Golf tips come from all sorts of place. That doesn’t mean they can’t help you chop strokes off your golf handicap. The advice might be from an unusual source, but if you don’t give it an honest evaluation, you might miss a good thing. The important thing is to look not at who the source is, but at the advice itself. When it comes to golf tips, the only thing that matters is, does it work.

Take, for example, Tom Lehman. A five-time PGA Tour champion, the 1996 British Open winner, and the 2006 Ryder Cup captain, Tom had stopped making big putts. Eventually, he started getting advice from fans by mail. He enjoyed reading the letters he got from fans and viewed the letters as sympathetic. After a while, he disposed of them. For some reason though, he kept one man’s letter for three years.

The letter was from a fan some might be consider a most unlikely source. The fan had been following Tom for some time and was trying to support Tom during a difficult time in his career. An amateur player of some note, the fan had been considered an excellent putter. At one point, he had qualified for the North Dakota State Amateur championship. Along the way, the fan had gained a reputation as someone who never choked on a key putt.

Book of Revelation
In addition to the letter, the fan sent a book he had written, published, and sells on his Website. The book’s topic was what the fan called hidden handicaps—those things we unknowingly do and think that handicap our performance, like thinking negative thoughts and dwelling on past failures.

The book was based on the fan’s life experiences as a quadriplegic—the unfortunate result of a car wreck at age 41. The fan had had a tough life since his accident. But despite his injuries, he no longer felt sorry for himself.

One day Lehman met the man. Lehman was in the area anyway and he figured he would stop by and thank the man for the book. Lehman figured that if the man was so tough that he no longer felt sorry for himself, he might have something to offer Tom.

Tom came away from the meeting with a simple insight. The brain can’t process two thoughts at once. Tom had had all these thoughts running around in his head about break, speed, and stroke that it confused him But after talking with the fan, Lehman reduced to one thought and one thought only—roll the ball in the center of the cup. That one simple idea transformed the way Tom approached putting and ahs been benefiting him every day since.

When it comes to golf, we all have hidden handicaps. Tom was thinking about break, speed, and stroke when putting. The combination handicapped his putting in key situations. But Tom could also have been thinking of all the times he had missed big putts in big tournaments, like the Masters or the U.S. Open. Or, the 19 times he finished second on tour. By focusing on one simple thought, he eliminated these handicaps.

Focus on One Simple Thought
The fan’s advice applied to putting. But it could easily have applied to driving or his pitching and chipping. Instead of focusing on the mechanics of your swing when you hit a drive, about where your hands should be, and what your tempo should be, think about keeping your take away low and slow.

Instead of thinking about the swing’s mechanics, like what part of the ball to hit, how to swing down on the ball, and how to create a divot after the ball, think just about hitting an on-course target. Instead of worrying about how high to hit a pitch shot and about making first ball contact all at the same time, focusing on one thing: hitting the landing spot you’ve pricked out on the green. Keeping one thought firmly in minds banishes any negativity that might interfere with your shot or putt.

Players of Tom’s notoriety frequently get advice from fans. In Tom’s case, the fan’s golf tip worked. If he had dismissed it because of its source, he would never have learned what he considers a valuable golf lesson. Golf is difficult. There’s no two ways about it. But by remembering that the mind can only process one thought at a time, you can eliminate our hidden handicaps and put yourself in the right frame of mind.

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.

This article is the first of two on using statistics to improve your game. This week we look at greens in regulation (GIR). Next week, we examine putting.

Among the best—and fastest—ways of cutting one’s golf handicap is by improving your weaknesses. We all love to hit long, straight drives, but if driving isn’t really a weakness, hitting drives at the practice range over and over again won’t do much to improve your game.

Determining your weaknesses is the first step to improving your game. Once you know the, you can work on eliminating them, which could include taking golf lessons from a club pro, reading golf tips in magazines, or practicing on the practice green. And the best way of determining your weaknesses is by tracking your stats. If you’re serious about becoming a scratch golfer, start with your stats.

