In difficult courses, hitting good approach shots is often the key to scoring well. On these courses, good approach shots are as critical as driving and putting well. But conquering a difficult course doesn’t just happen. If you’ve never played the course before, studying it will tell you whether or not you need to concentrate on hitting better than average approach shots.

How can you recognize such a course? These courses often have what Jack Nicklaus calls “created challenges”— narrow fairways, hard-to-hold greens, and heavy, thick rough. Add to these things, awkward tee shot angles, uneven fairway lies, and small and elevated greens, and you have a course where hitting a good approach shots is a must. If you play the course a lot, you must learn how to hit precise approach shots to maintain your golf handicap.

On The Tee
Hitting a good approach shot starts on the tee. Rather than blasting the ball as far as possible with your drive, play target golf. You’ve probably read about playing target golf in my golf tips. The key to doing it is picking specific targets for your shots, targets with a real purpose. On courses where good approach shots are vital, playing target golf usually means finding level ground. Sacrificing some power off the tee in favor of hitting the right spot is the smart play, even if you have to tee off with a short club.

Why level ground? Hitting a 5-iron into a green from a level lie beats hitting a
7-iron from a severely angled lie every time. In other words, if you have a course with undulating fairways and you have to hit the ball high to have any hope of stopping it on the green, catching flatter spots from the tee is critical. On difficult courses you often find yourself in situations where it’s next to impossible to hit shots with the high trajectories needed to hold greens, like a steep downhill lie. So target these spots whenever you can.

Keys to Hitting Good Approach Shots
A good approach shot usually has a high trajectory. Hitting the ball with a high trajectory is well within the capabilities of most weekend golfers. It just takes a little practice and an adjustment or two in your stance and swing and you should be able to master it.

Below are five keys to a hitting a shot with a high trajectory. As usual some of the more important elements are built-in at address
* Play the ball a little farther forward in your stance
* Keep the clubface slightly open
* Hold your hands level with or slightly behind the ball.
* Swing under the ball, not around your body
* Release the club freely with your hand and wrists

As far as your swing is concerned, there’s not that much different when hitting a high trajectory. Swing the club pretty much as you normally would, although you may want to swing a little more upright, if you really want to deaden the ball when it hits. Using a fade spin on the ball also helps. Also, try keeping your hands from turning over during the release until well after impact.

Around The Greens
In addition to hit the ball high, you may want to put some backspin on the ball. Backspin works best when the greens are not too hard and there’s some moisture. When the greens are hard, dry, and slick, the ball tends to skip off the green. Also, the more elevated the green, the shallower the trajectory into the spot, so the harder it is to deaden the ball and the stronger the skip off the green’s surface. Also, the smaller the target, the less skipping room the ball has when it hits.

The problem with having the ball bounce off the green is that you never know where it will stop. Depending on the landing spot, you need to consider your options carefully. Choosing the wrong option can really cost you strokes. Depending on the lie and the situation, hit a shot you have confidence in and are proficient at, not a shot you’ve never player before. Staying conservative in this situation saves strokes more often than not, as I’ve said in my golf tips.

If you see players hitting a lot of shots with high trajectories, you know you have a course where hitting good approach shots are a must. Learning to hit approach shots with high trajectories will help you conquer many difficult courses and will keep your golf handicap from ratcheting upwards. Conquering these coursed is a challenge. But it can be done with the help of a well-conceived pre-round strategy and technically sound swing. So don’t be intimidated by them.

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.

The three most common errors I see when giving golf lessons are failing to (1) get down in an athletic posture, (2) slow down the backswing, and (3) stay down through the top of the backswing. Committing one or any combination of these flaws makes it hard for you to achieve consistency. And
inconsistency makes it all but impossible for you achieve a low score or a low golf handicap. But you can generate consistency by correcting those three flaws.

If you want to be more consistent—and achieve a low golf handicap—you need to get down, slow down, and stay down. Correct these problems and you will see a big improvement in your swing and your game. Getting down makes it easier to start the club on the correct swing path. Slowing down makes it easier to keep the club on the right swing path. And staying down keeps your spine angle intact, vital to returning the clubface’s center to the ball at impact.

Below are some adjustments that make it easier to get down, slow down, and stay down.

