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How To Break 80 Newsletter

September 6, 2006

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

1) Hitting a Ball Below Your Feet
2) What’s In Your Bag?
3) Question of the Week-Generating More Clubhead Speed

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1) Hitting a Ball Below Your Feet
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Some players have a hard time learning to hit a ball below their feet. They frequently slice it off the club’s toe. That’s because when they have this shot they set-up to hit the ball as if nothing were different from their normal shot, which is why they often find themselves in trouble after hitting the shot.

But this fault is easily correctable, if you just remember to make a few adjustments:

• Aim left (for right-handers)
• Take a wider stance
• Settle weight back on your heels
• Hold the club at the top of the grip
• Flex your knees

With this lie, the ball tends to move in the direction of the slope. With a ball below foot level, your swing will be more upright than normal and the ball will fly from left to right through the air (for right-handed players), so aim further left than normally.

Next, take a wider stance than normal. Then settle your weight back on your heels, since the slope tends to pull you forward onto your toes, which you must avoid if you’re going to hit this shot correctly.

Finally, hold the clubhead as close to the top of the grip as possible and flex your knees until the clubhead rests behind the ball. Remember the key to hitting a ball below your feet is getting “down” to the ball without toppling over.

Playing a ball below your feet doesn’t have to lead to trouble. Just remember to make certain adjustments in your set-up to compensate for the slope. The adjustments put you in complete control of your swing. Hitting a ball below your feet is also a little easier if you remember to stay within yourself when swinging the club.

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2) What’s In Your Bag?
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Most golfers give little thought to the number of clubs they have in their bag, other than to remind themselves that the most they can carry at any one time is 14, the limit according to the rules of golf. While carrying 14 clubs covers a wide variety of shots, taking fewer clubs may improve your game.

Most golfers carry anywhere from 13 to 14 clubs in their bags—3 woods, 8 irons, a sand wedge, a putter, and another wedge or specialty club. Many players replace the longer irons with a hybrid club. Try carrying 10 to 11 clubs instead, and see if it doesn’t make a difference in your scores.

Why cut down on the clubs? Most recreational golfers don’t hit the ball well enough to take advantage of the small difference in performance designed into consecutive numbered clubs. Why take the extra weight, if you’re not going to use them or you don’t hit them well?

More importantly, decreasing the number of clubs you carry decreases the number of potentially irrelevant decisions you may make during a round. With fewer clubs, you’ll make fewer bad decisions and more good ones. Taking fewer clubs also forces you to hit only those clubs you have the most confidence in and hit the best, producing a lower score.

Your bag could include the following clubs:

3 woods (1, 3, 5,)
3 irons (5, 7, 9)
1 putter
3 Wedges (pitching, sand, lob)
1 hybrid club

The hybrid club replaces the lower number irons and is optional. So is the lob wedge. Depending on what kind of a short game you have, you could replace the hybrid with an 8-iron instead or just leave the hybrid out altogether. Ultimately, the choice of clubs is yours.

Which clubs you carry during a round depends ultimately on which you hit the best. Your goal is to find a set of clubs that instills confidence in your game. Experiment a little until you find a set that does. When you do, stick with the set and see how you play. You might be surprised at just how well you do.
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Question of the Week
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Polly Kistner

Generating More Clubhead Speed

Q. I purchased your materials last year and am constantly working on my game. I pleased with the way I’m hitting the ball, except for my driving. I hit my drives about 150 yards. A golf store where I was tested said my swing speed is somewhat slow. How do I improve swing speed?

A. The secret to more distance off the tee is generating more clubhead speed, which you can do one of three ways:

• widen your swing arc
• lengthen your swing arc
• add speed in the hitting area

Widening your swing arc increases the distance the clubhead travels, giving it more time and room in which to build up speed. Lengthening your swing arc does basically the same thing. Adding speed in the hitting area increases the clubhead’s momentum through the impact area, generating more power. There are lots of drills for accomplishing anyone of those three things. Below is one on widening your swing arc.

Right Hand Drill
If your left-arm (for right-handers) bends too much during your backswing or is scrunched against your body, your swing radius diminishes, narrowing your swing arc. To generate more distance of the tee, you need to keep your arms extended. Ideally, you should feel the sensation of swinging the club’s butt away from your body.
To achieve this, practice hitting balls with your left hand holding the club and your right hand gripping your left wrist. Stretch the left arm out as you swing back. Use the right hand and arm to move the club farther from your body. The muscles at the top of your left arm should feel stretched as you complete your backswing. Swing slowly to keep club-ball contact solid.

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

Also, for past issues of this newsletter and some of my most
recent articles, visit our blog at www.HowToBreak80.com/blog

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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