The More You Know
Tracking your stats is a good way of determining your weaknesses. You might be better at some parts of the game than you think. And vice versa. You won’t know unless you track your stats. You wouldn’t buy a car without knowing a lot about it like how old it is, how many miles it gets per gallon, and how fast it goes. And if its pre-owned, you’d certainly want to know how many miles it’s been driven.

Obviously, the more you know about your game the better off you are. But you can’t rack every stat in the book, either. That would take the fun out of the game. So you need to know just what stats to track. Tracking your stats can also be time-consuming and cumbersome, so you need a method of tracking them that’s fast and easy.

Tracking Greens in Regulations
Among the most important stats to keep is the number of greens hit in regulation (GIR). Often, GIR determines your score. The more greens you hit in regulation, the better your score. Hitting greens in regulation separates the players with high golf handicaps from those with low ones as well as the players who should take golf lessons from those who could give them.

An easy way of tracking GIR is to circle either the hole number or the hole score when you hit a green. Then at day’s end all you have to do is add up the circles and you’ll know exactly how many greens you hit. Keep track of this total after each round. Then after five, figure out the percentage. If you hit a lot of greens in regulation during a round, you’re score will probably be in the 80s or lower.

Interpreting The Data
GIR tells you how well you play your irons. To get a read on your iron play, keep track of your GIF percentage on par 3s. This number represents how well you’re doing under ideal conditions, that is, with a good lie and a clear shot. If you’re not hitting the green on par 3s, chances are good you’re not doing it from the fairways, where you don’t always have good conditions.

Next, record every time you hit a green in regulation with an approach shot using an iron. Put a mark in an empty box on your scorecard. Then circle it if you hit the green in regulation with an iron. Count these marks up after each round, after five rounds, after 10 rounds, and so on. This will tell you just how good you are with your irons and whether you need to work on them.

Tracking Your Irons
Once you know your GIR with approach shots, the next question is are you hitting them with longer or shorter irons. To determine that, use the first nine holes on a separate scorecard and put a check mark next to the hole number that corresponds with the iron you hit into the green.

For example, if you hit an 8-iron into the green, put a check mark next to the 8 on the scorecard. If you hit the green, circle the mark. If you use a 5-iron, put a check next to the 5 on the scorecard and circle the mark if you hit the green with your shot. Afterwards, add up all your stats. You can tell from these how well you’re doing with each iron.

In addition to counting GIR, you should count every time you hit a tee shot that fails to provide you with a position where you can hit a green in regulation. Mark those with an “X” over the hole. At the end of the round, add them all up. Then run this total over 10 or more rounds. That will tell you if your missing greens because of poor iron play or bad driving.

Of course, you may think this tracking system is too cumbersome. If so, feel free to devise your own system. What’s important as far as improving your golf handicap is concerned is not how you track your GIR, but that you track of them. How you do it doesn’t really matter. You’re free to use a different system as long as it tracks accurately. Using these numbers, you can then determine where your weakness lies and which parts of the game to work on.

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

April 09, 2008

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

1) Conquering The Chipping Yips
2) Tackling a Tiered Green
3) Question of the Week - Harnessing the Hybrid
4) Article - Amen Corner Celebrates Its 50th Year
5) Article - Mastering The Masters

Jack’s Note: Ever wondered how Amen Corner got it’s name? Be sure to read today’s article on the great 3 hole stretch at Augusta with a rich history and funny story.

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1) Conquering The Chipping Yips
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Players with the chipping yips have problems making short, easy chips. Instead of leaving themselves an easy putt after their chip, they run the ball well past the hole, adding strokes to their scores and boosting their golf handicaps. If you’re one of those players, don’t despair. There’s a remedy.

Here are 5 keys to curing the chipping yips:

* Control your swing thoughts
* Focus on solid ballstriking
* Keep your weight shifted forward
* Use a chop-like stroke
* Make solid ball-first contact

Golfers develop the chipping yips when they think about decelerating or accelerating the club through the ball. Unfortunately, trying to control acceleration and deceleration during your swing almost never works. To make those easy short chips, banish these thoughts from your head. Instead, focus on making solid, ball-first contact and on the speed of your chips.

