This is the first in a series of articles on the natural golf swing, an alternate theory of hitting a golf ball. Once a month we will review different aspects of the natural swing. In this article we discuss the three basic principals of the natural swing

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a simpler and better way of hitting a golf ball. You’re also always looking for a simpler and better way of achieving consistency, power, and distance. In other words, you’re searching for ways of gaining control over the game. That’s difficult. It’s especially difficult for weekend golfers with limited practice time, which is why so many players take golf lessons or attend golf instruction sessions given by teachers like me. Enter: the natural golf swing.

The natural golf swing offers an alternative way of hitting a golf ball than most teachers advocate. Introduced more than three decades ago, it was developed and popularized by George Knudson, a former PGA pro turned teacher. While the natural golf swing is different, it has its proponents, many of whom praise it for its simplicity and repeatability. Proponents also praise it because they say it helps you generate a more powerful, accurate swing and reduce your golf handicap.

Golf is a Stationary Ball Game
The first principal of the natural golf swing is that golf is a stationary ball game. You don’t have to react to it, making it appropriate even for the blind. An assistant places the ball in a specific spot on the ground, and the blind golfer takes his swing. If the ball is in the right place, the golfer hits the ball. The more a blind person plays the better he gets and the lower his golf handicap, at least in theory. Being stationary, though, the ball leads many golfers with sight to hit the ball, not swing through it, which is what they should be doing.

The natural golf swing, on the other hand, promotes swinging through the ball. It holds that golf involves a swinging motion directed toward a target, and that that motion is a whole body swing, which emphasizes swinging through the ball. In other words, we don’t swing at the ball to hit it. Instead, we swing a unit�our hands, arms, shoulders, and club�through the ball toward our target. If the ball is in the right place, we’ll hit it because it is in the natural path of the swing. The club simply travels, as it will, carried along by centrifugal force and inertia, the laws of motion that guide all physical activity.

Giving Up Control
The second principal is that you need to give up control to gain control. With the natural swing, you stop thinking of swing mechanics and what the club does. Instead, you focus on swinging free and easy. The club and the laws of physics do most of the work. It goes along the natural path. You just go along for the ride, letting centrifugal force and inertia do they work.

Centrifugal force is the outward force acting on a body that’s rotating in a circle around a central point. Inertia is the property by which matter continues in its existing state, in motion or rest, unless an external force changes that state. When combined, the two effects generate a powerful, yet accurate swing based on the natural laws of physics; hence, the swing’s name. All a golfer does when he or she swings is set it in motion. And because it follows the natural laws of physics, the swing is easy to repeat. In essence, you’re giving up control to gain control.

Balance is the Key
The third key to the natural swing is balance. The most efficient way of achieving the natural swing is to create motion in which balance is a bedrock fundamental. Now many of my golf instruction sessions address the importance of balance to the golf swing. But for the natural swing, it’s everything. As a golfer employing the natural swing, you do nothing in the swing that is at the expense of balance, since disrupting it leads to a loss of control and power. Since the balanced swing is the most satisfying of all, you’ll enjoy repeating it time and time again. The balanced swing is also the most logical and simplest swing to will get the job done.

Balance. Control. Centrifugal force. These are the key concepts underlying the theory of the natural swing. If you follow these basic concepts as you swing the club, you will generate a naturally powerful, accurate swing that’s repeatable and effective, providing you control over the game and generating a lower golf handicap. Next time we will look at some the starting form for the natural swing.

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

April 25, 2007

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

1) Putting- The “Show Me The Money” Drill
2) How to Kick-Off Your Swing
3) Question of the Week- Fixing the Dreaded Shank
4) Article- The Theory of the Natural Golf Swing
5) Article- The 5 P’s of Creating A Textbook Swing

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1) The “Show Me The Money” Drill
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Good putting demands good technique. And the utmost in limited and controlled movement during the putt. The slightest movement can throw your putting off. The same holds true for your eyes. Any deviation can affect both your aim and distance control, leading to a bad putt.