Begin with Good Posture
Good posture, as I’ve said in my golf tips, is one of the keys to generating power. Poor posture, on the other hand, short-circuits power. If you bend over too much, your shoulders turn to much, creating a reverse weight shift. That in turn moves the body’s weight over the left leg rather than the right leg on the backswing (right-handers). Once the weight shifts left, the result is usually an out-to-in downswing path. If you stand too upright, you’ll tend to swing too far inside. In either case, you’ll either pull or slice.

The address position for the golf swing is the same as for most athletic contests. It resembles that of a tennis player prepared to return a serve or a shortstop ready to field a ground ball. Unfortunately, many weekend golfers don’t achieve this type of posture. Here are the keys to attaining it.

* Set your feet about shoulder width apart (for a driver)
* Center your weight over the insides of your heels
* Hold the club in front of you (like a tennis play waiting to return a serve)
* Flex your knees enough so you can move in any direction
* Adjust your upper arms so they hang directly under the shoulders

If you use these keys as guidelines, you’ll achieve a posture that will help you get down when hitting the ball.

Center Your Weight
Centering your body weight—maintaining your balance—is a key to driving the ball with power. Center your body weight over the balls of your feet, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips. Unfortunately, many weekend golfers move their weight too far forward of their feet, making it harder to maintain their original positions. Centering your weight over the insides of your heels moves it more toward the center of your feet, improving balance. And balance is a must when swinging a club. Focus on maintaining the correct weight distribution in your posture and you’ll build a solid foundation from which to drive the ball.

Keep the Backswing Under Control
One of the biggest problems I see with players taking my golf lessons is the speed of the backswing. Weekend golfers take the club away too quickly. This swing fault breaks down the proper “chain reaction” needed for a good swing. As a result, some parts of the swing race ahead of the others before the other parts have a chance to get started, disrupting your rhythm. Rhythm is the saving grace of many a golf swing.

If you’re going to achieve a swing delivering power and consistency, it’s vital that you allow each phase of the swing to be completed before moving into the next. That’s because the completion of one phase of the swing triggers the start of the next. If one phase isn’t completed, the stimulus needed to start the next doesn’t occur. If the backswing is fast, control of the rest of the swing is lost. For maximum power, you need maximum control, so slow your backswing down.

One way to do this is to copy Ernie Els. Everyone has his or her own pace at which he or she plays. Some people are more comfortable playing quickly. Some are more comfortable playing slowly. So the speed of everyone’s backswing will be slightly different, but it must be done at your pace. Els maintains his pace by using a key phrase as a timing device. As he takes the club back, he repeats the phrase “low and slow” to himself. This phrase not only reminds him to take the club back slowly, but also to stay low on the takeaway.

Other professionals use different phrases, like “smooth and slow,” to time the pace of their backswings. Instead of juggling different swing thoughts, find a phrase that fits your pace. Then use it as a timing device for your backswing. The perfect phrase will encourage a smooth takeaway and a slow backswing. You can also try visualizing the takeaway of a pro with a similar pace as your own.

If you want to achieve the swing you’ve always wanted, work hard on three critical keys: get down into an athletic posture, slow down your backswing, and stay down through the swing. If you master those three swing keys, you’ll be well on your way to developing a consistent, powerful swing that produces a low 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.

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How To Break 80 Newsletter

November 14, 2007

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

1) Hitting The Long Bunker Shot
2) The Eyes Have It
3) Question of the Week – Preventing Yourself From Raising Up On Your Toes
4) Article – Pumping Up Your Game
5) Article – Hitting Good Approach Shots

Jack’s Note:

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1) Hitting The Long Bunker Shot
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The long bunker shot is one of the harder shots in golf. The trick is to get the ball to fly high, and then drop softly on the green. Not an easy task. Many weekend golfers fail in this situation because they try to play a professional level shot that takes a lot of practice to learn and skill to execute. But you can hit the ball high and let it drop softly on the green without doing anything fancy.

The five keys to hitting the long bunker shot are
1. Take your normal stance
2. Grip down lightly on the club
3. Cup the back of the left wrist
4. Maintain the cup on the back of the left wrist
5. Let the arms and hands fall together

To hit this shot, use a normal set-up. Position the ball just inside your front heel, with your stance slightly open and the clubface aimed at the target. Employ an inside-to-square-to inside swing path.

