Golf Tips and Instruction- June 20, 2007
===================================================
How To Break 80 Newsletter
June 20, 2007
“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
===================================================
In this issue we’ll discuss…
1) Losing Your Grip
2) The Ultimate Power Move
3) Question of the Week - Getting Out of a Wet Bunker
4) Article - Getting Hip to Power
5) Article - Golf’s Radical New Swing: Stack and Tilt
Jack’s Note: What a US Open, huh? Tiger couldn’t swing it and Cabrera played flawlessly. Congratulations to Wally T. for selecting Angel Cabrera on Friday. Wally was the only person to select him and will receive a product of his choice from my staff. Also, wonder why players like Aaron Baddeley are playing so well lately? It’s the latest rage in swing instruction called “Stack and Tilt” and he’s a model student. I’ve put together an article for you to review it and I’m sure it’ll open your eyes to an alternative to the conventional swing.
===================================================
1) Losing Your Grip
===================================================
Losing your grip is a major swing flaw. Any loosening of your hands during your swing causes you to re-grip at some point, disrupting the clubface’s alignment before impact. Where you hit the ball is anybody’s guess.
Golfers usually lose their grips at the top of their swings. Players who overswing are particularly prone to this flaw, which usually takes one of two forms:
1. either the fleshy part of the right hand (for right-handers) becomes detached from the left thumb or
2. the last three fingers on the left hand (for right-handers) work loose from the butt end of the grip.
While you shouldn’t grip a club too tightly, three pressure points help you maintain control of the club:
1. Wrap the last three fingers of your left hand (for right-handers) fairly firmly around the club’s butt end.
2. Apply some slight pressure with your left thumb as you place the lifeline of your right palm upon it.
3. And apply some pressure from your right index finger as it pushes against the shaft, sealing your grip.
To test grip pressure, try this drill: Take several long blades of grass and place them between the fleshy heel of your left hand (for right-handers). Put the rest over your left thumb, extended down the shaft, to be trapped by the fleshy part of your right hand as you place it over the left.
Now hit some shots with a wedge. Keep your overall grip pressure constant, so that the grass stays in place. Having completed your swing, check to see that your hands are in the same place when you complete the swing as they were at address. As you work up to full shots, you’ll begin appreciating the value of hands-on control.
===================================================
2) The Ultimate Power Move
===================================================
Vijay Singh has a powerful swing. He sets up slightly open for his favorite shot, a gentle fade with his irons and a power fade with the driver. At the start of the swing, he rotates everything away from the target and his left knew breaks to the right. During the downswing, his hips rotate toward the ball, his knees stay flexed, and his feet remain firmly planted. At impact, his right heel is off the ground and his arms and hands are close to his body.
Nothing is forced. Everything is smooth and relaxed. Yet he is able to drive the ball with the best of them. What’s the secret to Vijay’s power? Let’s look at some of the keys to his swing:
* Slow turn to the top
* Full shoulder turn
* Quiet start down
* Active legs
* Superior extension
While these keys are important to great ballstriking, the real secret to Vijay’s power is his great rhythm. Everything is fluid and rhythmical in his swing, which starts with a slow, smooth turn to the top. A slow turn produces a longer turn and generates power. Weekend golfers speed up the turn to the top in an effort to drive the ball, which short-circuits power instead of increasing it.
When Vijay really needs a big drive, he focuses on making a full shoulder turn. The farther back he goes, the more energy he stores. And the more power is unleashed when he lets go. He doesn’t hurry his backswing and he doesn’t speed up his downswing, like a lot of weekend golfers. He takes it nice and slow.
If you’re serious about increasing your power, work on creating rhythm in your swing, making a slow turn, and completing a full shoulder turn. These three things will help you generate more power. You may not hit the ball as far as Vijay if you master these moves, but you’ll hit the ball farther than you ever have with the same effort.
===================================================
3) Question of the Week - Getting Out of a Wet Bunker
===================================================
Q. Hi, Jack:
We all know how we should play a bunker shot. We may not execute it correctly, but we know the theory. My problem is with rain-soaked, firmly packed bunkers. I try to play a normal bunker shot and take three shots to get out, or pick it off the top and end up 30 yards over the green. How do I play this shot?
Regards,
Phil Howley
Auckland, New Zealand
A. Great question.
Getting out of a wet bunker is tricky. The wetness adds a whole other dimension to the shot. Here’s one approach:
Determine the sand’s hardness by testing it with your shoes before hitting. That will tell you if the sand is hard-packed, just firm, or soft with a thin crust. If the sand is hard packed or firm, replace your sand wedge with a pitching wedge. It digs in and under the ball better than a sand wedge, which helps prevent skulling.
* If the sand is hard-packed, play the ball as you would from hard dirt. Square the blade, play the ball back in your stance, set the hands ahead of the ball, and pick the ball cleanly off the surface.
* If the sand is firm, set up a little wider than usual, make a low sweeping takeaway, and hit down briskly about an inch behind the ball.
* If the sand has a thin crust, play the shot as a typical bunker shot. Use a sand wedge, especially if the sand is deep and powdery.
Be wary of bunkers with loose sand over a hard surface—the trickiest of all bunker shots. Attack these with a heavy-flanged wedge, like the sand wedge. Your club will glide smoothly out of the sand, unless you dig a little too deeply into the hard underbelly. When that happens, the club head slows down, causing you to leave the ball in the sand.
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/newsletter06202007.html
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article - Getting Hip to Power
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/hippower.html
5) Article - Golf’s Radical New Swing: Stack and Tilt
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/stacktilt.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.