Below are six keys to improved putting:

* Keep grip pressure light for better feel
* Square up to the intended target line
* Make a full smooth practice stroke
* Keep your wrist firm
* Stay square through ball
* Strike on the up stroke

A good way to train yourself to keep your eyes steady is the “Show Me the Money Drill.” To execute it, all you need is a penny (or a ball marker).

First, find a flat spot on the green. Place the coin on the ground. Then place the ball directly on top of the coin. Now, take your stance and putt as you normally would. Concentrate on seeing the coin after you’ve putted. By focusing on the coin, you’ll find your stroke is more likely to accelerate through the ball. The drill also improves your ability to gauge distance and speed.

The Show Me the Money Drill works for three reasons. It forces you to keep you eyes steady, helping to stabilize your whole body. It prevents you from lifting out of your stance prematurely. And because you’re focused on the coin and not the ball, it inclines you to make a nice clean stroke through the ball.

If want to excel on the greens, remember the putting keys. And practice the Show Me the Money Drill. Together, they’ll improve both your putting technique and your golf handicap.

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2) How to Kick-Off Your Swing
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When you start your golf swing, you’re going from a static (still) position to a dynamic (moving) position. If we apply Newton’s law, your body’s tendency will be to stay at rest. Hence, you need something to jump-start the process. A trigger serves as that something. Now some people mange to swing well without using a trigger. But for the rest of us confused about how to start the swing, off, a trigger can help you start swinging in a fluid and consistent manner.

Many golfers use the right knee (left knee for left-handers) to trigger their swings. Here’s how it works:

From the address position, kick the right knee in toward the ball and hold it. You should feel your weight has shifted to the right. Now start over. Repeat the knee kick only for a second, then begin your backswing. That’s all there is to it.

Mechanically, the knee kick initiates the proper weight shift toward the back foot, which is why some golfers use it. More important, it enables you to begin your swing from a dynamic position, as opposed to a static, which helps maintain a smooth and steady swing. Once you’ve mastered the knee kick, it can also serve as a psychological “trigger,” freeing your mind from the confusion of how to start the swing.

The knee kick is only one move you can use as a trigger. You can also use a slight movement of your head to the right as well, which is what Jack Nicklaus uses to initiate his swing. What’s important here isn’t what you use. It’s that fact that you’re using something to put your body in motion. That makes all the difference.

Experiment on the range. Find your own trigger. Then master it. Once you do, you’ll start seeing better results from your swing.

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3) Question of the Week- Fixing the Dreaded Shank
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From Mike Horan

Fixing the Dreaded Shank

Q: Hi. Great newsletter. I look forward to receiving it every week. My problem is that I am hitting all my irons very close to the heel of the club. The worse ones result in a bad shank. Have you any suggestions? Thanks a lot.

A: Thanks for the question, Mike. Many golfers shank the ball. Shanking occurs when a ball is caught in the angle between the clubface and the hosel, spinning the ball sideways almost at right angles to your stance. A shank results from either a severe in-to-out swing path, with a closed clubface, or an equally exaggerated out-to-in swing path.

The problem is that at impact your hands�and therefore your clubhead� are farther away from your body than at address. The cause: either standing too close to the ball, preventing your hands from swinging freely past your body, or shifting your weight forward on your toes, throwing the hands and the clubface too far from the body. Maintaining too tight a grip also prevents you from swinging freely past your body through impact.

If weight shift is the problem, curling your toes inside your golf shoes, and maintaining them throughout the swing, cures it. If it doesn�t, place a golf ball under the front of each foot, pushing your weight back on your heels. Then hit some balls. If gripping the club too tightly is the problem, focus on relaxing your grip by pretending you’re holding an egg. If you squeeze the club too hard, you’ll break the egg.

If your swing path is the problem, try placing a ball about a half-inch outside your ball. Then, try hitting the inner ball cleanly. Sense that your hands are closer to your body through impact and that you�re going to hit the ball on the club�s toe. If you hit both balls, your hands and the clubface are still too close to the ball. Try exaggerating the feeling until the shanks disappear.

