To improve iron play fast—and chop strokes off your golf handicap—look to your hands. It's hard to hit quality shots if you don't use your hands correctly. As a serious golfer looking to improve, you must learn what role your hands play in hitting iron shots. If you do, you'll boost your game to a new level and you'll whittle strokes from your golf handicap as well.

Many weekend golfers learn to hold a club either by taking golf lessons or reading golf tips in magazines or books. What they may not learn from this golf instruction is that the way you hold the club impacts on how you cock your wrists at the top of the swing. That in turn determines clubface position at impact. If your clubface isn't square at impact, you'll slice or pull your irons.

Weak Grip/Flat Wrist
If you’re right-handed, a weak grip encourages a cocking mechanism that produces a flat left wrist at the top of the swing. A weak grip for a right-handed golfer features the back of the left-hand pointing to the target and the "V" formed by your thumb and forefinger pointing toward your left ear. With a weak grip, you must keep your left wrist from cupping to maintain the clubface on line during the swing.

If your left wrist cups, you're asking for trouble. You'll rotate the clubface too far open on the backswing and throw the clubface off the correct delivery path. Only players blessed with ultra-fast hand speed, like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson can square up the clubface at impact from this position. Making adjustments like this for usually spells trouble for players of all golf handicaps.

Strong Grip/Cupped Wrist
If you're a right-handed player, a stronger grip accommodates more of a left wrist cup at the top. A stronger grip for a right handed golfer is one in which the back of the left hand for a right handed player points more toward the sky, and the target and the "V" formed by the thumb and forefinger points toward your shoulder. With this grip you must avoid flattening the left wrist too much as you hinge the iron to the top.

A stronger grip plus a flat left wrist at the top usually results in a laying off of the club or swinging too far inside. Either way, you must make adjustments to get the club back on plane and on the correct delivery path. If you don't, your clubface won't be square at impact. Again, making adjustments during your swing spells trouble for players of all golf handicaps, unless you have super fast hands.

Golf Instructors Favor Stronger Grip
Many golf instructors favor a stronger grip for weekend golfers. It's a little harder to learn to control, but when paired with a slight left wrist cup, it provides for better overall club control and allows for more hinge. That in turn creates more lag in the backswing to downswing transition, generating more clubhead speed and increasing power.

For even more power, grip the club with a slightly stronger grip. To do that, make the "V" created by the left thumb and foreigner point toward the right shoulder, with the palm of the right hand facing the target. Be careful though. Too strong a grip results in a hook.

Your grip is personal. You should adopt one that feels comfortable to you. There have been as many great players with weak grips as there have been with strong grips. The key is to match the right grip with the correct type of wrist cocking mechanism, making it easier to return the clubface to the ball square. Do that and you'll not only hit more solid irons, you'll do it more consistently and you'll chop strokes off 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.

The goal of a golf trip—aside from beating your golf handicap—is having fun with your friends. In fact, there's no sense in going on a trip if it's not going to be fun. Admittedly, this can be hard to do sometimes even when you're with great people. To enjoy a golf trip fully, you must prevent delays, minimize costs, and eliminate the unexpected as much as possible. That takes a great deal of planning.

Planning a golf trip takes work—just like cutting strokes from your golf handicap. But if you're smart about it, you can plan your trip efficiently and without pulling too much hair out of your head. You just need to think. Below are some golf tips on planning a trip. Following them will help you get the most fun out of your trip and let you focus on making pars and birdies, not tracking down wayward luggage.

Good Logistics Are The Key
Good logistics are the key to a successful trip. That and staying organized. Start by thinking ahead about where you're heading and what's unique about the place. Think about what could go wrong while there—inclement weather, extreme heat, and so on—and plan for these things before walking out your front door. Make a list of them. Then address them before you leave on your trip. That will save you time, money, and headaches later on.

Next, work the trip chronologically in your head. List the things you need to do. Keep the list on your nightstand, where you can see it all the time. Check off an item every time you complete it. The list will keep you focused and organized. Also, use the Internet whenever you can to resolve issues, obtain reservations, or eliminate delays. Using the Internet is not only convenient, but also fast. It's also cost effective. Many companies offer discounts for doing things online.

Buying Plane Tickets
The first thing you'll want to do is buy plane tickets, if needed. Here's where your computer comes in handy. Buy tickets as far in advance as you can. Also, sign up for price saver-e-mails from all the airlines as well as from discounters, like travelzoo.com Monitor them regularly for deals to where you're going. In addition, visit all-encompassing travel search engines, like kayak.com or airfarewatchdog.com. They may have deals to your destination.

Next, book your hotel. Use your computer for this, too. It's a great travel agent. Consider using professional tour operators for international trips, like perry.com or havarsham.com. They usually have contacts and/or employees at popular golf destinations. If you know where you want to stay, take a look at the hotel's Web site. They might offer golf stay-and-play specials. Some resorts will even book your tee times over the Web, especially if you've signed up for a stay and play package. They may even offer golf lessons for a reduced rate.

Check Out The Golf Courses
If you've already decided on a destination in the United Sates, visit golflink.com. This site has links to nearly every golf course in the U.S. Use the site to assemble a list of courses. Then visit the Web site of any courses you're planning to play. Write down the names, addresses, and phone numbers of these courses. Take the information with you. Or, plug the information into your cell phone and keep the cell phone with you on the trip. The information is good to have in an emergency.

