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

December 27, 2006

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

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Putting In the Wind
2) Locking in Your Grip

===================================================
1) Putting In the Wind
===================================================
Putting in a strong wind is harder than it seems. With the wind buffeting you from all sides, rippling your pants and blowing in your eyes and ears, you can easily lose concentration and balance. Your can also lose your sense of rhythm. The result: Your feel for distance and your sense of direction go askew.

Here are five keys to putting in the wind:

1. Check your stance
2. Take a neutral grip
3. Place your eyes over the ball
4. Keep your hands ahead of the ball
5. Square up your body.

While some golf instructors, like Davis Love, Jr., don’t recommend changing your stance or posture, others recommend widening your stance for more stability and bending over the ball more to compensate for the new stance. Try both approaches to see which is more comfortable and use that whenever you’re putting in the wind.

Otherwise, keep your putting set-up and swing the same as before. Take a neutral grip with your thumbs pointing straight down the shaft. Place your eyes directly over the ball. Keep your hands slightly ahead of the ball. And make sure you square up your body, with your feet and shoulders parallel, and the clubface square, to the target line.

To help you stay steady over the ball, try this simple drill. Next time it’s windy, go to the putting green, take your stance, and hit putts taking your putter back the normal length for the distance you face. Hold it in that position for 10 seconds before beginning the forward stroke. Do this several times.

After several such strokes, hit putts holding in the backswing position for seven seconds, then five, then three, then one, and finally take your normal stroke.

This drill helps you regain your rhythm, increases your sensitivity for distance, and improves the consistency of your ball-putter contact. Next time you feel yourself losing your rhythm and feel on a windy course, use the drill on the side of the green before putting.

=================================================== 2) Locking in Your Grip
===================================================
Many recreational golfers employ an interlocking grip. Used by golfing great Jack Nicklaus, the interlocking grip is sound golf. It’s also more complex than both the overlapping and the baseball grips. Like those, it’s designed to get your hands to work in harmony during the swing.

Unfortunately, some recreational golfers complain that their hands don’t seem to function properly during the swing or that they simply feel uncomfortable on the club. This may be do to gripping the club incorrectly.

Below is a simple test to determine if you are gripping the club correctly using the interlocking technique: It’s also a good way to see how the grip feels if you’ve never used it before.

Hold the club vertically in front of you. Place your left hand on the club as you would when taking your grip. Now place your right hand on the club by sliding the right little index finger between the index and middle fingers of the left hand. With that accomplished lower the club to your address position.

If for some reason your hand is turned too far under the club in a strong position, start the process all over. Unless you correct this error you will be prone to a duck hook or a block. Neither is good.
Grip the club gain this time with the little finger of the left hand only partially interlocking with the fingers of the left. When you lower the club at address position, you’ll find the palm of your right hand facing the target, as it should be.

Grip the club gain this time with the little finger of the left hand only partially interlocking with the fingers of the left. When you lower the club at address position, you’ll find the palm of your right hand facing the target, as it should be.

This grip is neither “strong” nor “weak,” It works in harmony with the left hand during the swing. Practice gripping the club in this manner frequently until it becomes ingrained.

Of all the swing changes you will make, this one will probably be the most difficult because it will feel the most awkward. Practice is the only way to make it second nature.

===================================================
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/newsletter12272006.html

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.

In life it’s the little things that often mean a lot. Golf is the same way. It’s why players take golf lessons. It’s also why we read golf tips. A slight change in your stance or your swing spells can produce rewards. The difference between success and failure in golf is small.

Many players with low golf handicap, for instance, turn their left foot out slightly (right- handers) at address. A lot of professionals also do it. This is not a big change to your swing, butt turning their left foot out allows you to open up your hips during your swing, generating more power.

A slight change in your grip can also mean a lot. Generally, I teach three grips in my golf lessons: the baseball, the overlapping, and the interlocking. (The double overlapping is a fourth grip that some players use. It isn’t as popular as the others, but it has its advocates.)

