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How To Break 80 Newsletter

August 20, 2008

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

1) Hitting Out Of Shallow Water
2) Increase Accuracy With Proper Alignment
3) Question of the Week - Hitting 3-Wood Off The Fairway
4) Article - Simplify Your Sand Strategy
5) Article - How To Play Blind Shots

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1) Hitting Out Of Shallow Water
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Most water shots are unplayable. Even if you can see the ball, it’s usually too deep to hit it. In that case you’re better off taking a drop and hitting from there. But if the ball is in shallow enough water, you can hit out of it.

Here are six keys to hitting out of shallow water:

* Make sure the ball is above water
* Use a balanced stance
* Keep the club above water
* Position the ball in the center
* Use a wristy swing
* Strike a descending blow

Assess the situation carefully. Make sure at least half the ball is above water. Also, ask yourself if you can take a balanced stance and if you can hit the ball to safety. If the ball is more than half way below the water or the answer to either of those two question is no, take a drop.

To hit a ball from shallow water, you must take a firm, yet balanced open stance. Use a wedge with a sharp leading edge, like a pitching wedge. And don’t let the club touch the water at address. Remember, you’re still in a hazard.

Treat the shot as if you were playing a ball buried in sand. Play the ball in the middle of your stance, close the clubface, and hit down on the ball with a descending blow. Swing aggressively. Also, keep your head steady over the ball. Use a wristy backswing and downswing. Hit down and through the ball without decelerating.

It’s rare that a water ball is playable. But sometimes it happens. Examine the lie carefully before committing to the shot. If the ball isn’t at least half above the water, don’t force the shot. Drop the ball and hit from there.

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2) Increase Accuracy With Proper Alignment
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Many golfers pay little attention to alignment. In a rush to hit their shot, they take their stance, glance quickly in the direction of their target, and hit away. They’re amazed when their shots go awry.

Aligning yourself to the target is a key fundamental. Simply put, you can’t hit your target if you aren’t aligned properly. To increase accuracy, make alignment a vital part of you’re pre-shot routine.

Here is a six-step routine for pre-shot alignment:

* Stand behind the ball
* Line up the target and the ball
* Take a full practice swing
* Focus on the target line
* Set your club along the line
* Take your stance

Start by standing behind the ball facing the fairway. Picking out your target. Be as specific as possible. Draw a line from your target to the ball. Still behind the ball, square your clubface to the target line and take your stance. Take a full practice swing. Visualize the clubhead moving down the target line through impact.

Next, focus on the target line in front of the ball. Walk into your ball from the side, keeping your eyes on the target line. Set your clubhead behind the ball with the clubface pointing down the line, set your feet perpendicular to the line, and settle into your stance. Once in your stance, give the target a final look. Then, turn your eyes to the ball and fire away.

Misalignment costs you strokes. Don’t let it. Use an alignment routine for all shots. It will help you find the safest one to your intended target and increase accuracy. More important, it helps lower your golf handicap.

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3) Question of the Week - Hitting 3-Wood Off The Fairway
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Q. Hi Jack, I can’t hit my 3-wood off the fairway without the ball being raised a little. Can you help me with this? It’s stopping me from hitting a good second shot when in the fairway. Normally, it just doesn’t go very far. Hope you can help?

Thanks.

Billy
United Kingdom

A. Thanks for the question, Billy. First, try moving the ball back a little toward the center of your stance. When you’re hitting off a tee, the ideal ball position is inside your front heel. But in that situation you want to hit the ball on the upswing. Hitting a 3-wood off the fairway requires a descending blow. Moving the ball back a little encourages this.

Below are five other tips on hitting fairway woods:

1) Put your hands slightly in front of the ball
2) Hit the ball with a descending blow
3) Keep the club low on takeaway and through impact
4) Swing with the same tempo as the 7-iron
5) Keep your head steady throughout the swing

To practice hitting a fairway wood, place a tee about 6 inches in front of the ball. Swing the club. When swinging, use the tee as a reference point as you extend the club through the ball. Or, picture a cup about 6 inches in front of the ball and try to drive the ball into the cup.

In addition, try making a wider arc on your backswing by extending your arms away from the target. Also, extend the right arm (left arm for left-handers) on the follow-through. You’ll find it easier hitting a fairway wood by extending your arms and you’ll increase your distance.
You can also hit a 3-wood from the rough, if you can see most of the back of the ball. But you’ll need to take a slightly steeper swing. You want to feel like you’re hitting down on the ball more than normally.

If you’ve got a golf question you’d like answered, tell 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/newsletter08202008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Simplify Your Sand Strategy
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/simplify-your-sand-strategy.html

5) Article - How To Play Blind Shots
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/how-to-play-blind-shots.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, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsetter.htm

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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.

Here are the winners for Friday and Saturday’s drawings:

Roger Gaillardetz

John Frobenius

Joe Iraci

John Warr

Craig Engle

Joseph Sipos

Rich Abthony

Vince Vismara

Pam Holley

Chuck Flowers

If your name is on the above list please email us at support@howtobreak80.com

Congrats again to the winners!

Remember, to be eligible for the free driver you have to have
purchased the new Maximum Distance DVD.

You can see a sample video of it here.

Enjoy!

