In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Hitting Irons From Wet Turf
2) Putting From A Bunker
3) Question of the Week – Inside/Outside Swing Arc
4) Article – Going Low Trims Golf Handicap
5) Article – Beating The Yips Reduces Golf Handicap

Jack’s Note: I’ve been working on my own game quite a bit lately and I want to share a really important breakthrough I made with my swing. As a golfer you know how cool it is when you really start to swing the way you know you can. It’s very exciting stuff and I’m sure it will help your game at least as much as it has mine. Anyway, I’ll send you a note in the next couple of days about it. Enjoy the newsletter!

1) Hitting Irons From Wet Turf
Last week I played a course the day after it rained. The turf was wet and soft, even though the day we played was warm and sunny. Wet turf increases the difficulty of hitting irons and costs you strokes, if you’re not careful. But you can conquer this challenge by making the right adjustments.

Here are six keys to hitting off soggy turf:

* Grip down on the club
* Position the ball for the iron used
* Stand taller to the ball
* Hover the club above the ball
* Line up the edge with the equator
* Hit the grass in front of the ball

The secret to hitting irons when the grass is wet is in your setup. Since you’re on soft ground, your feet sink a bit at address. To compensate, you must adjust your stance and grip and make ball first contact.

Choke up about an inch on whatever club you’re using, lowering your swing arc. Position the ball in the center of your stance for short irons. But move it forward just a bit for long irons or hybrids. Also, stand a little taller. That putts you in a better position to swing down on the ball.

On the downswing, hit the grass in front of the ball. Aim for a spot about an inch beyond the ball. You want to hit the back of the ball first and then drive it into the ground, negating the turf’s effects.

In addition, keep a towel with you and make every effort to keep the handles of your clubs dry. If you have to lay one down, place it on top of a tee stuck in the ground. Keeping the handles dry prevents the clubs from slipping from your grasp when you swing.

2) Putting From A Bunker
The sand wedge is designed specifically for hitting out of a greenside bunker. But sometimes a bunker’s conditions prohibit its use. That’s when a good golfer turns to alternatives. One is a putter. In the right situation a putter is an ideal option for escaping a greenside bunker.

Assessing the situation before selecting the putter is paramount. The following five conditions must exist to use a putter in a bunker:

1. Firm, hard, well-packed sand
2. Absence of a high lip
3. Absence of a high collar of grass
4. Not more than five feet of sand
5. The hole is fairly close

The sand must be firm and well packed. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get enough roll to get the ball out of the bunker. Also, you need the absence of both a high lip of grass or landform between your ball and the green, and a hairy collar of grass between the bunker and your ball. Either condition could prevent the ball from rolling up, out of the bunker, and onto the green.

In addition, the ball shouldn’t have to roll over more than five feet of sand. It’s often harder to roll a ball over sand than long grass. Nor should the hole be far from the bunker. That way the ball doesn’t have to go far after it rolls out of the bunker.

When you take the shot, keep your head down and follow through with the putterhead. Line up the shot just like you do with a long putt. Examine the break in the green and choose an appropriate target line. Keep speed foremost in your mind.

This shot is a little tricky. So try to find a range with a bunker where you can practice it before using it in a round. Also, the right situation is more likely to present itself after a good amount of rain. So keep it in mind on those occasions.

3) Question of the Week – Inside/Outside Swing Arc
Q. Hi Jack, I am a bit confused as to what is meant by inside/outside swing arc. When I take the club back into my back swing I take the club back to the inside and when I start my down swing the club is to the outside?

Thanks,
SAGL888

A. Thanks for the question. Here is what we mean when we say a player has an inside/outside swing arc.

Imagine a large clock on the ground. The number 12 on the clock points directly toward the center of the fairway. A right-handed golfer—standing about where the number 9 is on the clock—addresses the ball as a player normally would. Since the golfer is right-handed and standing on the 9, the number 6 on the clock is to her right. The ball is at the 3 o’clock position.

Normally, the golfer would take the club back along a line that would cross the 7 o’clock position, and then move to the ball at about the 3 o’clock position and then move back toward the 12 o’clock position, after hitting the ball. That arc tends to produce a draw.

People who have inside/outside swings start the club head at about the 5 o’clock position, move to the ball, and then move to the about 12 o’clock position. That movement produces more of a fade, something Jack Nicklaus like to use off the tee. If the inside/outside swing is really pronounced, it can turn into a slice.