Each grip has its advantages, as I explain in my golf instruction sessions. Which grip is right for you depends on several factors. For example, I often advise woman in my golf tips to use the baseball grip because it’s better for players with small hands, which most women have. Women with big hands can use one of the other two grips.

Regardless of which grip you use, they’re all designed to let you do two things—control the club and generate power. The more control and power you generate, the better your shot. The better your shot, the lower your golf handicap.

One aspect of the grip that isn’t spoken about too often is the long and short thumb styles of holding the club. The position of your thumb on the club is one of those little things in golf that have subtle effects on your swing. Ultimately, the thumb style you choose determines how much hand action you use during the swing. It also determines how well you control the club at the top of the backswing—a critical position, as I’ve explained in my golf tips.

Long Thumb vs. Short Thumb
The long thumb grip isn’t as popular as the short thumb grip. Extending the thumb down the shaft causes the handle to shift toward the palm of your left hand. That’s not good. A palm grip restricts hand action and clubhead speed and hampers control of the club at the top of the slot.

Unfortunately, the long thumb grip provides the sensation of having more control of the club, when in fact it actually provides less. Because it feels like you have more control, many golfers unwittingly adopt this grip, restricting their hand action during their swings and short-circuiting power.

The short thumb grip is the more natural of the two styles. With this grip, the handle rests more in the fingertips and less in the palms. It allows the left hand to hinge fully on the backswing and because a golfer’s fingers are in position to control the club, he or she is capable of more clubhead speed coming down.

If you extend your grip way down the shaft, experiment with the short thumb grip and see how it affects your swing. You’ll probably find that it provides more control and more power during the swing.

Remove Thumbs for More Power
Speaking of thumbs and power. Here’s another tip on generating power involving the thumbs. Take your normal address position, and then remove your thumbs from the grip, just enough so that the grip rests in your other fingers. Removing your thumbs provides a “lighter” grip. Now take your normal backswing.

You’ll find that even without your thumbs on the grip, you will have enough control in the pads of your fingers to take the club back without using your thumbs, but that your thumbs will automatically return to the handle during the back swing. With your thumbs removed, you’ll relax your grip more, resulting in a more fluid swing that creates more power.

Keep these tips about your thumbs in mind next time you go to the practice range. Experiment with them and see if they don’t provide better control and more power. Remember in golf, as in life, it’s often the little things that mean the most.

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

December 20, 2006

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

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Improving Tempo and Rhythm
2) Curing Your Hook
3) Question of the Week- Keeping Your Head Down
4) Article- Getting Hip To Hip Work
5) Article- Thumbs Up for Power and Control

===================================================
1) Improving Tempo and Rhythm
===================================================
If you watch Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson swing a club, you can’t help but notice their tempo and rhythm. Like most professional golfers, they have great tempo and rhythm. That’s not by accident. They work at it. And so should you.

If you lack good tempo and rhythm, you’ll also lack control of your swing. Both are keys to a consistent swing. They’re also keys to good ball striking. An added benefit, if you’re focusing on your tempo and rhythm during your swing, you won’t be thinking about your mechanics, simplifying your swing thoughts.

So how can you improve tempo and rhythm? Here’s a simple drill to improve both:

1. Place a tee in the ground without a ball
2. Take your normal stance
3. Place a club in front of your toes
4. Take a regular swing; try clipping the tee
5. Concentrate on tempo and rhythm

This simple drill improves your tempo and rhythm. First, without a ball and with the club parallel to the target line, you get a sense of what direction you need to swing in—without getting distracted either by the lie or the ball.

Second, the club keeps you at a comfortable distance from the ball while the shaft along your toes keeps your feet in check. If your feet move too much during your swing so does your center of gravity. If your center of gravity moves, you’ll spray your shots all over.

Finally, as you initiate your downswing, the club near your toes reminds you to turn not lean or sway, either toward the ball or the target. Swaying and leaning are swing faults you must eliminate to hit straighter, longer shots and gain more control of your shots.

One last tip: Most recreational golfers try hitting the ball as opposed to swinging through it. To get a better feel for swinging through the ball, take a few short practice swings before working your way into full swings.

Practice this drill when you have a chance. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll gain more tempo and rhythm in your swing.

