=================================================== How To Break 80 Newsletter

November 29, 2006

“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
===================================================

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Reading Break from off the Green
2) Square Alignment: The Box-and-One Drill
3) Question of the Week- Hitting Hybrids
4) Article- The Real Secret To Excellent Putting
5) Article- Finally…Three Slice Fixes That Actually Work

Special Note: Want to learn to putt better? Stay tuned next week when I release my brand new Putting DVD….designed just for my readers.

===================================================
1) Reading Break from off the Green
===================================================
Hitting a shot from the fringe of the green demands special attention. It not only saves strokes, it also builds confidence in your short game. Unfortunately, we often underestimate the shot’s difficulty and blow it, costing ourselves strokes.

A key part of making this shot is reading the break from off the green. As a general rule, the more air you put under the ball, the less the green affects its roll. But you should still check the break on the ball even if the ball’s run is short.

Playing from off the green breaks down into three situations.

-Putting from the fringe
-Hitting a low running shot
-Hitting a high, soft shot

If you’re putting from the fringe, or hitting a low running shot that will hit the fringe before rolling onto the green, play the same amount of break as if you were putting from the green—just take into account the direction of the fringe grass. Dark grass means the grain is against you, slowing the ball down. Shiny grass means the grass is with you, speeding the ball up.

If you’re hitting a low running shot onto the green with a low lofted iron or a fairway wood, the key is the slope of the landing area. Low shots with these clubs travel faster than high shots with wedges. That means the slope will affect the ball less, at least until it slows down.

If you’re hitting a high shot onto the green with a short iron or wedge, the slope in your line has a bigger impact on the ball. That’s because the ball is traveling a lot slower than if you hit it with a low-lofted club or a fairway wood.

Keep these three situations in mind when your approach shot lands on the fringe. They simplifying strategy and make it easier to hit the shot close to, or even into, the hole.

=================================================== 2) Square Alignment: The Box-and-One Drill
===================================================
If you’re making solid contact off the tee but spraying the ball all over the course, you might have an alignment problem. Basically, there are two ways golfers misalign themselves. Some aim their feet at the target, then ignore their arms, hips, and/or clubface. Others offset their alignment to compensate for a swing fault, like a slice or a pull. Neither way encourages consistency or accuracy.

The problem is that you stand to the side of the ball at address, forcing you to view the target from an angle instead of head on. That shift in position can throw off your aim, resulting in misalignment. If you want to hit the ball down the middle consistently, you must achieve square alignment every time.

One way to check your alignment is the box-and-one drill. Here are 5 keys to the drill:

1. Tee the ball opposite your left heel (right-handers)
2. Imagine an invisible rectangular box on the ground
3. Make the box as square as possible
4. Picture the ball in the left-hand corner
5. Bring the clubface into the ball

At address, tee the ball opposite your left heel. With that line established, draw an imaginary rectangular box on the ground. The box’s left side is the line between your left heel and the ball; the box’s right side is the line between your right heel and a point behind and even with the ball.

Try to make the box as square as possible. Open the toe of your left foot slightly to allow for your hips to clear. Now, take a normal golf swing. Concentrate on bringing the clubface squarely into the ball in the box’s upper-left hand corner. Follow through as you normally would.

Using the box-in-one drill helps achieve square alignment. Proper alignment in turn improves consistency and accuracy off the tee without short-circuiting power.

=================================================== 3) Question of the Week- Hitting Hybrids
=================================================== From W MacGillivary

Hitting Hybrids

Q. Hi, Jack. I always hit my long irons better than my new hybrid, a 3-iron equivalent. Does the hybrid require a different set-up, ball position, or swing? I have spoken to many golfers (shooting in the mid-90s) who have the same problem.

A. Thanks for the question. The hybrid is practically a “universal” club. Easier to hit than a fairway wood or a long iron, a hybrid is ideal for a wide variety of lies. It has a loft usually from 16 degrees to 25, a low-center-of-gravity, a smaller clubhead, and a lower profile. It can be used off the tee, from the fairway and rough, in fairway bunkers, and near the green.

Generally speaking, you hit a hybrid as if you were hitting a 6-iron or a 7-iron, employing a down-and-through swing. Here are some other tips on hitting a hybrid:

-If you’re hitting a hybrid off the tee, tee the ball low and position it near the center of your stance but towards the target.