Golf Bag Drill
Here’s a drill that helps eliminate the chipping yips: Lay your bag down about 18 inches in front of a ball. Address the ball with your sand wedge and take your chipping stance. Now take your normal chipping stroke. The idea is to clear the bag with the ball without letting the clubhead touch the bag.

The bag forces you to make a chop-like stroke and hit the ball with a sharp descending blow. That type of stroke puts spin on the ball, giving you more control of the ball on the green. The further you want the ball to go, the further you need to take the club back. So practice this drill using different stroke lengths.

Work on this drill until you’ve ingrained it. In time you’ll find that you’ve not only cured your chipping yips, you’ve also learned to control the speed of your chips and chopped two or three strokes from your score in the process.

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2) Tackling a Tiered Green
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Getting up and down often saves par. But for many weekend golfers it’s hard to do, especially when playing uphill to a tiered green, where there’s little room for error. If you struggle to leave pitch shots close when playing to a tiered green, there’s a better way of approaching this shot. Ditch the pitch for an easier to control chip shot.

Below are five tips on playing a long chip:

* Use either a 7-iron or an 8-iron
* Position the ball slightly back of center
* Use a pendulum motion during your swing
* Keep the wrists quiet during the shot
* Accelerate through the ball

A high pitch shot is ideal for tiered greens. But it requires almost perfect execution. If you come up short, the ball might just roll back to you. If you skull the shot, the ball could go sailing past the green.

But you don’t need to score a bull’s eye on a tiered green. You just need to hit the target. In other words, you just need to get it on the green. So instead of playing a high pitch shot, play the long chip.

First, replace your wedge with a 7-iron or an 8-iron, which helps keep the ball low, and set-up with the ball slightly back of center. Think of the club as an extension of your left hand (right hand for lefties). Then, using a pendulum motion with minimal wrist action, hit the ball hard enough to get it past the pin to the back of the green. The hill will slow the ball down and leave it close to the pin.

The long chip often comes in handy. In addition to employing it on a tiered green, you can use it if you tend to skull pitch shots or if you find yourself struggling with touch shots during a given round. Just remember, with these types of shots, all you need to do is get the ball on the green. From there, you can sink a putt to execute your up and down.

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3) Question of the Week - Harnessing the Hybrid
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Q. Hi, Jack, Fantastic ezine! Loaded with helpful tips and strategies that are really helping my game! My question concerns the use of hybrids. With their growing popularity, I’ve purchased one, but I’m struggling to be consistent both from the tee and off the floor, any tips to conquer this?

Thanks,
Peter Caudren

A. Thanks for the question, Pete. The hybrid club takes a little getting used to, so you have to practice hitting them to harness its power. But once you’re mastered it, it’s a godsend, especially in situations where a long iron is needed. Below are some tips on hitting a hybrid:

* In the tee box, tee the ball very low, position it near the center of your stance but more towards the target than the back, and use a smooth tempo and a full swing. You won’t hit it as far as your driver, but it’s easier to control.

* In the fairway, position the ball closer to the center of your stance. Swing down and through, and try hitting the ball first. Look to take a small divot.

* In a fairway bunker, you need a good lie to hit a hybrid. Position the ball in the center of your stance and dig your feet into the sand. Use a shorter swing. And keep it nice and smooth.

* In the rough, position the ball in the center of your stance. Use a three-quarter back swing with a full follow through and a smooth tempo. Accelerate your downswing but don’t try to kill the ball.

* If you’re in front of the green, pitch and run shots as you would with your wedges.

Keeps these tips in mind next time you play. And don’t be afraid to hit your hybrid. You can’t learn to hit it by keeping it in the bag. Once you get used it, you’ll see why it’s so popular.

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/newsletter04092008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Amen Corner Celebrates Its 50th Year
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/amen-corner-celebrates-its-50th-year.html

5) Article - Mastering The Masters
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/mastering-the-masters.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.

