Golf Tips and Instruction 7/2/08
In this issue we’ll discuss…
1) Firing Up The 5-wood
2) Hitting Over A Tree
3) Question of the Week – Perfecting Your Draw
4) Article – Use The Hybrid To Cut Your Golf Handicap
5) Article – Don’t Flip It, Release It
Jack’s Note: So sorry about the snafu earlier this week with the bad link. We’re getting so much traffic to the blog these days that we’re going to be moving it to a new host to ensure we don’t run into this again. Despite these challenges, many of you still wanted to view it so we put up a temporary page here on a different server. And lastly, for the Americans, Happy Independence Day!
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1) Firing Up The 5-wood
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While the 5-wood isn’t as formidable a long-range weapon as the 3-wood or the driver, it’s still a potent offensive tool. It’s more versatile than a long iron. It hits the ball high. And it allows you to hit various shots. But you need to know when and how to hit it to get the most out of this club.
Here are five tips on hitting the 5-wood:
1. Check the loft on the club
2. Use a normal tempo
3. Look to create a small divot
4. Use a descending blow
5. Keep the ball low off the tee
The 5-wood is a versatile club. You can use it off the deck or off the tee. Many golfers carry a 5-wood in their bag and replace the long irons with a hybrid. Before buying a 5-wood, check the club’s loft. It should have at least 19-degrees, making it easier to get the ball higher in the air than with a long iron.
If you’re using the 5-wood in the box, tee it up low, take a normal stance, and make a descending blow, like you were hitting an iron. Don’t vary the tempo of your swing or try to overpower the ball. Like every club in the bag, the 5-wood has its limits. If you’re hitting it off the deck, you’ll generate a small divot when you hit correctly—that’s the result of the club’s shallow face.
You can also use the 5-wood hit a low shot in windy conditions. If you’re looking to hit a low shot, grip down on the club and stand closer to the ball. Many weekend golfers think you have to stand far away from the ball with the 5-wood, like you would if you were using a driver. You don’t
The 5-wood may not be the weapon that the driver is or the 3-wood. But it has its uses. Smart golfers learn when and how to use it.
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2) Hitting Over A Tree
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You’ve sliced your drive and you’ve come to a stop behind a tree. You’re still a ways from the green and you need to advance the ball. After assessing the situation, you realize that your only shot is going over the tree. You’ve seen others do it, but this is your first time, so you’re a bit apprehensive. But if you can pull it off, you’ll eliminate a big number from your scorecard and maybe save par.
Here are six tips on hitting over a tree:
* Check your lie carefully
* Look high in the sky
* Shift your weight back
* Slide the ball forward
* Think speed, speed, and speed
* Finish in a reverse “C”
Check your lie carefully before addressing the ball. If the ball doesn’t have a cushion of grass beneath it, the shot could end up a disaster. After addressing the ball, look high in the sky. This effectively drops your back shoulder, shifts your weight to your back foot, and positions your head and the club’s shaft behind the ball. Also, slide the ball forward in your stance.
To hit this shot, you need speed, speed, and more speed. Use a big swing. You should end up in that old school reverse “C” position you’ve seen in photographs of players like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer. This type of swing creates a more upward hit through the ball, resulting in a much higher launch than usual.
To achieve the kind of speed you need for a shot like this, try hitting some practice shots with the small finger of your left hand (right for left-handers) off the club. This slight lack of control gives you an idea of the type of speed you need at impact to launch the ball high enough to get it over the tree.
Hitting over a tree isn’t a shot I’d try too often. It’s difficult to pull off. But sometimes the situation dictates it. In that case, keep our tips in mind and think high in the sky.
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3) Question of the Week – Perfecting Your Draw
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Q. Hi Jack, For years I have fought the “Slice/Block with various drivers. I recently purchased the Taylor Made with the removable screws. I have left the screws intact and the first month or so I was hitting it high and straight but with fairly good distance (the loft is 11.5). In the last couple of weeks I have learned to keep it down and it is drawing a lot with 15 to 20 yards more distance 235-250 yards. My problem is that frequently the draw turns in to a big sweeping hook that has caused me to out of bounds left. How can I control the draw?
Thank you,
Patrick Johnston
A. Thanks for the question, Patrick. There are a couple of reasons why your shot turns into a hook. One is excessive hand and wrist rotation through the downswing. Instead of hitting the ball with a squared clubface, you’re hitting it with a closed one. This could be the result of using a slicer’s grip at address. So check your grip before swinging. Make sure you haven’t adopted a slicer’s grip at address.
Another reason is that your body fails to turn during your swing. When this happens, the clubface closes too fast, causing the ball to hook. If that’s the case, the way to cure the problem is simply to speed up your turn to the target. Increasing your body’s rate of rotation delays the closing of the clubface, eliminating the hook.
Try the Tennis Swing Drill to perfect the rotation of your body, forearms, and clubhead through impact to impart draw-spin on the ball.
Hold a tennis rack in your right hand. (Use your left hand if left-handed.) Now pretend someone has hit a ball to you and turn sideways to hit the ball. Swing halfway back. Now start a forward transition, mimicking the action a tennis player makes when hitting a topspin-forehand shot. Once you’ve ingrained that feeling, hit golf shots with your right hand only, again mimicking the tennis swing. Finally, use both hands on the club.
When you start using two hands on the club, visualize yourself hitting a tennis ball and carry that through your swing. That helps you ingrain the proper feel of a draw.
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/newsletter07022008.html
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article – Use The Hybrid To Cut Your Golf Handicap
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/use-the-hybrid-to-cut-your-golf-handicap.html
5) Article – Don’t Flip It, Release It
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/dont-flip-it-release-it.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.