-If you’re hitting a hybrid from the fairway, position the ball closer to the center of your stance, swing more down and through the ball, and strike the ball first, taking a small divot.

-If you’re hitting a hybrid from a fairway bunker, position the ball in the center of your stance, dig your feet into the sand, and take a shorter swing.

-If you’re hitting a hybrid from the rough, position the ball in the center of your stance, use a three-quarter backswing, accelerate down and through the ball, and finish with a full follow-through.

-If you’re hitting a hybrid from near the green, hit the ball as if you were hitting a typical pitch-and-run shot.

A hybrid is a highly versatile club. It’s ideal for a wide variety of situations, so don’t be afraid to use it, if you have one. The hybrid takes some getting used to, though, so plan for it.

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.

===================================================
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

To view this newsletter online, please visit:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter11292006.html
Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article- The Real Secret To Excellent Putting

5) Article- Finally…Three Slice Fixes That Actually Work

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 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.

Thinking of buying custom-fitted golf clubs? Modern technology is revolutionizing club-fitting techniques. Computers have insinuated themselves into this activity, as with almost everything else. But not everyone likes going to someone who uses modern technology to fit clubs. Some players who took golf lessons from me, for example, preferred a non-technological approach.

Basically, you have four different approaches to club fitting. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Each also provides its own special set of benefits. But before we examine these approaches, there’s one key question you need to answer before deciding on an approach. Will you benefit from custom-fitted clubs?

Will You Benefit?
Experts agree that nearly everyone can benefit from using custom clubs. Unfortunately, custom clubs won’t help everyone to the same degree. Ironically, those players needing the least help—better players with sound repeatable swings—benefit most from custom club fitting, while those players needing the most help—poor players with high golf handicaps—benefit the least.

Who won’t benefit from custom-fitted clubs? Anyone who has a bad back or anyone in the midst of a major weight loss program should probably avoid custom clubs. Also, I usually tell beginners who take my golf lessons to wait awhile before investing in custom-fitted clubs, even if they can buy them inexpensively because their swings will probably change.

On the other hand, anyone with a physical handicap, 6-foot-1 and taller, or 5-foot-8 and shorter, who has average length arms, should probably buy custom clubs. (Can you imagine Shaquille O-Neil using off the rack clubs?) If you fit into one of these categories, or you’re convinced that custom clubs will help you lower your golf handicap, the second question you need to answer is “how will I get fitted”?

A PGA Professional
This approach is the oldest. You’ll get individual attention and probably some pointers on your golf swing while you get fitted. It’s usually done on an outside range, so the PGA pro can see you swing the club, usually a driver with special impact tape on its face. That’s so the pro can see where you hit the ball. Once you’re through hitting drivers, he or she will have you hit a 6-iron with tape on the face also. If the pro is affiliated with a club manufacturer, he’ll probably use a fitting system developed by that company. If not, he or she will probably use an independent system. Some pros have computerized launch monitors, which will hone in your vital stats.

A Club Manufacturer
Some club manufacturers—TaylorMade, Titleist, Wilson, Ping, Callaway—offer club-fitting services directly to the general public. Similar to those services provided by a PGA pro, these fitting centers are far and few between. The experiences differ as well. So can the costs, which can range anywhere from less than $100 to well over $1000. Some of these fitting centers have highly sophisticated electronic equipment, including a computerized body suit that provides perpetual in-motion swing data. The key with this approach is deciding in advance which brand of club you want to buy and then attending the manufacturer’s fitting center.

A Golf Shop
This is probably the weakest of the approaches, but it has its benefits. A golf shop will test you for free and will probably teach you a lot about golf equipment requirements, if you go through a good club fitting session. Some may even have a launch monitor to help with the fitting. The problem with this approach is that the employee may be a good seller of clubs, but he or she may not be that knowledgeable about the golf swing. Hence, he or she could easily miss something that would affect club fitting. Many golf shops excel at fitting. Some even feature authorized club fitters. If you’re going to go this route, ask around first to find out which golf shops are the best.

