If you're serious about improving your game, master the driver. Not only is it one of the key scoring clubs in your bag, it's also the club you probably use most often to start a hole and the club that drives the ball the farthest. If distance is in demand on a hole, the driver is the club of choice off the tee. So learning how to hit it is critical to lowering your golf handicap.

But so is making better decisions off the tee. Golf is like chess. The better the decisions you make on the tee, the better results you get later on. Making poor decisions on the tee, on the other hand, often lands you in trouble, and/or forces you to hit difficult follow up shots you're not proficient at. To cut strokes from your golf handicap, you must make good decisions on the tee.

Select a Realistic Target
If you've read my golf tips and articles, you know I advocate using a pre-shot routine for every shot. Pre-shot routines provide numerous benefits. A key component of every routine is target selection. Unfortunately, weekend golfers often fail to choose a target when they tee off. Instead, they just whale away. Or, if they pick out a target, it's one that's unrealistic. They need their best drive to hit it. That type of thinking spells trouble.

Instead, select a realistic target. It's just as important playing target golf on the tee as it is playing it in the fairway—and more productive. Treat a tee shot the same as an approach shot. If that means backing off on the driver and using a 5-wood, so be it. Stay within yourself and don't try over doing it. My advice to players taking golf lessons: When on the tee, choose a club that's right for the hole, pick out a target that's realistic, imagine an appropriate ball flight, then go for it.

Avoid The Line Of Charm
Course architects use a hole's design to challenge golfers and create interest. Sometimes, for example, they'll place a trap at point where most golfers hit their drives, in line with the best path to the green. That leaves you with a choice. You can either layup before the trap and be well short of where you want to be, or you can go for it and be in a great spot for an easy approach shot. These "challenges" are what make the hole—and golf—interesting.

But these challenges are also psychological ploys. They can entice you into making mistakes—mistakes that add strokes to your score. Among the most basic is the "line of charm," a term coined by Max Behr, who designed golf courses in the 1920s.

The line of charm tantalizes. It attracts your eye but is fraught with danger and disaster. It entices you away from the line of play the architect has outlined and almost always lies close to several hazards. It draws you in, but can undo you if you're not careful. When faced with this situation, look at the risk/reward equation, as I tell players in my golf instruction sessions. If the reward isn't there, don't take the risk.

Hit Away From Trouble
Too often golfers hit into trouble when on the tee. For example, a right-handed golfer who hooks the ball to the left lines up way to the right of the tee box, aiming directly at a clump of trees on the right. His reasoning: His hook will take him to the fairway and out of trouble. But as so often happens, the hook doesn't materialize and he ends up in the very hazard he was trying to miss. Avoid hitting into trouble when on the tee. That way if what you were planning for doesn't happen, you won't end up in trouble.

These tips illustrate the type of thinking you must do on the tee to score well, especially on challenging courses. Smart decision-making helps lower your golf handicap. If you're serious about playing your best, make better decisions off the tee. It pays off.

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

October 17, 2007

"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Controlling Short Shots Near The Green
2) Dangers of a Shut Clubface
3) Question of the Week - Conquering Downhill Chips
4) Article - Making Better Decisions Off The Tee
5) Article - Salvaging Your Short Game

Jack’s Note: How’s your swing look in the mirror? If you asked me a few months ago, I’d have said “who cares?” as long as it gets the job done, right? Well, that still is true and I stick by it.

However, that’s the exception, not the rule. If you’re looking to master the golf swing, it DOES help to see how it is done correctly and then match that up and apply it your swing. For me, I always made good ball contact but as I got older I knew the way I was swinging would not hold up the test of time and my body wasn’t agreeing with it. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to play golf til I’ve got one foot in the grave! To do so, I knew I need to change some things about my swing.

During that process of “straightening out” my swing, I put together my last DVD of the season, the Full Swing. I’m going to show you how to create a repeatable, reliable and consistent swing so you can significantly transform your game. I’ll let you know more about it next week but suffice it to say that this one is, hands down, the best I’ve done to date (awesome new angles, better visuals, graphics and drills)...and the most enjoyable to make for you guys! Stay tuned.

