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How To Break 80 Newsletter

July 25, 2007

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

1) Par-3 Planning
2) Five Keys To More Powerful Drives
3) Question of the Week – Hitting A Draw
4) Article – Beating the Heat On a Course
5) Article – The Natural Swing: Completing the Swing

Jack’s Note: Congrats to George Crider for picking Padraig Harrington as the winner of the British Open. We’ve been in touch with George and he will be receiving one of our new DVD’s. Can you believe no one else even picked Padraig? George must have psychic powers. Anyway, it was a great tourney and finish. I was pulling for Sergio big time but he couldn’t close and did not deserve to win. Good to see a European finally win the event after an 8 year drought.

Also, if you didn’t have a chance to get our latest Draw DVD, we just recieved a new shipment. Go here to get your copy now.

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1) Par-3 Planning
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The stakes are higher on par 3s than par 4s or 5s, when playing a course, Hit the ball well on a par 3 and you can birdie the hole. Hit the ball poorly and you’re staring at a bogie, double bogie, or maybe even worse, a triple bogey.

But many pars 3s are harder than they seem. Many are guarded by hazards that can cost you strokes if you hit into them. If you’re older and you can still play well, but you’ve lost some flexibility—and hence some distance—you need to be careful when playing par 3s as well.

Here are 5 tips on playing par 3s:

* Use a tee
* Use a divot hole
* Use one more club
* Take an easy swing
* Aim for the fat part of the green

Start by using a tee when hitting from the box. Even if the tee is no higher than the turf, it improves clubface-to-ball contact. It also lessens the chance of catching the grass between the club and the ball. Use a divot hole to align your clubface, and then align your body to the clubface.

Most hazards on par 3s are between you and the green. Take one more club than your instincts tell you. With the extra club you can make a nice relaxed swing and know that the ball will get enough distance to clear trouble. Taking an extra club is ideal for senior players who many not be as strong as they once were.

Finally, aim for the fat part of the green. With hazards guarding the green, aim for the part of the green that gives you the largest margin for error. Chances are good you’ll end up in good shape if you do.

Remember, it doesn’t take much to turn a birdie into a bogie or double bogie. So stay focused when hitting from the tee box and you’ll increase your chances of making a birdie and lowering your scores.

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2) Five Keys To More Powerful Drives
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Every drive has an optimum launch angle at which the ball must be struck for a great drive. If the clubhead travels parallel to the ground at impact you will achieve the optimum launch angle. Too often, however, in striving for power, players hit a ball at a bad launch angle, short-circuiting power and skewing the ball’s direction. If you want to drive the ball farther, you must achieve the optimum launch angle.

Here are 5 keys to achieving the optimum launch angle off the tee:

* Focus on technique/swing speed
* Use a neutral grip
* Employ a balanced address
* Achieve correct swing plane
* Feel the flatness in the swing

The right swing speed determines the right launch angle. Different speeds produce different launch angles, all things being equal. During practice focus on creating a swing that allows you to not only generate the greatest possible swing speed, but also make solid contact at the right launch angle, time after time after time.

A neutral grip returns the club squarely to the ball without any undue manipulation, providing a better chance of achieving the optimum launch angle. Your position at address has a lot to do with your position at impact. A balanced address increases your chances of hitting the ball at the angle you develop at address.

A correct swing plane is crucial for making solid contact and hitting long, straight drives at the proper launch angle. A marked flatness in the swing when it reaches the bottom of the swing allows a player to make solid contact while using the club’s loft to achieve the ideal launch angle.

The Chair Drill
The chair drill teaches you the feel of the right launch angle off the tee. Position the chair with the seat facing in the opposite direction of the target. Assume your address position. Now turn away from the chair as if you were taking your backswing. Then swing down, hitting the chair’s back with the palm of your right hand, if your right- handed, or your left hand, if you’re left-handed. That’s the launch angle you should be working toward.

The chair drill has two benefits. It ingrains the feel of achieving solid impact with the proper launch angle and making a good turn away from the ball. Work on the drill whenever you can and your driving will improve.

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3) Question of the Week – Hitting A Draw
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Q. Hi, Jack: Generally, when I hit my driver it has a slight fade. Everything else in the bag has a slight draw. To correct the fade, I use a strong grip, close my stance, aim the clubhead to a 1 o’clock position, and stand close to the ball instead of being hunched over. Tempo is slow on the backswing as is accelerating through impact (I try to swing easy). Any thoughts on how I can get it to draw?

Garrett Hartsuyker

A. Thanks, Garrett: The secret to hitting a draw is sidespin. The draw follows an in-to-out path, so for a right-hander you need to build up air on the ball’s right side, pushing the ball left. A closed stance and a closed clubface at impact produce the correct sidespin.

Here are 6 keys to hitting a draw:

* Adopt a closed stance
* Use a stronger grip
* Follow an inside track
* Aim right at the top of the swing
* Strike the ground at 7 o’clock
* 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.

When practicing, imagine the ground as a clock face, with 12 o’clock pointing directly at the target. Focus on hitting the ball at the 4 o’clock position to produce a draw. Hitting the ball at that position put you on the right swing path.

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/newsletter07252007.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Beating the Heat On a Course
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/heat.html

5) Article – The Natural Swing: Completing the Swing
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/nsfinishing.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.

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