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/newsletter04252007.html
Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article- The Theory of the Natural Golf Swing
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/naturalgolftheory.html

5) Article- The 5 P’s of Creating A Textbook Swing
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/textbookswing.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
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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 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.

Most golfers love ripping 250-yard drives down the fairway. But it’s the short game that really cuts strokes off your scores. It also helps you slash your golf handicap down to size. Unfortunately, the short game is one phase of the game that players often neglect to practice. The end result is a lack of confidence in this area, as demonstrated by many players who come to me for golf lessons.

One key to short game success is proper technique. Many golfers don’t know the proper technique for chipping, pitching, or putting. This lack of knowledge hurts their short games. The other key is confidence. The more confident you are in your short game, the more likely you are to make the kinds of shots you need to minimize your scores and lower your golf handicap.

This article addresses both keys to the short game. In it we provide golf tips on chipping correctly and a couple of drills designed to make practice more interesting. This information helps generate the confidence you need to improve your chipping and lower your scores and golf handicap.

Fundamentals of Chipping
A chip shot is a flat approach shot that hits the green and rolls to the flag. Its use varies depending on the situation, but like a good pitch shot, a good chip shot saves strokes when executed properly. It’s ideal when you’re on the green’s collar or even a few feet away with no obstacles between you and the flag. The key to the shot is selecting a spot on the green and hitting it, letting the ball role to the flag.

You can chip with either an 8 iron or a 9 iron. Take a slightly open address position, with your weight forward. Position the ball closer to your back foot. And place your hands in front of the ball, which “hoods” the clubface, giving you the loft of a 7 iron. Also, grip down on the club 4 or 5 inches for more control.

You can also chip with a lofted wood, as Greg Norman did in the 1994 Dubai Desert Classic. The sole of a lofted wood is flat, making it almost impossible to stub the clubhead into the ground behind the ball. Instead, the club glides across the turf. Thus. you can loft the ball onto the putting surface and let it run to the hole.

Keys to chipping:

1. Set yourself at address
2. Grip down on club
3. Aim for a spot on green
4. Hinge wrist at takeaway
5. Hands lead in hitting zone
6. Keep wrists firm through impact
7. Follow through on shot

Address the ball with a slightly open stance, since that gets your hips out of the way, and gives you a good view to the target line. Now, pick out a spot on the green where you want the ball to land. Aim to strike the ball just above the ball’s equator with the leading edge of the clubface. And hinge your wrists slightly during takeaway.

Strike down on the ball crisply, with your hands leading the shot through the hitting zone. Keep the wrists firm through impact. And make sure you don’t turn your wrists over during follow-through. Returning the hands and arms to where they were at address helps produce ball-and-turf contact. And stay relaxed and loose throughout the shot.

Approaches To Chipping
Two schools of thought dominate the approach to chipping, both of which I cover in my golf lessons. Some people prefer to use their favorite club, opening the blade to add loft and turning it down to decrease loft. Depending on the shot they either hit the ball harder or softer. This approach works some but not for others. For those players, it’s too complicated and has too many variables to take into account.

Other players prefer taking the same swing but changing clubs. In this case you can use anything from a 5-iron to a sand wedge. Take a slightly open stance but position the ball slightly right of your stance. Choke down on the longer clubs for better control. The backswing is about the same length on all the clubs. If you use this approach, keep in mind that the higher the lofted club you use, the more spin on the ball. Spin can be difficult to control.

Drills
Set two parallel rows of tees six inches apart on both sides of the target line. Place a ball between the rows of tees but toward the beginning of the rows. Swing the club between the tees, striking the ball and keeping the clubhead moving on a line toward the target for at least the length of the rows of tees.

Play the ball slightly toward the back in your stance. Practice using just your left had (for right-handers) to hit down on the ball. Use a punching motion and keep the wrist firm throughout the shot. If executed properly, this drill teaches you to trap the ball with a descending blow, rather than scoop the ball away.

Both drills improve your chipping. Practice them diligently. Make sure you vary the distances of the shots for better results. Try hitting some from the rough as well. The key there is not letting the grass interfere with the shot.

