasts sharply with short irons, which you hit with a descending blow. Capitalize on this difference. Position the ball just behind where you’d tee it for a drive and focus on just clipping the grass as you swing. When combined with a good shoulder turn, the right ball position will produce better shots from the fairway.

Good luck.
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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.

A reader of mine once asked “What are the keys to consistency and power?” He told me that when he focused on consistency off the tee, he lost power. But when he concentrated on power, he lost consistency. He was after what many players consider the Holy Grail of golf: consistency AND power off the tee.

Combining these two things isn’t always easy. In fact, some golfers would probably say that they’re mutually exclusive. I might agree if I hadn’t seen players—either while I was playing or giving golf lessons—combine both at the same time. So what were their secrets?

I’ve distilled it down to some simple steps. Below are five keys to achieving consistency and power from the tee.

1. Eliminate tension on the tee
A common mistake on the tee is tightening up grip pressure and then trying to swing the club faster with the hands and forearms. Tightening your hands and forearms creates tension. Tension slows clubhead speed. Slow clubhead speed drains power from your swing. To hit a ball with consistency and power, you must swing freely and effortlessly. Eliminate as much tension from your hands and body as possible.

Thoughts causing tension and tightness include the following:

• Thinking about swing mechanics
• Confusing power and speed
• Recalling a bad memory or experience
• Not being sure about the shot
• Hitting the big drive

Some suggestions for staying relaxed while hitting off the tee are taking deep breaths to relax your body and heart, making mini swings in slow motion before addressing the ball, and recalling the feeling of your most solid shot. Remember if your hands are relaxed your body will be relaxed, and vice versa.

2. Assume a proper grip
Major power loses result from a faulty grip. In particular is a grip in which the left-hand-thumb (for right-handers) is fully extended at the top of the grip. This fault causes a chain reaction of faults in other areas—a too-weak left-handed grip, a faulty wrist hinge, and a shaft that swings beyond parallel at the top of the swing.

The best way to practice the feel of a short thumb is with a rubber band. Point your index finger forward and pinch the gap between your thumb and index finger closed. Place the rubber band around the thumb and index finger, connecting them together. Now grip the club. Practice repeatedly. You will get used to the feeling and will take it with you to the golf course.

3. Maintain swing radius
Radius is the distance from your left shoulder (for right handers) to the end of the clubshaft. In other words, it is the distance from the center of your golf swing to the outer-edge. Your lead arm must be in line with or trailing your other arm at impact, known as “maintaining radius.” Maintaining radius enables you to strike the ball solidly and with power.

Many recreational players taking my golf lessons try to force the shaft of the club past the lead arm prior to impact. This effort causes the clubface to travel up not down, resulting in a fat or thin shot. In addition to limiting distance, a loss of radius causes a hook, slice, and wide assortment of other poor shots. You can maintain your radius by taking the club away low and slow using a one-piece takeaway.

4. Generate leverage
One key to hitting longer, straighter drives is generating leverage. When swinging a baseball bat or throwing a ball, the natural tendency is to create leverage before you do either by using the ground. This adds power to the swing or throw. Unfortunately recreational golfers don’t always generate leverage when swinging a club, sapping power and cutting distances.

Your set up determines how powerfully you swing a club in a controlled manner. First, widen your stance for stability and power. The insteps of your feet should be in line with your shoulders. Second, turn your back foot in slightly (toward the target) to create a coiling post for your backswing and to support your torso rotation and weight transfer. Third, flare the front foot out (toward the target) also to facilitate downswing rotation.

5. Release the club properly
Players know they have to release the club correctly, but they’re not sure how or when to do it. Some of these players try all sorts of techniques but with no result. Trying these techniques sometimes creates havoc with your swing. Releasing the club properly is not a position you can just put yourself into at impact. It happens naturally as a result of your swing. You have to arrive at it as the result of a proper swing sequence.

Ideally, you want to square the clubface to the ball at impact by rotating your right forearm over the left (for right-handers). The result is a flat left wrist and a clubface square to the ball. After impact, your hands and arms should extend fully and your body rotates to the left as your club remains on the target line. If you wear a glove, your glove hand should be underneath your ungloved hand. This position is the result of proper swing sequence. You have to let it happen automatically.

These five keys—eliminate tension, assume the proper grip, maintain swing radius, generate leverage and releasing the club properly—will help you achieve both consistency and power off the tee. And consistency and power will help you produce lower scores, decreasing 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

August 2, 2006

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

1) The Back-handed Chip
2) Hitting Driver from the Fairway

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1) The Back-handed Chip
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When I get in trouble, the first thing I think about is damage control. More often than not, it’s the best strategy for coping with trouble. Sometimes, though, you need to gamble. I’m not talking about hitting a miracle shot, but a recovery shot that might mean the difference between saving par or carding a double-bogey.

