Phil Mickelson’s decision two carry two drivers during the 2006 Masters Tournament was based on solid logic. The 3-wood retains the basic design it had more than 20 years ago, but drivers have evolved significantly since then, widening the performance gap between the clubs. Mickelson just wanted to take advantage of that gap during the tournament.

Mickelson isn’t the first player to carry two drivers. Some amateurs have been doing it for years. For example, veteran club designer, Clay Long, a scratch golfer, has done it before. In fact, he’s carried two drivers in his bag for more than 18 years. A decorated amateur competitor, Long plays a longer- and a shorter-shafted driver. He hits the smaller one off the fairway instead of a 3-wood.

Increase Your Available Options
The rationale behind carrying two drivers is simple. Golfers hit their drivers more than any other club in their bags, except their putters, so why not carry two and get the benefits of the more advanced designs. For players who hit their drivers well, this approach is logical, but it’s not something I would ordinarily recommend in my golf lessons or golf tips.

The key to hitting the high draw is twofold, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips. You need to hit the ball (1) on the upswing and (2) on an inside path. Play the ball forward with a wide stance and tilt your front shoulder up just a bit.

Using a stronger right-hand and left-hand grip also helps but isn’t absolutely necessary. Your clubface must be square to the ball at impact. It’s the inside path that generates the proper ball flight for a draw not the clubface at impact.

Nevertheless, the idea is intriguing for golfers. It increases your on-course options. With increasing technological advancements in driver designs (moveable screws, internal weight biasing, etc.), golfers can use one driver for directional variety (on-command draws, fades, and so on) and the other as a fail-safe option with more loft and a slightly shorter shaft for more accuracy.

Ordinarily, hitting different clubs off the tee is common but hitting driver off the fairway is another matter. It takes some practice, as I explain in my golf tips, because you need to adjust your swing to the club’s length.

Hitting Driver off the Fairway
Hitting the driver off the fairway has always had a place in golf. For example, I teach players taking golf instruction sessions to hit driver “off the deck” to combat a strong headwind or on long par-4s or par-5s, when hitting into the green from a good distance away.

Below are five tips to keep in mind when hitting driver off the fairway:

1. Assume a slightly open stance
2. Tilt your back shoulder slightly
3. Keep your feet and legs quiet
4. Push off with your back foot
5. 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, allowing you to fully extend your arms on the backswing. Grip the club loosely.

During the back swing, take the club back low and smooth, just as you would if you were teeing off. Keep your legs and feet as quiet as possible, providing 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. To become more adept at hitting a driver from the fairway, practice 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.

Not For Everybody
Carrying two drivers isn’t for everybody. It’s probably not for most players taking golf lessons or players with high golf handicaps, unless they hit their drivers exceptionally well. Nor is it always for golfers with moderately high handicaps. But for players with low golf handicaps or who hit the driver well, it’s an option.

Of course, there’s always the question of what to take out of the bag if you carry two drivers. Mickelson flip-flopped between a 3-wood and a lob wedge. Regardless of which club you replace, don’t rule out carrying two drivers in your bag. Out-of-the-box thinking in golf, as in other sports, has its time and place.

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.

Given all the shots we need to learn to play well consistently, its critical to know how to hit some shots more than others. We should work on these shots more because they provide a better payoff for the amount of time we spend practicing them. I call them high return-on-investment (ROI) shots. Hitting them well, as I emphasize in my golf lessons and golf tips, improves your golf handicap quickly and dramatically.

1. The High Draw
Hitting a high draw off the tee generates a few extra yards because the ball runs when it hits the ground. If you know someone who hits a high fade off the tee, you know his or her ball generally hits softly, rolls a little, and then stops. The high fade is a great shot if you can control it, but the high draw gives you the little extra run that makes your next shot that much easier.

The key to hitting the high draw is twofold, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips. You need to hit the ball (1) on the upswing and (2) on an inside path. Play the ball forward with a wide stance and tilt your front shoulder up just a bit.