If you want to hit a draw, work on getting your club to follow the 7/3/12 o’clock arc as you swing. If you want to hit a power fade, work on getting your club to follow the 5/3/12 o’clock arc as you swing.

If you want to be a more accomplished golfer, learn to hit a draw and a fade. You never know when these shot shapes will come in handy.

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/newsletter10222008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Low Shots Trim Handicap
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/long-shots-trim-handicap.html

5) Article – Beating The Yips Reduces Golf Handicap
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/beating-the-yips-reduces-golf-handicap.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/newsletter.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.

The best way of shaving strokes is by improving your short game. It’s also the best way of cutting your golf handicap down to single digits. So if you’re truly serious about cutting your golf handicap, you’ll set a goal for yourself of becoming more precise in your short game and eliminating those costly errors due to unrealistic expectations.

Setting goals and expectations in golf is important. But the goals must be attainable and the expectations realistic. Achieving expectations in your short-game play is like taking individual steps toward attaining your overall goal of improvement. Each time you achieve an expectation, you build confidence and confidence is the cornerstone to dramatically improving your game.

Goals and Expectations
An expectation, as I tell players taking my golf lessons, is something your want to happen all the time. For the average player, a reasonable expectation is getting more pars or hitting more greens in regulation. Goals, on the other hand, are things like becoming a scratch player. Your short-game goals can be lofty if you wish to set the bar high. But setting lofty goals usually mean putting in hard work to reach your expectations first.

Here are some examples of short-game goals and expectations. Your goal on a chip might be to sink the ball or get it close enough to need only one putt. But your expectation is getting the ball on the green—anywhere on the green every time. Your goal for a bunker shot might be to get the ball out of the hole and close enough to the pin to sink the putt. But your expectation is to get the ball out of the bunker and anywhere on to the green in one shot.

Changing Your Goals And Expectations
You can break down your goals and expectations based on your distance from the pin. If you’re 60 yards from the hole, your short-game goal might be to get the ball in the hole in three shots. Your expectation might be just getting the ball somewhere on the green. As you get closer to the hole, however, you can increase your goals and expectations. If you’re within 10 yards of the hole, you can heighten your goals and expectations.

Goals and expectations are almost always adaptable and changeable Short-game goals and expectations, for example, can change as you move down the fairway. If you’re 50 yards from the green and you flub your chip shot into a bunker, your goals and expectations will change based on your location.

The same holds true if you mis-hit a bunker shot. Your goal may have been to get out in one and get the ball close to the pin, but if you miss-hit the shot and just barely get out of the bunker, you’ll have to change your goals and expectations. They key is minimizing the mistakes you make so you can easily achieve your expectations. Once you’ve done that, you can set loftier goals.

Setting Goals And Expectations
Setting goals for each short-game situation is important. But achieving reasonable expectations in each short game situation builds confidence and confidence is what you need to achieve those goals. If your expectations are too high, you may often miss them, wrecking your confidence and self-image. That’s no way to improve your short-game skills or knock strokes off your golf handicap.

Work on your short game hard enough to achieve reasonable expectations. Practice at the range. Attend golf instruction sessions. Read more golf tips in magazines. Do whatever it takes to bolster your ability to achieve reasonable expectations. Once you’ve done that, you can increase those expectations until you eventually reach that loftier goal of having a single digit 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.

Mastering your short game is critical to reducing your golf handicap. Hitting a good short-game shot can cut one to two strokes off your score, enabling you to achieve par instead bogey or double bogey. It’s a point that can’t be emphasized enough. But to master your short game, you must plan your chips and pitches before hitting them—a point I make whenever I give golf lessons on the short game.

Hitting a good pitch shot requires precise planning. Unfortunately, many players when faced with a critical pitch shot do little or no planning. Smart golfers, however, consider the situation at hand before picking their target lines and their landing targets before hitting pitch shots. Below are several questions to ask before hitting a pitch shot.

1. Should the hole be your target?
It’s not unusual to find a hole protected by a bunker or bunkers. So the first question you need to ask your self is whether or not the hole should be your target. Often, the middle of the green is a better and more realistic target the hole. If you miss your landing target, you won’t end up in trouble, adding strokes to your score.

2. How far do you need the ball to fly?
Another question to ask yourself before hitting a pitch shot is how far you need the ball to fly before landing. This question often determines club selection. To decide on ball flight, survey the obstacles in the way, the wind, and the desired ball trajectory. All are key factors.