Custom Golf Fitting Studios
This option is emerging as the approach of choice for many. It usually appears in the form of a privately run golf studio that will fit you for the perfect clubs, shafts, and balls. These studios will scientifically analyze your performance mechanics—your swing profile, shaft loading characteristics, optimum equipment setup, physical characteristics, athletic ability, and so on. They will use special equipment, like high-speed cameras, sensors, and accelerometers, to capture the physics of your swing. And they will have software that compiles your ball velocity, launch angle, spin rates, clubhead speed, and shaft load profiles. It’s all very scientific. These studios are usually non-brand specific. Three- to four-hour sessions can run as high as $200 or $300, possibly even more.

There you have it—four approaches to custom club fitting. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Each provides its own unique set of benefits. As usual, the key is finding the right approach for you. Just remember that some people benefit more from custom club fitting than others.

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.

When we think about the basics of the golf swing, we usually think about ball position, stance, grip, and so on. In other words, we think about the swing’s physical mechanics. That’s only natural, because its what most golf pros focus on in their golf lessons and what golf magazines highlight in their articles on the golf swing. It’s what I write about the most in my golf tips as well.

But not everyone agrees that these are the true basics of the golf swing. For many, the true basics of the swing are something quite different, something that has nothing to do with the physical mechanics of the swing. For these people, a swing’s true basics are four components—plane, centering, radius, and face. Golf instruction sessions focusing on these concepts are as helpful as golf lessons on the swing’s mechanics, maybe even more helpful

Plane
Most golfers have heard of the concept of plane, but are confused as to how it applies to the golf swing. Plane is defined by the angle your club creates when it is ground at address. To master accuracy, the club must remain on this plane, especially while it approaches the ball on the downswing. (Actually, two planes—one formed by the takeaway and the other by the downswing—are involved in swinging a club, but the second plane is key.) This plane is the most powerful and direct route to the swing, as I discuss in my golf tips. Coming back to the ball above or below this plane results in pulls and slices.

Centering
Every swing has a center to it, a foundation defined by your head and your spine. If you want to hit accurate golf shots, this foundation must remain steady. Watch Tiger or any of the pros on TV and you’ll see how steady their heads and spines remain throughout their swings. This foundation has two angles to it. One is the angle your spine creates with your hips at address. The other involves the lateral movement of your head. Focus on preventing both your head from moving unnaturally one way or the other and your spine from moving up or down, and you will produce better results.

Radius
Radius is the distance between the lead shoulder and the clubhead. You must keep radius intact, if you want to hit good quality shots. The key is releasing your wrists at the right time. Most amateurs release their wrists early, forcing the shaft ahead of the lead arm before impact. An early release causes you to hit the ball thin, or even worse, mis-hit it altogether. If you execute the proper sequence of movements in the downswing, you’ll maintain radius.

Face
The ball travels in the direction in which your clubface is pointing at the moment of impact, minus the effect of sidespin. You must attain the same clubface position at impact that you establish at address, which is why you need to align your club properly. The key to doing this is matching the position of your hands at impact with the position of your hands at address. If you grip the club on the right side of the shaft, your hands must be on the right side of the club when you hit the ball; otherwise, you’ll mis-hit.

Conclusion
Is one basic more important than another? Not really, as I tell players who take my golf lessons. They all must be executed properly, if you want to achieve a powerful, repeatable swing. Now that you are aware of them and how they contribute to your swing, try filming yourself some day and see how well you maintain them during your swing. Also note how well you hit the ball.

Plane, centering, radius, and face—these aren’t the usual basics you talk about when discussing the golf swing, but they are critical. While the physical mechanics of the swing, like ball position, stance, and grip, are key, so are these four components. Master both sets and you’ll achieve accuracy and consistency every time, lowering your golf handicap in the process

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.

=================================================== How To Break 80 Newsletter

November 22, 2006

“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
===================================================

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Sticking the Half-wedge Shot
2) Matching Ball Position to Putting Stroke
3) Question of the Week- Loss of Power
4) Article- Four Approaches to Club Fitting
5) Article- The Four Basics of Any Golf Swing

===================================================
1) Sticking the Half-wedge Shot
===================================================
Not every weekend golfer is comfortable hitting a half-wedge to the green. Many lack confidence in the shot, causing them to mis-hit it. Instead of using it when it’s called for, they opt for another shot they have more confidence in, but that doesn’t provide the benefits of the half-wedge.