Using a stronger right-hand and left-hand grip also helps but isn’t absolutely necessary. Your clubface must be square to the ball at impact. It’s the inside path that generates the proper ball flight for a draw not the clubface at impact.

2. The 100-yard Knockdown Shot
Knowing how to hitting a low line drive off the tee is good when it’s a windy day, but you’ll probably hit a knock-down shot a lot more, so it’s handier. This shot flies low but with less spin and prevents the wind from hitting what should be a relatively easy approach shot. It’s the type of shot that saves you strokes, which is why I teach it in my golf lessons.

There’s little difference in your set-up to hit this shot, contrary to what some people think. Take a normal wedge stance but use a 9-iron or 8-iron instead of a pitching wedge. You don’t need to lean forward on the shot. It’s really a normal shot with less effort. Stabilize the body and minimize as much excessive movement as possible. Shorten your backswing and forwardswing, keep your head level, and slow your shot.

3. The Semi-Buried Bunker Blast
Sooner or later you’ll find yourself in a bunker. More often than not, the ball will be semi-buried. You need to be careful with this shot, especially if it’s a green side bunker. If you don’t play it right, it could take you two or three strokes to get out of the bunker. Or worse you could hit the ball over the green into another bunker. However, if you play it right, you can set yourself up for an easy putt.

The key to hitting this shot, as I stress in golf instruction sessions, is to dig beneath the ball and let the sand lift it forward to the target. To ensure proper dig, swing the club on the target line and hinge the wrists sooner than usual. The lie controls the clubface. The more open the clubface, the less sand you’ll pick up and the more bounce from the club, so square the clubface with semi-buried ball. Use a normal grip, relax as much as possible, and adjust the clubface angle before taking hold of the club. Be sure to accelerate through the swing and delay the release of your hands.

4. The Thick Rough Pitch Shot
You see this shot played to perfection on the PGA Tour all the time. That’s because it’s a key stroke-saving shot. It’s also a shot that takes some work to master and a few swing adjustments to hit well. But players with low golf handicaps work on it often because it helps them get up and down from untenable locations.

To hit a delicate pitch from the deep rough, you have to learn to cock your wrists early in the backswing and release them fully through the downswing. The goal is to extricate yourself from the deep rough without overshooting the hole. Use a low bounce iron or wedge for this shot and plan for three things: an abbreviated finish, a lower ball flight, and a few yards of extra roll. The deeper the rough, the farther back the ball, but stop moving the ball back once it’s under your right eye. Increase your grip pressure in both hands but don’t strangle the club. Aim the clubface square to the target and keep your body square to the ball. Hit down with this shot.

Master these four shots and you’ll find yourself shooting lower scores in a lot less time than you think.

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 1, 2006

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

1) Chipping for Extra Height
2) Bunker Play: Lies Above the Feet
3) Question of the Week- Overcoming Excessive Loft
4) Article- Four Shots You Need To Master To Go Low
5) Article- Do You Need Two Drivers in Your Bag

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1) Chipping for Extra Height
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The high chip shot is one of two options from a troublesome lie. The other option being a low runner—which has its own unique demands. But if you execute the high chip shot properly, it’s a stroke-saver.

This shot is designed to carry you over a hazard and land softly near the hole, leaving you a short makeable putt. It takes work to master this shot, but these five keys will help:

-Assess your lie
-Set up to go high
-Keep the swing long
-Slide the clubhead under the ball
-Keep your rhythm smooth

Your set-up is one of the keys to success with the chip shot. Grip the club softly, open the clubface, and position your hands over the ball, which prevents an excessive downward swing. Also, open your stance to facilitate an out-to-in swing path for a high ball flight.

Another key is taking a long slow swing. Trace a path along the line of your feet for the first 18-20 inches of the takeaway, and then allow the wrists to hinge and the clubhead to move inside the line as the backswing is completed.