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1) Controlling Short Shots Near The Green
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You've probably had some delicate short shots near the green at some point in your career. These shots require both good feel and good technique. The best way of developing feel and technique is through practice. The more you practice, the better your feel and technique. Work on it long enough and you'll not only perfect technique and feel, you'll also master distance control.

Here are five tips on hitting short delicate shorts

1. Position the ball slightly forward
2. Assume an open stance, weight forward
3. Vary your trajectory
4. Choose a flat landing spot
5. Use a more vertical takeaway

Approach these shots with care. Use a slightly open stance, with the back of your left hand facing the target (for a right-hander), and your hands nice and relaxed. Gripping the club too tightly hampers the shot. Also, position the ball slightly forward in your stance, place your weight on your front foot, and maintain your spine angle from start to finish.

Next, choose a flat landing spot. Decide how far you want the ball to roll and how far you want it to carry. You'll also need to decide on the shot's trajectory. Vary it—depending on the green's slope—by either shutting the club face down through impact for lower shots or opening it up for higher shots. Then, take one last look at the landing spot and swing away. Using a more vertical takeaway pops the ball out of the grass.

Solid contact on this shot is critical. To achieve it, you'll need to work on it until you develop a good feel for it. Since the key here is carry, practice these short shots by sticking a tee in the ground at both your landing point and the hole location, and practice hitting those targets. In time, you'll master both technique and feel and cut strokes from your scores.

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2) Dangers of a Shut Clubface
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Inconsistency plagues many weekend golfers. Usually, it results from not playing a lot or practicing enough between rounds, causing the player to develop swing faults. One fault that contributes to a great deal to inconsistency is a shut clubface. A shut clubface occurs when the clubface points at the ball during his/her backswing. Taken to extremes, this swing fault leads to a steady stream of weak shots.

Two things cause a shut clubface. One is mental. The other is physical. Players shut their clubface because they think they must keep it pointed at the ball as they take the club back, which is not true. A too-steep shoulder turn also causes a shut clubface. Either way, the swing contributes to inconsistency and weak shots. You must eliminate this fault if you want to drive the ball longer and straighter with any kind of regularity.

But first you need to determine if your clubface is shut during your backswing. To do so, assume your normal stance. Start taking the club back as you normally do. When you get to hip height, stop. Keeping your arms steady, turn your body so the clubhead is once again in front of your chest. Lower the club to the ground.

If the clubface is identical to your set-up position—square to the stance line— when it reaches the ground, your clubface is open. If the face is pointing to the left (or to the right, in the case of left-handers), you're clubface is shut.

Repeat this drill until you can find the "halfway-back, toe up" position that allows you to keep the club's face square to the swing plane. When you're able to do that, you'll have taken a major step toward increasing the consistency in your swing.

You must eliminate a shut clubface if you're serious about improving consistency. If you do, you'll have taken a major step toward hitting great shots, shooting lower scores, and dramatically cutting your golf handicap.

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3) Question of the Week - Conquering Downhill Chips
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Q. Hi Jack, On the course I play a lot, I seem to face a lot of downhill chips. I seem either to run it way past the hole or dub it short, leaving me with nearly the same shot and in a very bad mood!

Jeff Bramhall
Bronxville NY

A. Thanks for the question, Jeff. My advice: Try using a more a more lofted club. Club choice is always a key when chipping—regardless of the type of chip you have, but it's even more important with downhill and uphill chips. Ideally, you want to choose the club based on how far you want the ball to roll. Then, let the club’s loft do the work. The idea is to get the ball run to the hole like a putt.

Generally, the higher the club’s loft, the shorter the ball will roll. The lower the club's loft, the longer the ball will roll. Obviously, then, the farther you’re away from the pin, the more roll you'll need to get the ball closer to the hole. And vice versa. That rule of thumb works well with most chip shots.

