Golf is a thinking man’s game. You’ve probably heard this said a thousand times. But when they talk about golf being a thinking man’s game, they’re primarily talking about the short game. Shots beyond 125 yards are rather basic. You select a club, pick a target, and hit the ball with a full swing. Shots from 125 yards in are more varied. Two balls lying 5 yards apart and just 30 yards from the hole may require different shot strategies and techniques.

Understanding the short game is the key to golf. It’s also key to lowering your golf handicap. A shot from 150 yards out requires one or two decisions. But a shot from 20 yards or 30 yards away requires several decisions. Considerations include lie, pin placement, type of shot, type of swing, and so on. That’s why I tell players who take my golf lessons that if they’re serious about improving their game, they must delve deep into the short game.

Two Ways to Go
Two types of shots dominate the short game�low running shots and high floating shots. Low running shots are preferable to high floating shots because they’re easier to control. They’re also easier to hit. High floating shots can lead to mis-hits, so you want to stay away from them, if you can.

To hit a low running shot, take a slightly open stance, play the ball back in your stance, square the clubface, keep your hands ahead of the clubhead, and swing shallow and U-shaped. Also, maintain firm wrists through the swing, don’t release the clubhead at impact, and finish low and abbreviated.

To hit a high floating shot, take a slightly open stance, play the ball forward in your stance, open the clubface, keep your hands even with the clubface, and swing steep and V-shaped. Also, keep your wrist actively hinging, use a full release at impact, and finish full and in balance.

Work on hitting both types of shots in practice, as I’ve said in my golf tips. Learning to control these shots is the foundation of a good short game. Also, don’t throttle back or try to hit a three-quarter- swing with these shots. Take a full swing. Some players need to practice hitting these shots with a full swing to convince themselves of that.

Basic Principles
In my golf lessons I breakdown short game play into a few basic principals. The most important of these are probably that your forward swing should match your backswing in length and speed, and that the pace of your swing should never slow until after impact. Below are some other key principals I discuss in golf instructions sessions on the short game.

Never swing hard with a short club.
With rare exceptions, you should never swing the 8-iron, 9-iron, or wedges with full force. The short game is about control. If you need more distance use a longer club.

Survey the land before hitting.
Hitting accurate shots from 125 yards or shorter requires you to understand things like slope, types of grass, sand textures, the effect of moisture, and the type of bounce and roll you’ll get in various areas of the green.

Don’t be cute.
When faced with a high, floating shot over a bunker, creek, or ridge, don’t try to hit it close to the pin. Hit it up on the green and settle for a 20-foot putt or even a 40-foot putt. Good short game play is about strategies, skills, and percentages�not hitting miracle shots.

Concentrate on centered impact.
Because the clubs are shorter, centered impact with the scoring clubs is easier than with the long irons and woods. But you still have to concentrate on it. Almost ever shot you hit in the short game requires solid, square contact.

Visualize the shape of your swing.
The shape of your swing gives you a mirror image of the shot’s trajectory. A steep, V-shaped swing tends to produce a high-arching shot. A shallow U-shaped swing tends to produce a lower, humpbacked shot.

Loft is the essence of the short game.
The loft angle of a wedge or short iron has complex effects on your shot. When your high lofted club isn’t sending the ball high in the air, it’s doing something else�it’s softening the force of your swing by turning launch force into spin, and installing a set of brakes on your shot, again through spin.

Keep these basic short game principals in mind next time you play. Use them as the foundation of your short game.

Learning to play the short game well is a challenge. It takes time, patience, and practice. It also requires you to think about every shot you take near the greens. But the pay-off is worth it. It’s the quickest, most effective way of cutting your golf handicap down to single digits and becoming the player you’ve always wanted to be.

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.

