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How To Break 80 Newsletter

April 23, 2008

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

1) Hitting the Super-cut Lob
2) Adding Power To Your Swing
3) Question of the Week - Overcoming the Shanks
4) Article - Attacking The Pin Cuts Golf Handicap
5) Article - Start With Your Stats, Part II

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1) Hitting the Super-cut Lob
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Dave Peltz, one of golf's short game gurus, calls it the "super-cut lob." It's a lob shot where the ball goes almost straight up and down. Phil Mickelson hits this shot probably better than anyone else. While you won't need to hit this shot too often, it's nice to practice it anyway. That way you'll be ready for it when you need it. And practicing this shot makes a normal lob feel easy.

Here are five keys to hitting the "super-cut lob:

* Assume a slightly open stance
* Aim 30 degrees left of target
* Position the ball in middle of your stance
* Open your clubface to 45 degrees
* Swing the club hard

Find an open place to practice this shot in case you mis hit it. You don't need a green to practice this shot, but it would be nice to have something to go over like a hedge, a bunker, or a small tree. You also need a grassy lie, so the leading edge of your club can get under the ball.

Start by setting up in front of the object with a slightly open stance and aiming the clubface 30 degrees left of your target. Position the ball in the middle of your stance. Grip your most lofted wedge with the clubface open at least 45 degrees. Now swing hard. Do worry about where your shot goes the first few times. After each successful attempt, open the club face even more and aim further left. Your shots will launch higher and fly shorter as you open up.

Hit a bucket of balls this way. Now hit another bucket, but open your stance only half as far left, rotate the clubface only half as much, and swing only half has hard. This is the shot you'll use during a round. It's a great shot when you need to go over a bunker where the hole is cut close to the edge of the bunker. Keep it in mind.

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2) Adding Power To Your Swing
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Conventional wisdom says that right-handed golfers should keep their left arms as straight as possible in the backswing. Vice versa for left-handers. Keeping a straight left arm creates a nice wide arc for the swing, generating power. Unfortunately, it's hard for some golfers to keep their arms straight in the backswing. But big hitters don't keep their arms as straight as possible. They stretch them as far as possible, which in turn straightens them.

Here are some other keys to creating a power-laden swing:

* Widen your stance for stability
* Point your left toe toward the target (right-handers)
* Don’t rush the backswing
* Make a smooth transition to the downswing
* Hit hard with your right hand (right-handers)

After selecting a target and determining the ball’s flight path, take an address position designed to generate power. Widen your stance slightly, which improves stability and provides a solid base from which to swing. Also, open your left foot so that it's pointing slightly toward the target. This allows your hips to clear easier during the swing.

Now, place about 60 percent of your weight on your left side (for right-handers), promoting a good power coil. Take the club away nice and slowly. But instead of focusing on keeping your left arm as straight as possible, try stretching it out as much as you can by applying force with your right hand. Make a smooth transition to your downswing. And hit the ball hard with your right hand.

Here's an exercise that teaches you to stretch your arm out as far as you can: Without a club, take your regular grip. Pretend your left thumb is the top of the shaft and make a mock backswing. In taking the club back to the top, apply pressure from the lifeline area of your right hand. This pressure automatically straightens out your left arm, making your swing as wide as it can be.

You can do this exercise anywhere, so work on it as often as you can. Before long, you'll be driving the ball father than ever.

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3) Question of the Week - Overcoming the Shanks
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Q. Hi, Jack, A couple of months ago while in the middle of a round, I hit a horrible shot that went pretty hard out to the right. On the next full swing I did the same. By the end of the round, I was ready to throw my clubs in the course pond. I have been trying to correct the problem, and for the most part have been playing well. The other day I went out for another round and the shanks were back. What can I do? Hope you can help.

Kind Regards,
Kyle Joseph

A. Thanks for the question, Kyle. The shanks are caused by either standing too close to the ball, preventing your hands from swinging freely past your body, or shifting your weight forward on your toes, throwing the hands and the clubface too far from the body. Maintaining too tight a grip also causes the shanks, since it, too, prevents your hands from swinging freely past your body. Below are some fixes:

* If weight shift is the problem, curl your toes inside your golf shoes and maintain them throughout the swing. If that doesn’t cure it, place a golf ball under the front of each foot, pushing your weight back on your heels.