Jack

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Getting Check On Your Chips
2) Capitalizing On A Downwind
3) Question of the Week - Go Back To The Basics
4) Article - Mastering The Smart Golf Approach
5) Article - Making Golf More Fun

Jack’s Note: Seems the video I sent yesterday caused quite a stir. I honestly thought the tip was good but apparently you guys LOVED it. I mean it’s probably the simplest distance tip I’ve seen but it’ll have you hitting the ball further and with a little draw to it. You can see it here.

And be sure to check the blog for the latest winners of the free drivers.

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1) Getting Check On Your Chips
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If you’re serious about slashing your golf handicap, learn to hit a “slip” shot. It saves strokes. It’s ideal when you need a short shot that bounces and checks, like when the green runs away from you. Mis-hits with that type of green can really cost you. To stop the ball close, you need to generate both height and spin. Unfortunately, the “hit down to make the ball go up” rule doesn’t apply here.

Ads By CbproAdsHere are six keys to hitting a slip shot:

* Distribute your weight evenly
* Position the ball forward of center
* Set your hands behind the ball
* Use a mini-full swing
* Drop hands down toward your body
* Slip the clubface under the ball

Most lob shots require you to hit down on the ball to gain height. But with the slip shot you need to get the club under the ball. So you can’t swing down. The slip technique only works if you swing aggressively through the hitting zone. Don’t slow down or baby the shot, either.

Set up with your weight evenly distributed, the ball positioned just forward of center, and your hands slightly behind the ball. You’ll need this position at impact, too. Now rotate your arms away from the ball in a mini-full swing, promoting a shallow delivery and more speed.

In your transition, drop your hands down toward your body. This flattens your swing plane. Stay on this flatter plane and “slip” the clubface under the ball. It should feel as if you’re rubbing the bottom of the club against the turf beneath the ball. The ball will go up and sit when it comes down.

Take some practice swings before hitting a slip shot. Then go for it. Remember to stop your follow-through at hip height. Master this shot and you’ll shave tons of strokes off your scores.
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2) Capitalizing On A Downwind
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Taking advantage of a downwind is a great way of generating extra distance off the tee. If you can blast your drive high enough to ride the wind, the breeze takes the ball down the fairway, producing extra distance without changing your swing. While you can tee the ball higher to launch it higher, that approach often results in a pop up. You can hit an extra high drive, tough, without teeing the ball higher.

Here are five keys to hitting an extra high drive:

* Play the ball an inch forward
* Assume a slightly wider stance
* Tilt your body back over your knee
* Hang back on your back side longer
* Take a normal swing and finish

Your setup is the key to launching the ball higher. Keep your tee height the same, but move the ball forward in your stance about an inch from where you usually do. Take a slightly wider stance, placing your front leg about a foot forward than normal. And tilt your head back slightly. You want your head hanging over your back knee. You should feel as if your weight is over your back knee.

Take a normal swing. But try to hang back a little. Don’t over do it, though. Just make sure that your head is over your back foot on the downswing. If you hang back too long, you’ll mis-hit the shot. Your momentum should pull you forward into your normal follow-through and finish. Take a few practices swings before trying this technique on the course.

Moving the ball forward and hanging back automatically creates a higher launch angle. So you’re able to hit the ball higher without changing your swing or teeing your ball higher. You can use this same technique to hit a ball over trees to shorten a dogleg.
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3) Question of the Week - Go Back To The Basics
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Q. Hello Jack, I have been playing this game for many years and somehow I seem to be in a rut with my mid irons. I am either hitting fat or splaying the ball out to the right. My confidence is involved here and somehow I feel much of it may be in my head.

Thanks,
Elizabeth Neilson

A. Thanks for the question, Elizabeth. You’re right. Part of the problem is probably a lack of confidence. Your confidence erodes if you continually mis-hit your irons. A lack of confidence can, in turn, cause you to hit your irons poorly. It’s a vicious cycle, one you must break. To do so, try going back to the basics.

For example, check your ball position. For short irons, move the ball back to the middle of your stance, with your club slightly forward of the ball. Since the lowest point of your swing is a few inches forward of the middle of your stance, this means you’ll be hitting down on the ball, the way you should. You also generate deeper divots.

For mid irons, move the ball an inch or two forward from the middle. The longer the club, the more you move the club forward. Think of it as an incremental increase, not a long jump. The club is slightly forward, so you will still be hitting down on the ball. But your divots will be shallower.

For long irons, move the ball forward to a point directly in line with your shirt pocket or the logo. This point is right at the lowest point of the swing, so your club will be slightly behind the ball. The swing becomes slightly more of a sweeping motion when hitting long irons than hitting down on the ball. Your divots will be shallower than with a mid-iron or short iron.

Whenever you find yourself slipping into bad habits, go back to the basics. More often than not, this will solve you problem.

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/newsletter08132008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Mastering The Smart Golf Approach
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/mastering-the-smart-golf-approach.html

5) Article - Making Golf More Fun
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/making-golf-more-fun.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, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsetter.htm

===================================================
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.

Here are the winners for Thursday’s drawing:

Steven Henson

Joseph Sears

Gerry Yeggy

Russell Krueger

Michael Boatwright

If your name is on the above list please email us at support@howtobreak80.com

We’ll have our final drawing tomorrow.

Congrats again to the winners!

Remember, to be eligible for the free driver you have to have
purchased the new Maximum Distance DVD.

Talk soon.

Jack