Contacting a book agent in the destination area also works. It will save you the hassles of calling different places. The agent might also have pre-reserved tee times or the clout to squeeze you in exactly when you want to play. Google an agent by searching your destination plus the words "tee times booking agents." Unfortunately, some agents work only with certain courses. And the agent will charge you a nominal fee. But the time saved and the headaches eliminated could be well worth the cost.

Buying your plane tickets. Reserving accommodations. Booking tee times. These are probably the top three items of any golf-trip checklist you create. After that, it depends on you and what you want to do on the trip. Above all, stay organized. It saves time, money, and heartburn. More importantly, it lets you focus on cutting strokes from your golf handicap, rather than trying to find your luggage.

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

In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Straight Left Arm Adds Power To Irons
2) Three Ways To Fix A Slice
3) Question of the Week - Keeping Stable "Through The Shot"
4) Article - Get Organized For An Enjoyable Golf Trip
5) Article - Golf Tips on Hitting Solid Irons

1) Straight Left Arm Adds Power To Irons
If you're hitting weak, thin, or fat irons, focus on your left arm (right arm for left-handers). It may be throwing your swing off. In a good swing the left arm remains straight during the backswing. That allows the hands to drop on the right swing path and creates a wide swing arc, generating power. But if you fold your left arm during the backswing, you'll sap power from your swing. You'll also develop an out-to-in swing path, producing left-to-right ball flight.

To correct this flaw, first check your left hand grip. Make sure the club lies diagonally across the fingers of your hand. With a proper left hand grip, correctly hinging the club on the backswing becomes natural. Second, make sure that you make a synchronized shoulder turn. That's the key. Synchronization facilitates a straight left arm. High handicappers usually stop turning their shoulders but continue lifting their arms, resulting in folded arms and crooked shots.

Here's a drill to ingrain the feeling of a straight left arm:

Left Arm Drill
Take your right hand and place it on your left wrist. Your right thumb should point to the ground and your palm should face the target. Swing back. Keep your left arm extended by pulling it across your chest with your right hand. Also, keep your hands away from your head. Focus on maintaining the swing radius you created at address all the way to the top. Now, swing down. As you begin to release through impact, rotate your left forearm with your right hand. This squares the club at impact. Once you start rotating the left forearm, you'll feel how the left arm correctly folds on the follow-through.

Practice this drill until the movements feels natural. The key is to turn—and keep on turning. Then make this swing on the course. You'll find yourself hitting longer, straighter shots.

2) Three Ways To Fix A Slice
There's only one reason for slicing—hitting the ball with an open clubface. It's that simple. No matter how good your swing or your ballstriking, if you hit the ball with an open clubface, you'll slice. Learn to hit the ball with a square or closed clubface and you'll fix your slice.

Here are three ways to fix a slice:

1. Strengthen your grip
2. Ease up on grip pressure
3. Flatten your swing

Strengthen your grip: Golfers with weak grips usually slice. For right-handers that means their hands are turned too far left. (For left-handers that means their hands are turned too far right.) To strengthen your grip, rotate your left hand so that your thumb is positioned right of center. Two or three knuckles should be visible. Rotate your right-hand to match the left hand.

Ease up on grip pressure: Too much pressure in your hands, arms, and/or shoulders inhibits the free flow of your swing. Soften grip pressure to create a natural free flowing swing. If you imagine the strongest grip pressure at 10 and no grip pressure at 0, the correct grip pressure is 3.

Flatten your swing: Most slicers approach the ball on too vertical a swing plane. That facilitates making contact with an open clubface. A flatter swing promotes a natural squaring of the clubface and creates a right-to-left ball flight. To sense this feeling, take practice swings with the clubface moving at knee-high level. After a few swings, try hitting one off the ground with the same feel.

Fixing a slice is easier than you think. Making these adjustments helps. In some cases, you might have to make all three. In others, maybe one or two. Keep experimenting until you find the right combination. Then, take it to the course.

3) Question of the Week - Keeping Stable "Through The Shot"

Q. Hi Jack, my most glaring fault (among the multitude of faults) is raising up so that I hit a line drive and airmail the green, or I raise up and hit a low slice that heads for the out-of-bounds stakes. Is there a drill to help a 75-year-old 12-handicapper keep his head/body stable "through the shot"?

Thanks,
Dick Geha

A. Thanks for the question, Dick. Your symptoms suggest your holding your head in an awkward, upright angle. If that's the case, your chest is too close to the ball. That's not good. It means you'll have to bring your head down to get a better look at the ball as you swing. If you do, you'll either hit too far behind the ball or try to compensate and pull up, hitting it thin.

Have someone place a Styrofoam cup with two golf balls on the back of your neck at address. The cup should be just above the collar line. That will teach you to position your head in a more comfortable position. The cup has just enough weight for you to feel it, but not enough to be a strain. To hold the cup steady, you'll have to move your head in a better position and keep your neck "flat."

Keeping your head stable removes the need for excessive hand manipulation in your swing, which causes mis-hits. It also makes your posture and your swing fundamentally strong. In addition, you'll make more consistent contact with both your irons and woods, resulting in fewer mis-hits and longer, straighter shots.

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/newsletter02252009.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - Get Organized For An Enjoyable Golf Trip

http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/get-organized-for-an-enjoyable-golf-trip.html

5) Article - Golf Tips on Hitting Solid Irons
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/golf-tips-on-hitting-solid-irons.html

Until next time,

Go Low!

Jack

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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.