=================================================== 2) Curing Your Hook
===================================================
If you’re like many recreational golfers, you’ve probably struggled to overcome a slice at some point in your career. A lot of golfers do. It’s a common swing fault that must be addressed. That’s why you see so many articles about curing a slice in golf magazines and on golf Websites.

But some golfers have problems with a hook. Golfers who hook aren’t as plentiful as golfers who slice, but a good number exists. A hook, like a slice, can get you into trouble, especially if you’re playing on a narrow course. So if you hook and you’re serious about improving your golf game, you need to eliminate this swing fault.

A player who hooks the ball has a swing that’s flatter and more rounded than that of a player who slices. A hook also has the exact opposite impact and flight characteristics of a slice.

A flat swing tends to travel along the ground for longer than it should. When this happens, the clubface closes and sweeps across the ball with a hooking motion. A tell tale sign of a flat and rounded swing is the lack of a divot or a divot behind the ball instead of in front of it.

The great Ben Hogan was a flat swinger. But Hogan learned to overcome the fault. A right-handed golfer, he steepened his swing by reminding himself to keep his weight on his left side, which kept him centered. Staying centered is a key to eliminating a hook.

Left Foot, Right Toe Drill
To eliminate a hook, try balancing things out by staying centered, with your backswing resisting movement away from the target. Here’s a drill to help you eliminate that dreaded hook.

Take your normal address position. Stand solidly on your left foot, with your right heel raised and your right toe touching the ground (right-handers). Hit some shots from this stance. You’ll feel extremely centered over the ball, and you’ll have little or no head movement.

Any lateral movement will result in a loss of balance. Staying centered narrows the width of your swing. It also leads to crisper contact.

=================================================== 3) Question of the Week- Keeping Your Head Down
=================================================== From William Buckley (Ireland)

Keeping Your Head Down

Q. I love your newsletter. I am now breaking 80 and using the putting system. I want to get to single figures in my handicap. But I have a question. How do I ensure that I stay down on my shots as I strike the ball? I have a habit of coming up off the ball as I strike it.

A. Thanks for the question. Taking your head off the ball is actually symptomatic of a larger problem—excessive head movement. Head movement can be classified in any one—or any combination of—the following ways: (1) from side-to-side, (2) up and down, and/or (3) toward or away from the target line.

One of the best ways to eliminate excessive head movement is focusing on maintaining your spine angle (as established at address) until just after impact. Try the following drill to learn the desired motion.

First, place a cushion between your head and a wall. Then fold your arms across your chest and adopt your normal address position. Now keeping the cushion against the wall, work on your pivot motion. Sense that your head rotates around a fairly steady spine angle. But allow your head to swivel slightly to help your rotation.

Don’t worry if the cushion falls after “impact.” By then the ball will be gone.

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/newsletter12202006.html
Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article- Getting Hip To Hip Work

5) Article- Thumbs Up for Power and Control

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.

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

December 13, 2006

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

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) How To Mark Your Ball
2) Generating More Carry
3) Question of the Week- Hitting Shots Fat

===================================================
1) How To Mark Your Ball
===================================================
You’ve seen it done a thousand times while waiting to putt. A golfer walks up to his ball, puts a coin down, removes the ball, cleans it, then replaces it. Has the player followed all the rules correctly when marking his or her ball?

Marking the ball on the green is a simple but necessary evil. The rules of golf allow you to use a coin or other flat object, including a ball marker, to mark your ball. You can also scratch a line behind your ball, as long as you don’t test the green’s surface. Or, you can use a tee as long as your ball is not on somebody else’s line. (PGA pros don’t use a tee because local tour rules don’t allow it. The pros are restricted to using ball markers, coins, or similar objects.)

There’s no penalty if the ball moves while you’re marking it. Simply replace it in its original position. Once the ball is marked, you can remove it.

When replacing the ball, place it in exactly the same spot as you removed it, or as close to it as possible. If the ball refuses to stay put, place it at the closest point, no nearer the hole, where it will stay put.