Once you’ve taken your stance, address the ball by gripping down on the club and applying light to moderate pressure. This allows your wrists to hinge freely and enhances your feel for the clubhead. Point the butt of the shaft at your stomach, which cups the left wrist and adds loft to the clubface.

As you start your backswing, cup the back of your left wrist. This adds loft to the clubface, and turns a 55- to 60-degree wedge into a 60- to 70-degree wedge. You’ll need a lot of spin on the ball with this shot, and the key to achieving it is creating a wide arc during your backswing by keeping your hands as far from your shoulders as possible.

On the way down, maintain the cup of the left wrist. Feel as if you’re pulling down with the left arm and lock the back of the left wrist, allowing the clubface to slide through heavy grass without it closing and guaranteeing a high, soft shot. Finally, let the hands and wrist fall together as the body weight shifts to the outside of the left foot. Keep your head behind the ball by trying to peek under it at impact.

While the shot isn’t difficult to execute, it does take practice to master it. So work on it when you get a chance. The effort is worth it because being able to hit the ball high and drop it softly on the green, instead of hitting a screaming pull, eliminates unnecessary strokes from your score.

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2) The Eyes Have It
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The alignment of your eyes has a significant impact on your putting. That’s because they affect the way your putterhead moves through the ball at impact. To be a good putter, your eyes have to be running parallel to the target line at set-up. If they’re not, you’ll probably miss to the right or left.

The way your head tilts at set-up plays a major role in the way you align your eyes to the target line. Basically, if your head tilts toward your right shoulder, your eyes will tend to aim toward the right of the target line. If your head tilts toward your left shoulder, your eyes will tend to aim toward the left of the target line.

So how do you check to see if your head and eye alignment are correct at set-up? One of he best ways is to place a club on the ground and point it directly at the hole. Take your putting stance with the center of your putter face resting on the shaft of the club on the ground.

Now, without altering your head, place your putter along your eye line and see if it’s parallel to the shaft on the ground. If it isn’t, your head and eye alignment is off. Repeat the test until the proper position becomes second nature. At that point, your pushes and pulls should dwindle.

While the greenside lob is a challenge for most weekend golfers, it doesn’t have to be your undoing, not if you follow the keys we list below.

Six keys to hitting a lob over a greenside bunker:
* Check out your lie
* Take a nearly full swing
* Drop the club into the ball
* Keep the clubface pointed to the sky
* Let your legs and body rotate
* Keep your head stable and centered

The key to making this shot is the lie. Check it out carefully before making a decision. If you have a tight lie, you won’t be able to slide your club under the ball and you’ll skull it. If have a fluffy lie, you’ll get under the ball too much and dump it into the bunker. Neither mistake is good. So get a firm sense of how much grass is behind the ball and how much air is under it before deciding what to do.

Once you’re committed, assume a slightly open stance, take a full backswing, and “drop” the club into the ball, popping it up. Keep the clubface pointed to the sky as you complete a short follow-through. And let your legs and body rotate forward, but keep your head stable and centered. If you’re in deeper rough, make a slightly faster swing to compensate for the grass.

You’ll need to work on this shot in practice to master distance control. Place a club 15 yards ahead of you and try landing shots just past it. With practice, you’ll learn to stop properly and to stop worrying about coming up short. You’ll also build confidence. Eventually, you’ll master the shot.

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3) Question of the Week – Preventing Yourself From Raising Up On Your Toes
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Q. Hi Jack, I can’t seem to keep myself from raising up on my toes when I hit off a tee. I try concentrating on staying down, but then just as I start thru the shot I raise up on my left toe and top my tee shot. I also have a pretty quick backswing which I’m sure doesn’t help my problem.

Any suggestions would be really helpful.

Jerry Salmon
Brownsburg, Indiana

A. Thanks for the question, Jerry. Many golfers suffer from the same problem. Often, it’s the result of poor posture. They bend too far over from the waist at address, causing their weight to shift forward. If you’re bent over too much, your shoulders turn too much, creating a reverse weight shift. This in turn moves the body’s weight over the left leg (right leg for left-handers) rather than the right leg on the backswing. Once the weight shifts left, disaster usually follows.