3. What is the green’s tilt?
Is the green titled away from the hole or towards it? If it’s tilted away from the hole and your shot lands in the wrong place, it could easily run right off the green, even though you hit your landing target. Take this factor into consideration and adjust accordingly before hitting your shot.

4. Is the green hard or soft?
Some greens are hard. Some are soft. It’s hard to tell sometimes, but it’s imperative you know. With hard greens the ball tends to hit and bounce off. With soft greens, a ball tends to hit and stick or hit and roll a little before stopping. Knowing if a green is hard or soft is critical to hitting a good pitch.

5. How strong is the wind?
How windy is it? What type of wind is it? Are you facing a strong headwind or a weak tail wind? These factors can dramatically affect your ball trajectory and club selection. So decide on what they are before hitting away.

6. What kind of lie do you have?
Do you have a good lie or bad lie? Is the ball in a divot or on hardpan? Remember to swing accordingly. If the ball is in a divot, for example, you need to go down a little to get it.

7. Where do you stand on the hole or in the match?
Are you in a position that needs a bold stroke? Or, are you in a position that requires you to take a more conservative approach? Sometimes, you may have to shoot for a tight pin. Other times, you may have to lay-up. Knowing where you stand in the match helps you make that decision.

You must consider all these options before hitting a pitch shot. Once you decide on the shot, commit to it. Also, pick out a specific target and aim for it. Be as precise as possible. It may be a ridge on the green or the fringe. Whatever it is, visualize hitting that exact spot.

Planning a pitch shot helps you execute the right shot and cut strokes from your scores and your golf handicap. It’s imperative, as I tell people who take my golf instructions sessions, to mastering the short game. Mastering the short game is among the fastest ways of improving 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.

Mastering your short game is critical to reducing your golf handicap. Hitting a good short-game shot can cut one to two strokes off your score, enabling you to achieve par instead bogey or double bogey. It’s a point that can’t be emphasized enough. But to master your short game, you must plan your chips and pitches before hitting them—a point I make whenever I give golf lessons on the short game.

Hitting a good pitch shot requires precise planning. Unfortunately, many players when faced with a critical pitch shot do little or no planning. Smart golfers, however, consider the situation at hand before picking their target lines and their landing targets before hitting pitch shots. Below are several questions to ask before hitting a pitch shot.

1. Should the hole be your target?
It’s not unusual to find a hole protected by a bunker or bunkers. So the first question you need to ask your self is whether or not the hole should be your target. Often, the middle of the green is a better and more realistic target the hole. If you miss your landing target, you won’t end up in trouble, adding strokes to your score.

2. How far do you need the ball to fly?
Another question to ask yourself before hitting a pitch shot is how far you need the ball to fly before landing. This question often determines club selection. To decide on ball flight, survey the obstacles in the way, the wind, and the desired ball trajectory. All are key factors.

3. What is the green’s tilt?
Is the green titled away from the hole or towards it? If it’s tilted away from the hole and your shot lands in the wrong place, it could easily run right off the green, even though you hit your landing target. Take this factor into consideration and adjust accordingly before hitting your shot.

4. Is the green hard or soft?
Some greens are hard. Some are soft. It’s hard to tell sometimes, but it’s imperative you know. With hard greens the ball tends to hit and bounce off. With soft greens, a ball tends to hit and stick or hit and roll a little before stopping. Knowing if a green is hard or soft is critical to hitting a good pitch.

5. How strong is the wind?
How windy is it? What type of wind is it? Are you facing a strong headwind or a weak tail wind? These factors can dramatically affect your ball trajectory and club selection. So decide on what they are before hitting away.

6. What kind of lie do you have?
Do you have a good lie or bad lie? Is the ball in a divot or on hardpan? Remember to swing accordingly. If the ball is in a divot, for example, you need to go down a little to get it.

7. Where do you stand on the hole or in the match?
Are you in a position that needs a bold stroke? Or, are you in a position that requires you to take a more conservative approach? Sometimes, you may have to shoot for a tight pin. Other times, you may have to lay-up. Knowing where you stand in the match helps you make that decision.

You must consider all these options before hitting a pitch shot. Once you decide on the shot, commit to it. Also, pick out a specific target and aim for it. Be as precise as possible. It may be a ridge on the green or the fringe. Whatever it is, visualize hitting that exact spot.

Planning a pitch shot helps you execute the right shot and cut strokes from your scores and your golf handicap. It’s imperative, as I tell people who take my golf instructions sessions, to mastering the short game. Mastering the short game is among the fastest ways of improving 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.