The Masters is among golf’s premier Tour events. Played at Augusta National Golf Club, it brings together the Professional Golf Associations (PGA) top players in a four-day tournament considered among the sport’s toughest venues. Started in 1934, the Masters is one of four major tournaments held by the PGA each year. All are played at courses designed to test the mettle not only of players with low golf handicaps, but also professionals with years of experience.

This confluence of the game’s best golfers and a truly challenging course brings out the best—and in some cases the worst—in these players. Over the years, some of golf’s best moments have occurred at the Masters, such as Jack Nicklaus’ farewell a few years ago. The Masters has also been the scene of some of golf’s legendary shots as well—shots that golf teachers can build golf lessons around. I thought it would be fun to look at three of these shots.

Sarazen’s Double Eagle
Gene Sarazen catapulted The Masters into worldwide acclaim during the tournament’s first year when he hit what sports writers have dubbed the “shot heard round the world.” Sarazen’s 235-yard double eagle on the then par-5 15th hole rocked the field that day and helped him win the tournament. The shot forced a 36–hole playoff between Sarazen and Craig Woods, which Sarazen won by five shots.

Sarazen’s double eagle is one of only three double eagles in the Tournament’s history. In 1967 Bruce Devlin’s scored a double eagle on the 8th hole, slamming it in from 248 yards out using a 4-wood. In 1994, Jeff Maggart used a 3-iron to earn a double eagle on the 13th from 222 yards away. Neither shot had the drama of Sarazen’s, but they earned Maggart and Devlin a place in golf history. A plaque at the spot of the shot commemorates each double eagle.

Palmer’s Controversial Shot
In 1958 Arnold Palmer was involved in what many feel is the tournament’s most controversial moment. Palmer’s tee shot to the par-3 hole landed behind the green and plugged. Palmer believed he was entitled to relief —under a local rule in effect that week —because the ball was embedded. And Ken Venturi, Palmer’s playing partner, agreed.

But the rules official on the scene, Arthur Lacey —a former president of the British PGA and a member of the 1933 and ‘37 GB&I Ryder Cup team—did not. He ruled Palmer had to play without relief. An argument ensued, and Palmer eventually played the ball, gouging it out of the turf, hitting a poor chip past the hole, and then two-putting for a double-bogey 5. Venturi made par and assumed the lead. Or so he thought.

Feeling he had received a bad ruling, Palmer announced he was playing a second ball. This time, with a drop to a clean lie, he chipped up near the hole and made par. The twosome played on, waiting for a rules committee to decide Palmer’s fate. The committee decided in favor of Palmer and he was declared the winner of the tournament. Palmer’s play that day led to the coining of the term Amen Corner for the 11th, 12th, and13th by Herbert Warren Ward in an article for Sports Illustrated.

Tiger’s Chip On The 16th
And who could forget Tiger Woods chip-in on the 16th hole on his way to winning the 2005 Masters. Hitting his second shot on this par-3 hole, Tiger faced what many considered one of the toughest pitches on the course. He had to not only negotiate a very difficult slope into the hole, but a lie that placed his ball up against a second cut of grass off the green. The lie was forcing him to have to hit a delicate low shot rather than a preferred high shot.

Woods picked out a landing spot, just like I emphasize in my golf tips, put the ball back in his stance, and chipped away. He hit his landing spot perfectly, which was somewhere near the top of the slope. The ball rolled a few feet, turned right, and then trickled down toward the hole. At the hole, the ball teetered on the cup’s lip for a second or two… before taking one more turn and falling in.

Anyone who wishes to see Tiger’s shot can view it on YouTube. It’s an entire golf lesson packed into a few seconds of video. What’s interesting about this shot is Tiger’s intense concentration under pressure and his determination to hit the shot perfectly. If YouTube had snippets of all The Masters great shots, you’d see the same mind set from all the players involved. It’s the type of concentration you must develop if you want to cut your golf handicap down to single digits.

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.