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How To Break 80 Newsletter

June 6, 2007

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

1) Playing Downhill Bunker Lies
2) Short-Sided in Tall Grass
3) Question of the Week – Reverse Pivot
4) Article – Understanding The Short Game
5) Article – The Natural Swing: The Backswing

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1) Playing Downhill Bunker Lies
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Is there anything worse than rolling into a bunker after a good shot? Yeah? Finding yourself with a downhill bunker lie, where both your ball and your stance are on the downslope. It’s a delicate shot, so you need to be careful. Otherwise, you’ll leave the ball in the bunker or skull it over the green.

You’ll need to make some swing adjustments to get out in one. But first you’ll need to make a critical mental adjustment. The ball won’t come out of the bunker high and soft. So resist the temptation to try and do it. Also, don’t try to be too precise about where it comes to rest on the green. Getting out in one is a victory

Here are five keys to playing downhill bunker lies:

* Adjust your stance
* Aim well left of the target
* Position the ball in the middle
* Open the clubface
* Angle your body left

The key to this shot is taking a stance and swing that keeps the club going down the slope. This ensures that you take the sand out well in back of the ball. Position the ball in the middle of your stance. Angle your body with the slope. Aim well left of the target. Keep the clubface open as you swing. Executed right, the swing will pop the ball out of the bunker.

Try this drill to master this shot. Draw a line in the sand. Using the setup describe above, stand with the line in the middle of your stance and practice taking sand out before the line. Since your swing will have to be more vertical, you will have to stay flexed longer into the swing. Once you’ve mastered this, draw another line, place a row of balls on the line and hit shots.

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2) Short-Sided in Tall Grass
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One of my students once asked me what I thought was the hardest shot in golf. It didn’t take me long to answer�short-sided in tall, thick rough on the edge of a bunker. This shot is about as tough a shot as there is in golf. If you land on the edge of a bunker, your stance is usually an awkward one, with both feet in the bunker and the ball well above your feet.

This can end in disaster, if you’re not careful. You need to make both mental and physical adjustments. Mentally, your goal is to get out of the rough and onto the green in one shot. So you can’t be too choosy about where the ball ends up on the green. If you’re putting on the next shot, you’ve done well.

Physically, here are five keys to the shot.

* Widen your stance
* Grip down on the club
* Hold the club tighter
* Keep the clubface open
* Take the clubhead up quickly

The secret to hitting this shot is stabilizing your lower body and keeping the clubface open through impact. But first you need to widen your stance and set most of your weight on your front side, stabilizing yourself and restricting lower body movement.

Now, grip down on the club a few inches because the ball is well above your feet. Also, hold the club tighter than normal to keep the toe of the club from flipping over when it hits the ground. Take the club up quickly, and plan an explosion shot, just as you would if you were hitting from a greenside bunker. Accelerate the clubhead through the ball.

Executed properly these mental and physical adjustments should get you out of the rough and onto the green in one. Remember to keep the clubface pointed skyward after impact.

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3) Question of the Week – Reverse Pivot
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Q. Hello Jack,

Can you explain what a reverse pivot is, what causes it, and how to correct it?

Thank you…

Dan Gutkaes

A. Thanks for the question, Dan.

A reverse pivot results from an improper transfer of weight. Normally, you must transfer your weight onto your back foot, then onto your front foot during the follow-through. With a reverse pivot, you do the opposite. The player’s weight remains on his front side, constricting the proper turning of his body. He/she loses power and accuracy.

Causes for a reverse pivot are many, including an obsession with keeping your head down and/or your left arm (right for left-handers) rigidly straight. Allowing your head to turn to the right (left for left-handers) as you swing the club back helps. It encourages your spine to rotate and gets your weight moving in the right direction.

To help eliminate a reverse pivot, try this: Adopt your address position, and then place the club across the back of your shoulders. Now turn as if you were going to hit the ball. As you turn back, the club encourages your head and spine to rotate. Sense your balance as you do this. Do this drill as often as you can and it will help eliminate a reverse pivot.

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/newsletter06062007.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Understanding The Short Game
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/shortgame.html

5) Article – The Natural Swing: The Backswing
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/theswing.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

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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.

