Golf Tips & Instruction- 04/30/08
How To Break 80 Newsletter
April 30, 2008
===================================================
“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”
===================================================
In this issue we’ll discuss…
1) Warming Up Your Wrist Hinge
2) Elbows Rule In Putting
3) Question of the Week - Getting It Together On The Course
4) Article - Hitting More Greens Cuts Golf Handicaps
5) Article - Smashing It Straight
===================================================
1) Warming Up Your Wrist Hinge
===================================================
Maybe you were finishing a last minute project at work, traffic was heavier than anticipated, or something out of the ordinary occurred. Whatever it was, it prevented you from hitting balls at the practice range. Now you find yourself on the first tee, and you’re tight.
Luckily, you hit your first drive fairly straight. You’re about 170 yards to the green and you need a mid-iron to get to the pin. But with a tight swing, you know you’ll never make it. What do you do? You need to find the rhythm and timing in your swing before hitting your next shot.
Setting the club correctly in your backswing is the key to doing this. This critical move ties everything in your swing together. The key is rehearsing this move a couple of times before swinging.
Here are 5 tips on how to do that:
* Take your regular address position
* Cock the club
* Bend your wrists back
* Make sure the club is parallel
* Watch for the wrinkles
Take your normal address position. Then, cock the club straight up by hinging your wrist until the shaft is just short of horizontal. Now, take the club back by bending your wrists until the club’s shaft is parallel to the target line. As you do, check your right wrist. If you’re left-handed, check your left wrist. If you see wrinkles across the back of your right wrist, you’ve done it correctly.
Do this exercise a few times before you hit your next shot. It only takes a few seconds. But it helps produce a more fluid swing. And getting off to a good start makes a difference in how well or poorly you play the round.
===================================================
2) Elbows Rule In Putting
===================================================
Starting the ball on line is critical in putting. If your putts are not on line, there’s no way to correct for it once the putt is made. The ball just keeps rolling right on past the hole. That’s why professional players emphasize this phase of putting. They know what happens when they don’t
Your elbows play an important role in making sure your putts start on line. New studies using advanced motion analysis systems indicate that the distance between your elbows says a lot about your putting setup and your ability to start the ball on line when putting. These studies show that when your elbows are 12 inches apart, with the pockets pointing almost straight up, they bend the right amount to put you in the best position to smooth stroke back and forth on the ideal path.
Here are the findings from the studies:
* When your elbows are less than 12 inches apart, your arms become too tight to make a fluid stroke. You have to stand up to keep your hands on the handle of the club.
* When your elbows are about 12 inches apart, your arms hang relaxed and tension- free, they way they should. In addition, your shoulders square up to the target line.
* When your elbows are greater than 12 inches apart, your posture becomes too hunched over. You’re likely to stand up during your stroke and push the ball to the right. Vice versa for left-handers.
One of the keys to sinking a putt is placing your elbows about 12 inches apart when you set up. Once you’ve taken your putting stance, check to see how far apart they are. Use a mental picture of a ruler to figure the distance. If you’re elbows aren’t 12 inches apart, make an adjustment. This exercise helps your putts get off on the right path every time you putt.
=====================================================
3) Question of the Week - Getting It Together On The Course
=====================================================
Q. Hi, Jack, I started playing golf again after nearly 40 years and I just love it. Things have changed some during that time, and basically, I have had to start over. I have extensively studied swing mechanics and I am familiar with them. However, I have a hard time putting it all together on the course. I usually do fine on the range and putting green, but struggle on the course. Do you have any suggestions on how to overcome the mental “overload “on the course and bring everything together?
Thanks,
Joe Klumpp
Mandeville, LA.
A. That’s a great question, Joe. Many people have the same problem. And one of the biggest reasons is thinking too much about what happened on the last hole. Forget the two-footer you just missed, the bad drive you just made, or the lake that’s coming up. Instead, focus on the five-footer you have right now. Block everything else out.
Below are other mental strategies you can use to help you control the one thing in your game you can control—how you play.
Think Small
Hitting to an area isn’t always good enough. Think smaller. Pick out a spot on the green or the fairway and hit to it. It’s called narrowing your focus.
Use Visualization
Visualization is powerful. Use it as much as you can. All sport is led by the mind: what you see is what you get. The easiest way to access the power of visualization is through mental imagery.
Stay in the moment
Stay in the moment. Don’t think about the outcome of your shot. When you do, you’re focusing on the uncontrollable. Focus instead on what you can do now.
Enjoy the game
Why do you play? Is it for relaxation? Camaraderie? Mastery? Whatever the reason, remind yourself every why you originally started playing. If you’re going to play golf, you might as well enjoy it. Right?
These mental strategies work. They may not turn you into a PGA pro, but they will help you get it together on the course. If you’re serious about improving your game, work on both the physical and the mental sides of the 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.
===================================================
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/newsletter04302008.html
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article - Hitting More Greens Cuts Golf Handicaps
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/hitting-more-greens-cuts-golf-handicaps.html
5) Article - Smashing It Straight
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/smashing-it-straight.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.