* If gripping the club too tightly is the problem, pretend you're holding an egg. If you squeeze the club too hard, you'll break the egg. That relaxes your grip.

* If your swing path is the problem, place a ball about an inch or so outside your ball. Then, try hitting the inner ball cleanly. Sense that your hands are closer to your body through impact and that you’re going to hit the ball on the club’s toe. If you hit both balls, your hands and the clubface are still too close to the ball. Try exaggerating the feeling until the shanks disappear.

Having the shanks is no fun. But try these fixes and you should eliminate them from your game.

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/newsletter04232008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Attacking The Pin Cuts Golf Handicap
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/attacking-the-pin-cuts-golf-handicap.html

5) Article - Start With Your Stats, Part II
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/start-with-your-stats-part-2.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.

This article is the second of two on using statistics to improve your game. Last week we reviewed hitting greens in regulation (GIR). This week we look at putting

Determining your weaknesses is the first step to improving your game. Once you know your weaknesses, you can eliminate them by taking golf lessons, reading golf tips, and/or practicing on the range. And the best way of finding your weaknesses is by tracking your stats. So if you're serious about becoming a great golfer, start with your stats.

Tracking your putting, like keeping tabs on greens in regulation, is a good place to start with your stats. Good putting lowers golf handicaps. At least 30 percent of your shots during a round are putts. So even if you're a great ballstriker, you can still have a high golf handicap, if you're a poor putter. That's how important putting is.

But tracking your putting stats is only half the battle. The other half is interpreting them. Knowing how to read your stats provides vital performance information. Below we'll discuss not only how to track your putting stats, but also how to read them.

Tracking Total Putts
Tracking total putts is as good a way of judging putting performance as any. For clarification, putts are strokes taken from the putting surface. So if you're not on the putting surface and you hit the ball, the stroke doesn’t count as a putt even if you use a putter to make it.

Begin by keeping track of the number of putts you take on each hole. Many weekend golfers do this already. If you don't, start now. At the end of the round, add up the total number of putts you take. Then, create a spreadsheet and write down the totals over all your rounds. Those numbers tell you just how much your putting influences your score and how well you putt.

For comparison, golfers shooting in the 90s average about 37 putts per round. Golfers shooting in the 80s, about 34 putts per round. And golfers shooting in the 70s, about 31 putts per round. The pros average about 29 putts per round.

Keep Tabs on Lag Putting

In addition to tracking the total number of putts, keep tabs on lag putting. You want to track how many putts of 30 feet or more you get within thee feet of the hole. That stat tells you if your lag putting is hurting your overall putting performance. When you write down the number of putts you take on a hole, circle the number if a lag putt left you within three feet of the hole. Then total the circles up and keep track of them on your spreadsheet. That stat also tells you how important first putts are.

Creating More Short Putts
Practicing your putting, reading golf tips, and taking golf lessons improves putting performance and your golf handicap. But another good way of cutting down on the number of putts you make is by improving your chipping. Getting the ball closer to the hole by improving your chipping leaves you with shorter, more makeable putts. Hence, you'll one-putt more and three-putt less. In golf, it's called getting up and down.

Tour players get up and down within 10 feet of the hole more than 90 percent of the time. But they don't do it just because they're better putters. They do it because they chip close enough to the pin to one-putt. Weekend golfers chip to about 10 feet away, then miss the putt, adding strokes to their scores.

Put a check mark next to the number of puts you take next time you play. Circle the check mark when you chip to within three feet of the hole. As the circles increase, the total number of putts decreases.

Compare GIR and Putts
If you've been tracking greens in regulation, you can use that as an indicator of putting performance as well. The more greens you hit, the few putts you'll take. Compare GIR with total putts. As the total number of greens in regulation goes up, the total number of putts goes down. In other words, good iron play improves your average score and golf handicap.