Swing thoughts on the practice range are an unquestioned strategy. They simplify a complex situation. They speed the learning process. And they help develop trust in your swing. How about during a match? Do swing thoughts help there? What are the best swing thoughts to have?

While instructors differ on which are the best swing thoughts during a match, they all agree on one thing: Thoughts like “Keep your elbow tucked in”, ” Finish with your belt buckle facing the target”, or “Keep your head still” only foul up your swing when playing. In fact, many golf tips on swing thoughts reject the whole idea.

It’s not that these thoughts are bad. They’re not. They’re right on target. Entire golf lessons are designed around them. And they’re great in practice. They keep you focused on what you’re doing.

But eliminate them during a match. Why? They focus on swing mechanics and that’s something to avoid when actually swinging a club. Check any golf instruction manual. They will tell you the same thing: You can’t command your body to work in a certain way when hitting the ball. Trying to do so creates more problems than it solves.

Instead, focus on your target. That, after all, is your real goal. Forget about where your hands are or where your hips are. Concentrate on where you want the ball to land and link to it creatively and emotionally. Develop a mental picture of that spot and keep it in mind as you swing.

If you must have a swing thought, keep it simple. And non-mechanical. Many PGA pros focus on a single thought, which eliminates thoughts about swing mechanics.

Ernie Ells keeps this thought in mind when he swings “Low and slow.”� That’s it. He doesn’t think about where his hands are, where his weight is, or where his body is going to end up. That’s for when he’s taking a golf lesson from his swing coach. Instead, he focuses on taking the club back low and slow, eliminating everything else.

Fred Shoemaker, author, a pioneer in golf instruction, and founder of the golf school Extraordinary Golf, is adamant about swing thoughts. Replace thoughts about your mechanics with thoughts about the “feel”� of your swing. Think about tempo and rhythm rather than where and when. If you must have a swing thought, says Fred, have one that reinforces the feel of your swing.

Fred has his students practice throwing clubs to emphasize this idea. At first, they throw a club 15 feet. Then, they throw one with a slightly fuller swing, about 25 feet or so. After about 200 throws, they throw one with a complete golf swing. Of course, this club throwing is done under strict supervision and safety conditions.

Once Fred’s students master club throwing, they move to the tee. The goal there is remembering how it feels to throw a club when you hit a ball. They focus on that idea and that idea alone.

Another approach is to have a thought that triggers something in your swing, thoughts that

- Mentally in-plant your target line
- Mimics the actual swing
- Produces a smooth take away
- Triggers the downswing.
- Promote relaxation while swinging

Establish a target line for your ball flight before you address the ball. Keep that thought in mind when you hit and try to copy it with your ball flight. That forces you to keep the target line in mind, not your mechanics.

Most professional golfers take a few practice swings before they address the ball. They want the feel of the swing before they hit the ball. Recreational golfers ought to do the same. Take a few practice swings. Remember how it feels. Keep that “feel” in mind when you hit.

Focus on a thought that promotes a smooth takeaway. Slow and easy. Or, slow and smooth. Anything that produces a nice takeaway helps. Remember, the takeaway and backswing do one thing: position you for the downswing.

The downswing begins the chain reaction of feet, knees, thighs, and shoulders. Any thought that triggers this chain reaction helps deliver the blow at impact. Try thoughts like, �Plant your left heel,� or Slide your left knee toward the target.� Anything that helps you transfers your weight to your left side works well.

Also try to complete the back swing in a relaxed manner. Think of anything that will occupy the time between your takeaway and the completion of your back swing. That brief time is critical. It’s when golfers think about their mechanics instead of their targets.

Consistency is every golfer’s goal. To achieve it, we need a swing that is repeatable under pressure every time we play. Developing that swing, however, isn’t easy. It takes hard work and plenty of practice.