With downhill lies, you have to factor in the slope's steepness, which is why players use a more lofted club than normal. The greater the downslope, the more lofted the club. So when you're facing a downhill chip in which you would normally hit an 8-iron, try a 9-iron or PW. If you do use a more lofted club, you have to swing a little harder to get the same distance as you do with a less lofted club.

Other tips on chipping it close on a downhill lie are

* Aim for a flat landing spot
* Consider the green’s condition
* Decide on the required loft
* Match the swing to the club

An excellent chipping drill is hitting downhill chip shots with different clubs from different distances. This drill gives you an idea of how much roll to expect with each club. Keep practicing the drill until you have a good feel for roll. Once you do, your downhill chipping will improve.

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/newsletter10172007.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Making Better Decisions Off The Tee
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/decisions.html

5) Article - Salvaging Your Short Game
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/salvage.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.

Developing a good short game is a must, if you're serious about chopping strokes off you golf handicap. In fact, you won't find too many golfers with low golf handicaps that don't have good short games. It's where the pros excel. A good short game—one that consistency leaves you with short, easily makeable putts—saves pars and creates birdie opportunities, as I've said in my golf tips.

Unfortunately, many weekend golfers lack good short games. Some don't even have a basic routine for hitting a chip or pitch shot. They just select a pitching wedge and swing away. That usually costs them strokes. Building routines is critical in golf— a practice I encourage in my golf lessons. Routines organize your thoughts, create rhythm, and build confidence. Developing a good pre-shot routine is one of the first step to improving your short game.

Find What Works
Most pre-shot routines revolve around the fundamentals. But the actually steps in the routine will differ for every player, just as your pre-shot putting routine differs from that of other players. Years of giving golf lessons have taught me one thing: No two players are alike. What works for one player may not work for another. It's essential that you develop a pre-shot routine that fits your personality. You must be comfortable with your routine. Otherwise, it won't work.

Once you've decided on your pre-shot routine, use it whenever you hit a chip or pitch shot—whether you're playing or practicing. Many players develop routines in golf, but use them only when they play. You must use the routine even when you practice for you to get the full benefit of it. Using it in practice builds your confidence and help you concentrate on the shot instead of worrying about your mechanics—a plus when facing pressure shots.

Four Decisions
The real key to a good pre-shot routine is the mental side of the "formula." Usually, you have three basic questions to answer with every chip or pitch shot you take, regardless of where it is:

1. What kind of shot do I want to hit?
2. What club do I want to use?
3. What swing do I use?

Answering these questions correctly is critical. Many weekend golfers either fail to address these questions correctly or they just don't think hard enough about them, leading them to make a poor shot. The result: They use a lob wedge when they should be using a pitching wedge, or they use a sand wedge when they should be using a gap wedge. Making the wrong shot at the wrong time usually costs you. You must answer all four questions correctly to be successful with the shot. Answering one or two correctly wont' work. Let's look at an example.

A Typical Example
You're on the fringe of the green with about 30 feet to the pin. The shot is up hill. You have plenty of green to work with. So you don't have to fly the ball far to get it on to the green. And the quicker you get the ball on the green, as I tell students attending my golf instruction sessions, the more control you have over the shot. The more control of the shot, the more accurate you can be.

First, let's choose the right shot. Many weekend golfers automatically choose a wedge for all greenside shots. On a shot like this, however, all you want to do is bump the ball on the green and let it run. Players who try to fly it to the hole often end up dumping it short. Using a longer club, you can make a shorter, simpler swing, so it's easier to make and there's less risk to the shot.

Now, let's pick the right club. Players with low golf handicaps and good short games chip with anything up to a 5-iron. Since the first bounce with this shot should be on the green, you want the longest club to carry the fringe. In this case a 7-iron is a good choice to run it up the slope. If the shot were downhill, a 9-iron would be ideal and you would land it on the same spot as you would with the 7-iron.

Finally, let's select the right swing. Here, you’d use a short compact swing with little wrist hinge. Pre-set your body to the target by using an open stance, and put more weight on the front foot. Keep the back swing short and accelerate through the follow-through.

Adding this three-step mental approach to a comfortable pre-shot routine is a winning combination for chip or pitch shots. Use it whenever you have a short shot near the green, whether playing or practicing. Mastering the formula will improve your game and chop 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.

