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How To Break 80 Newsletter

January 16, 2008

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

1) Hitting The Hybrid Draw
2) Tapping The Power Of Your Trigger Finger
3) Question of the Week - Hitting the Ball above Your Feet
4) Article - The Spin On Center of Gravity
5) Article - Eight Great Golf Exercises (Part I)

Jack's Note: You got any fun golf trips planned for this year? I know I’d personally love to get out to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin myself. Maybe Royal Litham with a bit more time. What’s your dream course or favorite one to play? I’d love to hear your thoughts…just hit “reply” to this email. And oh yeah, for all the LADIES out there, stay tuned because I’ve got something special planned for you very soon.

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1) Hitting The Hybrid Draw
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Hybrid clubs are great from the fairway. They're easier to hit and control. They're able to provide the distance you need on many long fairway shots. And they're great in the rough, enabling you to dig your way out of deep grass better than with other clubs. These advantages are what make hybrids so popular.

Hybrids are also great off the tee. They're excellent alternatives to hitting a driver or a 3-wood. They're ideal when the hole has a lot of run to it, the fairway is rather tight, or the wind is blowing right at you—situations where a low hard draw is the shot of choice. Used at the right time and place, the hybrid draw can shave strokes off your score.

Below are six keys to hitting the hybrid draw:

* Adopt a closed stance
* Hood the clubface
* Follow an inside path
* Hit down, not up
* Stop short of parallel
* Turn the hands over

The secret to hitting the hybrid draw is making a few simple adjustments to your stance and swing. Begin by setting up with the ball slightly back in your stance, which should be closed a bit. To ensure a low, right to left ball flight, hood the clubface just a bit by turning the club's toe toward the target.

Concentrate on taking the club away on a slightly inside path. Stop well short of parallel on your backswing and swing down as if you're hitting an iron off the fairway. Turn your hand over on the way through the ball, with the right hand eventually resting on the left. Also, try maintaining the slight bend that occurs naturally in your right wrist all the way through impact.

You'll need to practice the shot a bit, like anything new. But once you have the hang of it, you'll look forward to hitting the hybrid draw and whittling strokes off your score.

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2) Tapping The Power Of Your Trigger Finger
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In a recent article I discussed club lag and it's importance to good ball striking. Club lag—how far the club lags behind the hands through impact—plays a huge part in hitting solid shots. Mastering club lag improves club position at impact and enhances ballstriking.

A key to mastering club lag is your right forefinger. (Or in the case of a left-hander, the left forefinger.) Learning to leverage the power in this finger is one of the most overlooked fundamentals in the golf swing. The trick is being aware of how it works when you swing.

The pressure created by the club resting against and across the middle joint of the right forefinger greatly influences your swing. This pressure point transforms that finger into a "trigger finger." It plays a major role in the loading of the backswing and the lagging of the club on the downswing.

Where the grip falls across that finger is where you feel club lag the most. The secret to using this finger effectively is to lay the handle of your club diagonally across the middle joint of the trigger finger. During the swing you want to feel the club's weight on that spot the entire time. This leads to improved club lag.

Chipping In The Rough Drill
Players with high golf handicaps often release the club too soon in the downswing. At impact, the hands should be in front of the ball and the shaft should be leaning forward. To reinforce this feeling, hit shots in the deep rough. As soon as the club contacts the grass, it provides resistance while the hands and body continue turning. This drill teaches you the feeling you want at impact.

Practice this drill as often as you can and you'll master club lag. At the time same, be aware of your trigger finger and how it impacts your golf swing. Work on these two fundamentals and before you know it, you'll be hitting the ball like a pro.

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3) Question of the Week - Hitting the Ball above Your Feet
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Q. Hi, Jack, I have trouble hitting the ball above my feet. Alignment is also problem. What can I do to correct it?

Thanks,
Peter Jinverse

A. Thanks for the question, Peter. Hitting the ball above your feet is a matter of (1) making a few simple adjustments to your stance and swing, and (2) aligning yourself properly before swinging. Here are 5 tips that can help,

-Aim right of the target
-Stand tall throughout the swing
-Keep weight centered over archers
-Sing along slope
-Stay in balance

One key to this shot is aligning yourself right of target, The ball moves right to left (for right-handers) with this shot, so if you line up dead center on target, you'll probably pull the ball left. Instead, line up your shoulders, hips, and feet with the target line, not the flagstick. And since the ball is closer to your upper body, stand taller throughout your swing, but not too tall.

Another key is centering your weight above your arches, not on the balls of your feet. The change helps you swing along the slope and stay in balance throughout the shot.

Many recreational golfers shift their upper body forward during the swing and come into the ball lower than what they were at address, resulting in a fat shot. Or they'll lose balance, pop out of the stance, and hit a weak slice. Keep your posture constant. Maintain the same spine angle that you set at address right on through impact.

With this shot, you also may need to make adjustments to your stance and/or swing. In that case, try choking down on the club and aim about 20 yard to the right of the hole.

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/newsletter01162008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - The Spin On Center of Gravity
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/cog.html

5) Article - Eight Great Golf Exercises (Part I)
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/exercise1.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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