Having a thought process that repeats itself time and time again helps you develop that swing as well. If the metal side of your game syncs with the physical side, achieving swing consistency gets easier. More importantly, it cuts strokes from your game, which, in turn, generates a lower handicap.

Players who know how to shape their shots have a significant advantage scoring-wise over those who don’t. Shaping your shots not only reduces scores and golf handicaps, it dramatically alters the way you play the game. So if you’re serious about improving your game, you must learn how to shape your shots.

But where do you start when it comes to learning how to shape shots. Initially, you should focus on learning to hit three types of shots�how to curve the ball left to right, how to curve the ball right to left, and how to hit the low punch shot.

Golf Lesson #1: Hitting Left To Right
The fade follows a left to right path (for right-handers). To do that, you must build up air on the left side of the ball, pushing it right. Adopting an open stance at address plus having an open clubface at impact are the keys to hitting a fade.

Take your normal stance, move your front foot back a few inches, and open up your hips. You should be facing left of the target line. During the takeaway, swing the club parallel to the line of your foot. The out-to-in takeaway produces a top-of-the-swing position where the clubface points left of the target. If you follow your foot line with your swing, you�ll hit the ball with an open clubface.

The keys to hitting a fade:

* Pull your front foot back slightly
* Open your stance
* Hinge wrists at about waist high
* Take a full shoulder turn
* Swing the club parallel to foot line
* Clear left hip (for right-handers)

Hitting a fade seems simple enough, but be careful, as I’ve warned in my golf tips. If you generate too much sidespin, you�ll create a slice.

Golf Lesson #2: Hitting Right To Left
The secret to hitting a draw, like the secret to hitting a fade, is imparting sidespin. The draw follows an in-to-out path. So you must build up air on the right side of the ball, pushing it left. A closed stance and a closed clubface at impact produce the correct spin.

Take a normal square stance, then draw your back foot back a few inches, closing your stance and clubface. The clubface aims directly along the target line but it follows and in-to-out path, not the out-to-in path of a fade. Adopting a slightly stronger left-handed grip encourages a more active release of the hands.

Keys to hitting a draw:

* Adopt a closed stance
* Use a stronger left-hand grip
* Follow an inside track
* Aim right at the top of the swing
* Release the club through impact

The clubhead follows an inside track (inside the target line) on the takeaway and backswing. The club points to the right of the target at the top of the backswing. How far right depends on how much of a hook you want to play. Feel the toe of the club pass the heel, as you release your hands.

Golf Lesson #3: Hitting a Low Line Drive
To hit this shot, most players play the ball back in their stances, press their hands forward, lean left (for right-handers), and �punch� the ball with a three-quarter swing. If performed correctly, this approach drives the ball forward on a low trajectory and provides the distance you need.

But this approach carries hidden dangers. Moving the ball too far back in your stance forces you to point the clubface/shoulders right of target, opens up the possibility of hitting a shank, and causes you to lunge at the ball from the top of your swing. If you fail to punch the ball correctly, you risk increasing backspin and trajectory. Here’s a safer approach.

Instead of moving the ball back, go down two clubs more than necessary and grip down on the club just above the shaft. If the situation requires a 9-iron but conditions are really windy or the pin is in a back position, drop down to a 7-iron and choke down on the club. Now take your normal set-up and swing.

The two adjustments give you distance without the loft. Choking down shortens the swing arc, reducing clubhead speed. If that trajectory is too low for the shot, drop down one club and slide your hands halfway down the grip. Then take your normal swing. Dropping down to an 8-iron lengthens your swing arc, boosts clubhead speed, and increases trajectory.

Understanding Swing Mechanics
As you can see, much of being able to work the ball comes down to understanding the impact of swing mechanics. In other words, you need to understand how and why the ball spins and how to change your mechanics to get the ball to react the way you want. Knowing how to shape the ball not only saves strokes, it also dictates strategy when playing. Remember, in golf strategy is all about controlling the ball and hitting your targets, whether you have a high golf handicap or a low one.

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.