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How To Break 80 Newsletter

September 26, 2007

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

1) Using A One-Piece Takeaway
2) Conquering Uphill Chips
3) Question of the Week – Slow Down Your Swing
4) Article – Extension = Power and Control
5) Article – How Jim Stopped Pulling The Ball

Jack’s Note: The President’s Cup is this week and I’m certainly excited to watch what always turns out to be a solid match…sometimes more competitive than the Ryder Cup. We Americans really need to get back on track with the Europeans and get out of this slump but first we need to see what we can do to prevail in Montreal this week.

A couple of head’s up on two new products I have in development for you guys and gals. One is a DVD video that will focus entirely on the golf swing itself…nothing else. It’s awesome and look for it in the mid to late part of October. Second, I have a special treat for the LADIES. Yup, we have an outstanding instructional product coming out just for the girls and frankly…it’s about damn time. We hear from our women readers in growing numbers everyday and I thought it was about time to give them something tailored just for them. Stay tuned in mid October.

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1) Using A One-Piece Takeaway
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Golfers who use their hands to start their swings are asking for trouble. Using your hands to start our swing often results in picking up the clubhead too abruptly, leading to a narrowing of the swing arc and a choppy downswing. Neither of these is good. If you want to hit longer, straighter shots more consistently, use a one-piece takeaway to kick-start your swing.

Here are 5 keys to a one-piece takeaway:
1. Form a triangle in your mind
2. Take the triangle back
3. Move everything back together
4. Stay low and slow
5. Maintain shape until opposite your back leg

At address, picture your arms and hands forming an inverted isosceles triangle. To make a one-piece takeaway, focus on taking the triangle back with your chest and naval. Concentrate on bringing the club back low and slow. Sense that you’re using the bigger muscles in your shoulders and trunk. Maintain the triangle’s shape until opposite your back leg, then start hinging your wrists.

To see if you’re doing this correctly, place a second ball about a foot behind your object ball—just inside the ball-to-target line. Now take the club back. If you sweep the second ball away smoothly as you move your triangle back, you’re using a one-piece takeaway. If not, try this drill:

One-Piece Drill
Select your driver. Choke down on the club a few inches. Place the butt end of he club at a point just above your belt. Now practice making small swings. Concentrate on keeping your arms close to your sides with the club touching your navel. This drill imparts the feel of a one-piece takeaway.
The first move away from the ball is critical. It determines the shape and tempo of your swing. Focus on taking the club back low and slow using a one-piece takeaway. Work on drills to generate this feeling. The benefit: Ingraining a one-piece takeaway helps you hit longer, straighter shots more consistently.

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2) Conquering Uphill Chips
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We’ve all played on courses that have elevated greens. So we’ve all had an uphill chip to save par at one time or another. While the shot isn’t intimidating, it is tricky. If you’re not careful with this shot, you can leave yourself with a long putt instead of an easy two-footer.

Some golfers like to play this lie as a normal chip shot. But playing this lie that way—where you hinge your wrists and take a steep downward stroke—often results in a fat shot, leaving you well short of the hole. That’s because the club gets stuck in the ground on the downswing. To chip it close, try a different approach.

Below are 5 keys to the shot:
1. Take a less lofted club
2. Avoid hinging your wrists
3. Stay low to the ground
4. Sweep the ball of the grass
5. Follow the angle of the slope

To avoid hitting a fat shot, take a less lofted club and sweep the ball off the grass. That eliminates the chances of hitting into the ground. The upslope helps drive the ball in the air while the longer club provides more distance. Keep the club low to the ground on the backswing and follow the angle of the upslope on the through swing. You want to make sure the club head goes from low to high on the shot.

The sweeping motion results in a cleaner hit than a normal chip shot because it picks the ball of the grass. When the ball lands on the green, it won’t check up as with a normal chip shot. That’s because the sweeping motion doesn’t put backspin on the ball.
Try this shot next time you have an uphill chip on the back or side of the green. Well executed, it will leave you closer to the hole with a short putt for par and save you a stroke or two.

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3) Question of the Week – Slow Down Your Swing
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Q. Hi, Jack, I’m a senior that plays to an 18 handicap. I recently purchased a new driver and make great contact and hit it far and straight on the practice tee. However, on the course, I’m pulling the ball to the left. Contact with the ball is still solid. The new driver has a stiff shaft, where the old driver has a regular shaft. I get much better distance (+25 to 30 yards) with the new driver, but I can’t solve the pull problem. Can you help?

Richard Johnson
Buffalo, NY

A. Thanks, Richard. The problem may be more mental than physical. Having hit the ball longer and straighter on the practice tee, you may be swinging the club harder (and faster) when on the course in an effort to generate distance. Swinging harder can cause you to pull the ball. Slow down your swing when on the course. If that causes you to lose distance, here are some other things to try:
* Switch shafts. Try a driver with a regular or a senior shaft. Shaft flex impacts, either directly or indirectly, accuracy, trajectory, and distance. A regular or senior shaft provides more whip and, hence, more distance and is easier to swing, if its graphite.

* Work on your body. As a senior, you want to increase your flexibility. Hook a broom handle behind your back and hold it in place with your arms. Rotate to the right and hold for a count of seven. Then rotate to the left and count seven. Work on this drill for five minutes a day. It will lengthen your swing and increase your distance.

* Change your stance. Try using a slightly closed stance. Stand with your feet fairly close together, then pull your right foot and hip back (right-handers) until your body is in a closed position. This will help you turn your right side out of the way on the backswing.

Now with the ball back a little in your stance, take a swing. Don’t be afraid to raise your left heel or allow your left arm to bend a little to complete your backswing. The relaxed position at the top lets you move through the ball freely and use your hands and arms to snap the clubhead through, adding distance.

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/newsletter09262007.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Extension = Power and Control
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/maximize.html

5) Article – How Jim Stopped Pulling The Ball
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/pulls.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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