Driving a golf ball has sex appeal. Bombing a 275-yard drive or farther straight down the center of a fairway grabs almost all of us. Novice or old-timer, we all like to hit them long and straight, especially in front of an audience. Most players (read men) who attend my golf instruction sessions love to talk driving. They're looking for that one tip that will help them drive the ball longer and straighter, and in turn, lower their golf handicaps.

Unfortunately, it takes more than one tip to learn to hit your driver well. That's why—golf lessons or not—a smart golfer knows when to hit the driver and when not to. An errant drive creates trouble. And finding trouble right off the bat is no way to start a hole. Better to sacrifice some distance than blast a drive out of bounds or into a lake. Right? Well, maybe. Thanks to modern technology the thinking on when to use the driver is changing.

Traditional Approach
The traditional approach holds that good driving isn’t just about hitting it long and straight. It’s also about accuracy. It's about setting yourself up for your next shot, which is what I tell players taking my golf lessons. In essence, its about risk and reward. You have to weigh the risk versus the reward when deciding whether to use the driver. If the reward isn't worth it, don't risk it. Be conservative. Leave the driver in the bag and go to a 3-wood or a long iron.

One way to determine if you should use the driver or the 3-wood is to decide how far a second shot you want to hit first, then choose your club accordingly. If you’re playing a short par-4, say 350 yards, the average shot with the driver might be around 250 yards, leaving about 100 yards to the hole. With a 3-wood the average shot might be about 230 yards, leaving about 120 yards to the hole. Is gaining that extra 20 yards worth the risk of hitting the driver?

You also might favor a 3-wood over a driver on long par-5s. If you know you won’t be able to reach the green in two, even with your best drive and best 3-wood, why risk it? Instead, try the 3-wood or a long iron off the tee. You have a better shot of making par if you keep your ball in play, than if you're hitting out from the rough or under a big clump tree. Being conservative is the smart play here.

Many players leave the driver in the bag on holes with narrow and/or difficult fairways. Take Southern Hills Country Club, where this year's PGA Championship was held. It has a lot of narrow holes with doglegs and slopes. What's more, some slopes run counter to the direction of the doglegs. The course's design makes hitting the fairways imperative. If you want to score well on this type up course, you probably wouldn't use your driver much.

Today's Approach
The conservative strategy of gearing down to a 3-wood may not make sense anymore, given today's technology. At least, that's the thinking of some professional players. As LPGA Tour player Christina Kim says: "I just don't hit the 3-wood of the tee very often. My driver is far more accurate than my 3-wood." The design advantages of drivers these days may be eliminating the benefits of using the 3-wood not just for the pros but for you as well.

Take the clubheads on today's drivers. The average club head on a driver has more than twice the volume of the average clubhead on a 3-wood, while the average face is 50 percent wider. Those are serious numbers that can help weekend golfers. In addition, today's drivers are designed to launch shots with less sidespin and to provide a higher moment of inertia (MOI), making them more stable on off-center hits. In other words, the larger clubfaces provide a larger sweet spot than the your old driver.

Thus, today's drivers are much more forgiving than older drivers and, in some cases, older 3-woods. As result, you're not only less likely to hit an errant drive, but you're also less prone to hitting mis-hits and off-center shots that can get you in trouble. In short, most mis-hits you make with the driver will be playable. So why not use the driver whenever you can?

Advantages are Fading
Of course, if you have a huge problem with slicing, pulling, or topping, what club you hit won't matter. Larger clubheads, more responsive materials, better designs—these things won't help much if you have severe swing problems. You'll still find yourself in trouble no matter what club you use off the tee. Take a few golf lessons and solve those problems first before changing strategies.

But for players who hit the ball relatively straight off the tee, it's another matter. You may want to rethink your approach to hitting the driver. The advantages of hitting the 3-wood over hitting the driver are quickly fading. For players with golf handicaps some where in the middle of the pack, using a driver off every tee might make more sense. It's something to consider.

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.