Use a full-length mirror to check your posture. Stand sideways to the mirror, then take your driver and assume your usual stance. Check your posture in the mirror to see how far forward you are. You should be bending from the hips, not the waist. If you’re not, take a few minutes every day and practice assuming the proper stance. Soon you’ll no longer find yourself hitting off your toes.

If your posture is okay, trying hitting off a sloped surface, one where the ball is slightly above your feet at address. This exercise pushes your weight back off your toes. You won’t be able to hit the ball if you bend too far forward or raise up on your toes. This exercise also grooves the proper swing path for hitting straight shots consistently.

As for the speed of your backswing, try saying the words “slow and smooth” as you take the club back. Use the phrase as a timing device. Match the speed of your backswing to the speed at which you say the words. It’s how Ernie Els slows his backswing down, as I’ve mentioned several times in my golf tips.

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/newsletter11142007.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Pumping Up Your Game
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/pumpup.html

5) Article – Hitting Good Approach Shots
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/approach.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.

We’ve all played courses whose greens were too fast or too slow. Some we’ve liked and played well on. Some we’ve disliked and played poorly on. Regardless of how we we’ve done on them, they reiterate one point about putting that’s critical to remember regardless of your golf handicap. Green speed is a major factor in putting. It may be even be the most important one. Misjudging a green’s speed can cause you to miss a putt, even if you have everything else right. That’s why it’s critical you learn to manage ball roll.

Mastering ball roll cuts strokes. It’s a must if you want to be a great putter. In fact, learning to judge a green’s speed is paramount if you’re serious about improving your putting. It’s also paramount if you want to lower your golf handicap. Remember the putter is a key scoring tool in your bag. So let’s take a look at what green speed is and how you can use it to your advantage.

What is Green Speed?
Technically speaking, green speed is not the measure of velocity. Rather, the term green speed describes the condition of putting as it relates to ball-roll distance. In other words, it measures the distance a golf ball travels when released at a controlled speed on the putting surface. The device that measure ball roll on a green for the USGA is called a Stimpmeter. Using this device, a green that has a long ball roll when measured with the Stimpmeter is fast and vice versa.

Green speed changes all the time on a course. It changes not only from year to year and month-to-month, but also from day to day, and in some cases, hour to hour. A green’s speed will be different if you play it in the morning as opposed to playing it later in the evening. Two factors affect the green’s speed, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips. One factor is the environment. The other is management practice.

In terms of environment, things like humidity, temperature, soil type, construction materials, the sun, the time of the year, and so on all affect ball roll. As the relative humidity increases on a course, a small decrease in ball roll takes place. As temperature increases, ball roll increases. Most of these environmental influences work subtlety and are almost imperceptible by the average golfer.

In terms of management practices, things like mowing, rolling, irrigation, topdressing, verticutting, aerating, and so on also help determine green speed. Decreasing nitrogen fertility, for example, gradually increases green speed. A decrease of nitrogen fertility by 10 percent increases ball roll anywhere from 8 to 10 percent. These influences are not nearly as subtle as the environmental ones, and are easily perceived by the average golfer when he steps onto the green.

So how do you take advantage of this knowledge. First, try to get a feel for green speed before you play a round. The practice green at a course is ideal for this. Start by hitting several long putts to see how fast and how far they travel. Then compare those to what usually happens on other greens or what you expect to happen. That gives you some idea of how the greens are playing and how you should play the ball. In fact, make determining green speed before each round a priority every time you play.

Also, start assessing the makeup of the green as you approach the green. The best view of the green’s slope (whether it goes to the right or left) is from 20 yards or so away. Now, factor in green speed based on the knowledge you’ve accumulated by assessing how your ball rolled on the practice green and how it rolled on the other holes you’ve played. Remember, you probably hit practice shots and hour or two ago, so the on-course green will have change somewhat since then.

If the green is fast, choke up on the putter. If the green is slow, use your normal grip. Just remember to go back slightly more to compensate for the slowness in the green. It’s easier to widen the arc on your stroke a bit, than trying to hit the ball harder. Make those slight adjustments and you will be able to master the speed of almost any green.

Managing ball roll well cuts strokes by enabling you to sink more putts. Misjudging ball roll can send you well past the hole or prevent the ball from dropping into the cup, if all other fators are equal. Master ball roll and sink more putts. That in turn reduces your golf handicap. If you’re serious about turning your game around, start by learning how to manage ball roll.

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.