If the marker interferes with another player’s line of play and you’re asked to remove it, here’s what to do. Find a reference point in the direction you’re moving the marker, such as a tree or a bush, then place the heel of your putter at the marker while pointing the toe at the reference point. Lift the coin or ball marker and place it at the putter’s toe. Make a mental note that you’ve done this.

If possible, replace the marker in its original position immediately after the player who asked you to move it finishes putting. Don’t wait for your turn to putt. Use your reference point to determine the marker’s original position.

Follow this procedure next time you have to mark your ball and you’ll be well within golf’s rules.

=================================================== 2) Generating More Carry
===================================================
When you play with someone who drives the ball well, he or she tends to get your attention when hitting from the tee box. Nothing is more enjoyable on the course than driving a ball far, straight, and long, about 300 yards down the fairway. Nothing is better for your game, either.

We’d all like to hit them far, straight, and long off the tee, whether we’re playing in a tournament with our boss or in a foursome with our buddies. Even the pros would like to do it every time.

In fact, there’s a story going around that one of the first things Butch Harmon did when he first started working with Tiger Woods was to show him how to get more carry off the tee. Harmon is a well-known professional swing coach who’s worked with Tiger for years. So how do you generate more carry?

Here are five tips on how to do it:

-Widen Stance
-Tilt Spine Away
-Tee Ball Higher
-Move Ball Forward
-Don’t Rush Backswing

The key to getting more carry off the tee is hang time. One of the easiest ways to generate hang time is by widening your stance. Just move your back foot back an inch or two away from its normal position. Widening your stance not only provides more stability, it tilts your spine away from the target and places your head farther behind the ball.

At impact, you’ll have the feeling of staying behind the ball and releasing the club through the shot. It also gets the ball in the air the way it needs to in order for you to get more carry.

In addition to widening your stance, tee the ball higher and play it a little farther forward in your stance than normally. And don’t rush your backswing in an effort to hit the ball farther and higher. Rushing your backswing throws off your timing and rhythm, short-circuiting power.

Implementing these last three tips will help generate more carry. So will widening your stance and staying behind the ball. Together, they’ll produce the kind of carry off the tee you need to lower your golf handicap.

=================================================== 3) Question of the Week- Hitting Shots Fat
=================================================== From From P. Tallgrass

Hitting Shots Fat

Q. I hear pros talk about keeping your swing level. I’m an 11 handicap and once in a while I’ll hit a shot fat. It’s as if my swing collapses somewhere in my back or downswing. Could you give me some feedback on how to maintain a level swing? I practice holding the club shoulder high and swinging the club around my body to get a feel that my shoulder turn is level, but I still hit it fat once in awhile.

A.Thanks for the question. Hitting the ball fat is usually the result of an excessively V-shaped swing. This type of swing is results from standing up to see the ball through impact, a tight lie, a rushed backswing, the desire to lift or scoop the ball out of a lie, or a combination of all of these faults.

Correct ball position determines the swing’s impact point and helps eliminate fat shots. With a wood you sweep the ball away with an ascending blow, so you want to hit the ball positioned just after the swing arc’s lowest point. With an iron, you strike the ball with a descending blow, so you want to hit the ball just before the arc’s lowest point.

Also, since a club’s loft usually determines trajectory, you don’t need to try to scoop the ball out of a lie or get under it. If you strike the ball properly, the clubhead’s loft sends the ball skyward. Just focus on hitting the ball at the right impact point and taking a complete backswing. In addition, try maintaining your tempo throughout your swing. Don’t rush the backswing.

Here are two drills that can help:

Visualize a U-shaped swing, with a pronounced “flat spot” through impact. With a wood, place a tee in the ground just opposite your left foot. Then try “picking” the tee out of the ground with your club. With an iron, take your normal stance and ground the club. Then try creating a shallow divot just past where you ground the iron. Concentrate on executing a complete backswing with both drills.

These two drills help eliminate fat shots. They also ensure that you hit the ball at the right impact point in your swing, curing you of taking excessively V-shaped swings. If you tend to hit shots fat, practice these drills whenever you can.

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/newsletter12132006.html

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.