You need to slide the clubface under the ball through impact, as if you were slicing a thin wafer of turf from underneath the ball, to make the shot. Accelerate the clubhead through the ball and try to keep a smooth rhythm throughout the shot. In addition, you need to have a bit of grass beneath the ball to play this shot. Don’t even think about it if you have a bare lie.

Remember, the confidence to take a long slow swing is developed through continual practice. Executing this shot properly at the right time will certainly help you drop shots around the green.

=================================================== 2) Bunker Play: Lies Above the Feet
=================================================== Landing in a bunker is bad enough, but ending up with a lie below your feet and an awkward stance to hit from just adds to your difficulties. What’s worse, there’s a real danger of hitting this shot thin, sending the ball flying over the green. But executing the shot properly extricates you nicely from this predicament.

Here are five keys to the shot:

-Grip the club as long as possible
-Stay down in the back swing
-Splash behind the ball
-Hit down and through
-Stay within yourself

Once again your set-up is key. You must get the clubhead down to the level of the ball, so start by gripping the club as “long” as possible. Use an open stance, bend from the waist more than usual, position your weight on your heels just a bit, and select a good landing spot for the ball.

The key with your backswing is keeping your head at the same level throughout the swing. Take the club back on the outside, then hinge your wrists, setting the shaft on an upright plane. Also, keep your knees flexed and your spine angle constant throughout the shot.

Now focus on a spot in the sand just behind the ball and blast away. Try to swing the clubhead through the sand under the ball along a line parallel with your feet, just as you would with a normal bunker shot. The out-to-in swing path should set the ball on a low but direct trajectory toward the flag.

The ball comes out of this shot a little right of your aim, with just a trace of slice spin, so make allowances. And don’t try to do too much with this shot. Getting the ball out of the bunker and on the green is your first priority.

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3) Question of the Week- Overcoming Excessive Loft
===================================================
From Sloane Richardson

Overcoming Excessive Loft

Q. Hi, Jack. Thanks for your newsletters. They’re very informative and I learn a lot from the information you post. How can I reduce the height of my ball after striking off the tee? No matter which club I use, drivers or irons, I seem to have very high elevation of ball flight, which assists me in losing distance, especially in the wind. Associates have told me it’s my hands. If this is the case, what drills can I exercise to eliminate high ball flight? Thanks for taking the time to read my email.

A. Thanks for the question, Sloane. No doubt about it, excessive loft, especially on a windy day, robs you of distance.

Two things cause excessive loft: (1) incorrect weight shift, and (2) approaching the ball from a very steep angle. Many golfers who hit pop-ups or high lofted shots don’t shift their weight correctly during the swing, causing the club to come down on a steep angle. The steep descent de-lofts the clubface, causing the club’s topline to become its leading edge. Together, these swing faults drive the ball straight up in the air.

Some simple changes in your set-up should help eliminate the elevation problem. The key is making sure your set-up encourages a higher and longer backswing arc, which in turn shallows out your swing plane and reduces the steepness of your downswing.

First, widen your stance a bit, creating room for a big backswing arc. If you’re not comfortable using a wider stance, try it on the practice range first. Then concentrate on maintaining a higher position at the top of your backswing and a lower one at the finish. Stay low to the ground through the hitting zone. Keep the hands ahead of the club, driving the ball forward on a low trajectory. Finish with your weight well forward. Make sure your front shoulder faces the target. Maintain balance throughout the swing.

These changes will help you make a full shoulder turn and shift your weight to your back foot on your backswing and your forward foot on your forwardswing, instead of vice versa. Proper weight shift helps eliminate the excessive shot elevation.

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

To view this newsletter online, please visit:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter11012006.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article- Four Shots You Need To Master To Go Low

5) Article- Do You Need Two Drivers in Your Bag?

Until next time, Go Low!

Jack

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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.