The chip shot isn’t as dramatic at shot as a 250-yard bomb. But it can be just as satisfying, and more useful, if you execute one well. More importantly, learning how to chip well will shave strokes off 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.

Few players take golf lessons on how to get out of a bunker. But improving your bunker play is essential to becoming a good golfer. In fact, bunker play is a critical area of your game. If you really want to improve your game-and chop your golf handicap down to size-you must learn how to get out of a bunker without costing yourself strokes.

Mastering bunker play means learning how to hit the tough bunker shots you often face, such as the friend egg or the buried lie. Other tough bunker shots include the uphill lie, the downhill lie, and the under the lip shot. You should also know how to hit a bunker shot in which you have an awkward stance and the long distance fairway bunker shot. Master these shots and you’ll have mastered some of the hardest shots in the game.

Mastering the Basics
Many players have a hard time getting out of bunkers because they fail to grasp the shot’s basic principal. The principal behind the shot is that the wedge never touches the ball. Instead, it enters the sand about an inch behind the ball and passes under it. The ball then flies out of the bunker riding on a cushion of sand. However, if you hit too far behind the ball, you grab too much sand and the ball never makes it out of the bunker, costing you a stroke.

Here are some basic bunker shot tips:

- Open the blade of the clubface first, then grip the club
- Open your stance a little
- Align your clubface square to the target
- Dig in with your feet for balance
- Position the ball near the heel of your front foot
- Make a full backswing
- Hinge your wrists at a 90-degree angle
- Accelerate on the downswing
- Make contact with the sand first
- Follow through on the swing.

Your swing path starts outside the target and cuts across the ball back to the inside. This outside-to-inside club path causes your swing to finish lower than normal. But that’s to be expected. Once you’ve mastered the shot’s basics, you can move on to hitting some of those tricky shots weekend golfers hate so much.

Tips on the Tough Shots The key to hitting the tough bunker shot is adjusting to the lie and not becoming intimidated by the shot. With a buried lie, all you want to do is get out of the bunker. Close the clubface, so it points left (for right-handers) and swing straight down, almost on top of the ball. The impact opens the clubface, the ball hops out of the sand, and then starts rolling toward the hole. Remember to allow for the roll.

When you have an awkward stance, like one foot in the bunker and one out, try to get as comfortable as possible. Then concentrate on maintaining your balance as you make a normal shot. This shot often seems a lot harder than it really, but you can make it if you remember that getting comfortable is the key.

With downhill lies with no lip, play the ball forward in your stance, in line with your front foot. Tilt your shoulders so they’re parallel with the bunker’s slope and make a normal bunker shot. Maintain your balance by planting your front foot firmly in the sand.

With a fried egg-the most common of the tough bunker shots-the key to escaping is to crate a steep downswing. To do that, hinge your wrists in the backswing quickly and hit right behind the ball.

When you swing harder with your sand wedge you often lose rhythm and balance. So with long bunker shots, try taking more club to make up for the 20- 30- or 40-yards of distance. You can also drop down to an 8- or 9-iron and open the clubface to make up for the yardage.

When you need to get the ball up over the lip of a bunker, open the clubface and take a big backswing. Accelerate down through the ball but pull the club back before it hits the lip. The ball pops out of the bunker. If you have a long shot to make, drop down a club or two. You can probably go down as far as the 7-iron, as long as you remember to open the clubface.

With the fairway bunker shot, make sure the club your using has enough loft to get you out of the bunker. Keep your lower body still during the shot, and concentrate on hitting the ball first, which is the opposite of your goal when hitting from a greenside bunker. Make a full swing with one club longer than the shot normally calls for.

Keep these tips in mind next time you find yourself in a bunker. It also won’t hurt to take a few golf lessons on bunker play. A few golf instruction sessions will do wonders for your shot making and your confidence. Also find a range where you can practice bunker shots and go there as often as you can.

Mastering the tough bunker shots cuts as much as two or three strokes off your average scores and helps lower your golf handicap. So if you want to become a complete golfer, learn how to get out of greenside bunkers.

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.