The secret to keeping your stats is watching the trends that develop over the long haul. These trends tell you what your weaknesses are and what areas you need to improve. Once you know that, you can develop a program designed to lower your golf handicap. So start track putting performance now. It's worth the time and effort.
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.

Professional golfers get up and down from within 10 feet 90 percent of the time. That's why they score so well on tough courses like Augusta National Golf Club, where they play the Masters. Getting up and down is critical to slashing strokes from your average score and your golf handicap. Master this aspect of your game and you'll not only play better each round, you'll be more consistent as well.

Professional golfers get up and down more often not because they're better putters than we are, but because they're more accurate from short yardage in. They get the ball closer to the hole more often than we do, leaving themselves short, makeable putts. And knowing how to attack a pin is critical to getting the ball closer from short yardage in.

A Typical Scenario
You've just hit a 7-iron from about 160 yards, but you hit it a little thin and you've left yourself about 20 yards short of the green. Your lie is good and your path is clear. You're tempted to grab your sand wedge and make a long backswing if the pin is back and a short backswing if the pin is up. But let's hold on for a second. Make a mistake here and you'll cost yourself strokes.

Fortunately, there's another approach to this shot, one that many players with low golf handicaps favor and that I teach in my golf lessons. Each pin position (short, middle, long) requires a different loft, spin, and carry if you want to get the ball close. That means learning three different pitch shots. Luckily, they're remarkably similar to your every day technique. Let's examine each individually.

Front Pin
Too often golfers try to lob the ball into the air with a front pin. That takes perfect execution. Instead, play for a low shot. Use your lob wedge instead of your sand wedge, play the ball off your back foot, and set your weight over your front foot.

The secret to making this shot is in the stroke you take. Instead of making a normal stroke, keep your wrists quiet and make a simple pendulum like stroke back and forth, like you would on a long putt. Take several practice swings before hitting the ball to ingrain the stroke, then step up and hit. This shot gives you just enough loft and run to stop the ball close.

Middle Pin
In this situation you want to land the ball on the front third of the green, then let it run to the pin. You can use your sand wedge, but if you're more comfortable with a gap wedge that works, too. The difference is that the sand wedge gives you slightly more spin. That slows down the roll to the pin.

Position the ball in the middle of your stance and distribute your weight evenly. Take your hands back a bit more than on the previous shot to about thigh high. Don't break your wrists. If you do, you'll probably pitch it past the hole. Now, swing away.

Back Pin
The goal with this pin placement is landing the ball halfway between you and the pin. Check the break on the green before hitting the shot. Since you're counting on the ball rolling as far as it flies in the air, make sure you know which way the green breaks after the ball lands. Use a gap wedge with this shot, unless the pin is way back or the green tilts uphill, then drop down to a pitching wedge.

With this shot you need to hinge your wrists so that the club is just above your hands. Keep your hands together. And keep your hands just ahead of the clubhead all the way to impact. This type of stroke gives you just enough loft and roll to get it close to the pin, if you've read the break on the green correctly.

Mastering these three shots increases short-yardage accuracy. But you must pick out a landing spot before hitting the ball. Choosing a landing spot and then hitting it is vital to executing all three shots perfectly and achieving a nifty up and down. Do that and you'll chop strokes off your average score and 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.

How To Break 80 Newsletter

April 16, 2008

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"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
===================================================

In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Work on Lag Putting
2) Getting Back To Basics: The Pre-shot Routine
3) Question of the Week - Make Captain Hook Walk The Plank
4) Article - Start With Your Stats, Part I
5) Article - Watch Out For Hidden Handicaps

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1) Work on Lag Putting
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If you're like most players, you spend time on the practice green hitting six-footers or eight-footers before a match. That's fine, but you practice long putts as well. They will give you a feel for the green's speed and for how hard you must hit the ball to make a long one. With a 20-foot to 40-foot putt, lag putt to reduce the chances of three-putting.