The back-handed chip is a handy recovery shot. Ideal for situations where your ball is jammed against a tree, a wall, or another obstruction, and can’t be addressed hitting right-handed (for right-handers), the shot might just be needed at a round’s most important moment. The secret is not trying to do too much.

The keys to hitting the back-handed chip:

• Select the right club
• Address the ball with the toe
• Take a nice smooth swing
• Focus on clean contact
• Move the ball

The objective of the back-handed chip is putting the ball back in play. Use a 7- or 8-iron for the shot. (I prefer the 7-iron.) Turn your back on the target and hold the club with the right hand only. Grip the club with the toe-end of the clubhead sitting behind the ball, the heel clearly raised off the ground.

Now, swing your arm back and forth, nudging the ball toward the target. Don’t try to be too ambitious. Keep the swing slow and smooth. Avoid trying to generate too much force. Concentrate simply on making good clean contact and getting the ball away from the obstruction.

Another approach to this shot is the left-handed chip shot. Simply turn the club around and address the ball with the toe-end. In this case, the 8-iron is ideal. Try adopting as good a left-handed address position as possible. Make sure your left hand is below your right. Keep your swing as simple as possible and your wrist action to a minimum. Remember the objective is putting the ball in play.

Practicing recovery shots like the back-handed or the left-handed chip shot can make life a little easier. You may only need it four or five times a year, but the shot may just help you win a hole or a match.

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2) Hitting Driver from the Fairway
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The secret to playing in a headwind is keeping the ball low. Sometimes, I’ll hit a driver “off the deck” to combat a strong headwind. I like to use this shot on long par-4s or par-5s, when hitting into the green from a good distance away. You can even use it on the tee box on wind days.

Keep these 5 keys in mind when hitting a driver from the fairway:

• Assume a slightly open stance
• Tilt your back shoulder slightly
• Keep your feet and legs quiet
• Push off with your back foot
• Finish in balance

Start with a slightly open stance and with the ball positioned just behind where you would normally tee it up. Tilt your back shoulder slightly lower than your front shoulder, which allows you to fully extend your arms on the backswing. Grip the club loosely.

During the back swing, take the club back low and smooth. Keep the legs and feet as quiet as possible, giving you a stable foundation from which to hit the ball. Concentrate on rotating your torso and taking a full shoulder turn on the downswing.

As you turn into the ball, use your back foot to push off and transfer your weight to your front foot. Your hip rotation powers the club through the impact zone. Make a full extension of your arms and a balanced finish, with your body facing the target.

Hitting a driver from the fairway usually produces a left-to-right ballflight, so keep that in mind when hitting the shot. To become more adept at hitting a driver from the fairway, try practicing off a patch of hardpan without taking a divot. Use a sweeping pass instead of the down-and- through approach employed in an iron swing.

Hitting a driver off the deck will generate the low trajectory and added distance needed to combat a strong headwind. Try it the next time you’re playing in these conditions.
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Question of the Week
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From Richard Munsamy, (14 Handicap), Durban, South Africa

Improving Your Short Game Generates Pars

Q: I hit the fairway 80% of the time with my drives, which average about 250 meters. Usually, I have about 100 meters to the pin on most par-4s, yet I still finish with 5s and 6s. How do I improve?

A: It sounds like your game has hit a bit of a plateau. I would work on my short game. Develop a plan to improve this area of your game and work at it constantly. The plan should include drills on putting, chipping, pitching, and bunker play. Also, check my book for tips on improving your short game.

Personally, I’d concentrate on putting. Nearly 40 percent of your shots during a round are putts. You’ll see your scores go down as your putting improves. Focus on things like speed, swing, and alignment as well as tempo, pre-shot routine, and reading a green. Also, make sure your putter is right for you. Below is a putting drill to help you get started.

The Tee Drill
Find a spot on a practice green (or your carpet) that hasn’t had too much traffic, so it’s relatively flat and straight. Put four tees in the ground, making your own hole, so to speak. Put another tee about 17 inches (43 cm) beyond the makeshift hole. Try putting a ball through the hole and to the farthest tee. Repeat. This drill sharpens accuracy and tells you if a “holed ball” was moving at the ideal speed.
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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
Here are some of my recent articles:
Five Keys to Consistency and Power
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
================================================
About the Author
================================================
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.