But if you’re serious about reducing your golf handicap, mastering this shot is a good beginning. When hit correctly, it turns three shots into two. Ideal from about 60 yards, a good half-wedge sticks the ball close to the pin, setting you up for a very makeable putt—and maybe a birdie.

The key to the shot is how you hit it. Many golfers hit it incorrectly. They set up like it’s just another shot, then try to limit their power by easing up at impact. Anytime you decelerate through impact, you run the risk of mis-hitting the ball. In this case, doing so could cause you to miss a golden opportunity to hit the green.

Instead, try this. Dial in distance by varying how much you choke up on the club. That way you can always take the same swing, regardless of the distance. If you have to choke down five inches to cut your swing in half, so be it. Just take a few practice swings to get comfortable with the shorter club.

Gripping down is a good way to reduce distance, but so is limiting your backswing. If you hit a full wedge 90 yards, a three-quarter swing should produce a shot of about 60 yards, and a half-swing should make the ball go about 45. To guard against hitting the ball fat, start the downswing by opening up your left hip (right-handers) first, then letting your arms and the club follow.

Either approach to hitting the half-wedge works. It’s just a question of which you’re most comfortable with. Test both to see which you like the best. Then practice it until you’ve ingrained it. You’ll be surprised how handy this shot can be.

=================================================== 2) Matching Ball Position to Putting Stroke
===================================================
Putting isn’t quite as easy as the pros sometimes make it seem. Even if you do everything right—a perfect read, a pure stroke, an ideal ball speed—you can still miss a putt if the position of your ball is off. Matching ball position to your stroke can be a key to putting success.

How important is ball position? Oliver Heuler, in his book on the basics of the short game, says that incorrect ball position is one of the four most frequent mistakes a golfer makes when putting—the other three being the position of the hands, head and body movement, and wrist involvement. Ask a good putter and he or she will probably confirm Heuler’s statement.

It’s critical, then, that you determine the ideal ball position for your putting stroke. Generally speaking, that position is an inch forward of the bottom of your swing arc, whatever stroke you use. That way the putter makes contact with the ball on a slight upswing, which starts the ball rolling.

Unfortunately, your swing arc changes depending on your stroke, so your ball position will also change. If you use a reverse overlapping grip with a traditional putter, the ideal ball position might be more forward in your stance. On the other hand, if you use a conventional grip with a belly putter, the ideal ball position might be more toward the middle of your stance.
How do you determine the right ball position for your stroke? One way is to take your stance, lift your putter off the ground, and repeat your stroke over and over with your eyes shut. After a few repetitions, lower your stroke gently until you feel the putter just brush the grass. Ask a friend to mark the shot. Then measure one inch from it. That’s your ideal ball position.

Try this little exercise next time you’re with a golfing buddy and see how it works. Finding the ideal ball position for your putting stroke might just make you a better putter.

=================================================== 3) Question of the Week- Loss of Power
=================================================== From EK

Loss of Power

Q. Hi Jack. I’ve read all your e-mails and I appreciate your instructions. I seem to have lost a lot of distance with my clubs. I guess this is due to my age, which is 76. Perhaps as my friends say my swing is “all arms.” There’s no weight transfer, which I attribute to my age as well. Is there any other way to get more distance at my age?

A. Thanks for the question. Loss of distance is common with senior players, but it can affect everyone. The fixes below will help.

As golfers get older, they relinquish flexibility, which means their swings get shorter and they lose power. First, work on your body. Hook a broom handle behind your back and hold it in place with your arms. Rotate to the right and hold for a count of seven. Then rotate to the left and do the same. Work on this five minutes a day. Eventually, your flexibly will increase.

Second, work on your swing. You need to learn to complete your backswing and get the club releasing and accelerating on an inside path back to the ball. Here’s how:

Stand with your feet fairly close together, then pull your right foot and hip back (right-handers) until your body is in a closed position. This will help you turn your right side out of the way on the backswing. Now with the ball back a little in your stance, take a swing. Don’t be afraid to raise your left heel or allow your left arm to bend a little to complete your backswing. The relaxed position at the top allows you to move through the ball freely and use your hands and arms to snap the clubhead through, striking the ball solidly.

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.

===================================================
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

To view this newsletter online, please visit:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter11222006.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article- Four Approaches to Club Fitting

5) Article- The Four Basics of Any Golf Swing

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 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.