Here are five tips on lag putting:

* Step off the distance to the hole
* Take practice strokes behind the ball
* Stand taller in your stance.
* Take a long smooth stroke
* Imagine a 2-foot ring around the hole

Stepping off the distance gives you an idea of how long the putt really is. Do this quickly so as not to delay others. Facing the target when taking practice strokes provides a feel for the stroke you’ll need to get the ball close. Standing tall while putting encourages a long, smooth stroke. And imagining a two-foot ring around the hole lessens the pressure off by giving you a bigger target. Aim for the ring, not the hole.

Try this exercise to improve lag putting: Take five balls to the practice green. Put tees in the green 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet from the hole. Your goal is to putt all five balls within three feet of the hole. Mix it up. Start at 40 feet, then move to 30 feet, then 50 feet, then 20 feet. Mixing distances prevents you from just grooving a slightly longer stroke and hones your feel for speed and distance.

But don't change distances until you get all five balls within three feet of the hole. If you miss, start over again at the same distance. Trust me. If you put four in, you'll feel the pressure of putting the fifth close to the hole.

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2) Getting Back To Basics: The Pre-shot Routine
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Weekend golfers often have problems with swing mechanics after a long layoff. That's no surprise. Even the best golfer needs to get back in tune if he or she hasn't played for a few months. If that's you, try going back to the basics. And one of the best places to begin is with your pre-shot routine.

Below is a good pre-shot routine:

1. Stand behind ball/visualize the shot
2. Position yourself parallel to the target line
3. Place the clubhead behind the bal
4. Square the clubface to the target
5. Look at target/visualize shot
6. Relax your arms/waggle the club
7. Look at the target again
8. Sense the shot, exhale, and swing

Pre-shot routines help develop swing consistency. Each component of the routine helps you swing the club correctly. The components also can be modified to suit your needs. But you must use a routine every time you take a shot. Repetition develops consistency and consistency cuts strokes from your scores.

A pre-shot routine prepares you physically and psychologically for hitting the ball. It helps eliminate bad swing thoughts and it sharpens your focus. If you're interrupted, step away from the ball and start the routine again. Re-starting focuses you squarely on hitting the ball.

Take time to develop your own pre-shot routine. Once developed, practice it until you're comfortable with it. You can practice it in the comfort of your home over the long winter months to stay sharp. And you should work on it before getting on the course after a long layoff. It's a good way of getting yourself back in the groove if you haven't played for a while.

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3) Question of the Week - Make Captain Hook Walk The Plank
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Q. Hi, Jack, At times I can hit the ball reasonably straight off the tee. I rarely ever slice. Sometimes, I hit a nice draw, too. My problem is, I tend to develop a hook the more I play a round. It can even turn into an "almost" duck hook at times. I don't hook irons, but I can't seem to make an on-course correction, once Captain Hook shows up.

I know there aren't any quick fixes in golf, but I thought you might have a few suggestions. I'm a 16 handicap.

Thanks,
Dick Olmsted
Glen Ellyn, IL

A. That's a great question, Dick. I don't recommend making on-course complicated adjustments. It tends to mess up your swing during the entire match. Instead, try compensating for it during the match, and then go to the range later on and correct the problem.

When playing, try moving all the way to the left of the tee box. (Vice versa if you're left-handed.) You can move all the way over. Just make sure the ball is teed between the markers. If you move outside the markers, make sure the ground you’re standing on is flat. Moving compensates for the hook without altering your swing.

At the range, try working on one of these five adjustments individually. Each is designed to produce a swing that delivers the clubface on a better impact through impact.

1. Weaken your right hand grip
2. Open up your upper body in relation to the target line at address
3. Make sure the toe of the club points skyward
4. Work on "clearing" your body through impact
5. Hit shots from a sidehill lie with the ball below your feet.

Then, find a combination that eliminates your hook. Once you find the right combination, work on ingraining it until the fix is "permanent."

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.

===================================================
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/newsletter04162008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Start With Your Stats, Part I
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/start-with-your-stats-part-1.html

5) Article - Watch Out For Hidden Handicaps
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/watch-out-for-hidden-handicaps.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

===================================================
About the Author
===================================================
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.