In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Ball Under Bunker Lip
2) Conquer First Tee Jitters Forever
3) Question of the Week – Escaping A Greenside Bunker
4) Article – Three Ways To Drain More 15 Footers
5) Article – Playing Smart At The Masters Pays Off

1) Ball Under Bunker Lip

Is there a worse lie for a golfer than being under a bunker’s front lip? If there is, it’s a mystery to me. Sometimes, it occurs after a good drive. Play enough golf, however, and you’ll eventually end up there. Forget about getting this shot close. It’s not going to happen. Instead, focus on getting out of the bunker in one. If you can do that, you may be able to salvage the hole.

Below are five keys to this shot:

1. Use a sand wedge
2. Open the club’s face
3. Slant your body away
4. Throw the sand high
5. Use less lower body

Use a sand wedge for this shot and open the face before you take your grip. Take your regular setup for a bunker shot. But after you set your back foot into the sand, slant your body away from the green. This is key. If you set your body vertically as you would normally do for a bunker shot, you’ll drive everything—sand, club, and ball—into the bunker’s lip.

Your swing thought should be to “throw the sand high,” so swing as if you were trying to “pop” the ball out of the bunker. Also, minimize lower body motion during the swing to maintain balance. If you lose your balance, you’ll mis-hit.

In addition, don’t try to follow through. If you do, you could hurt your wrist or your arms. A complete follow-through isn’t necessary anyway as long as the angle of attack—preset by leaning away from the hole at address—is correct.

Finding yourself under the lip of a bunker is no picnic. In fact, it’s one of the worse lies in golf. But you can make this shot if you remember to lean away from the pin at address. Doing so presets your angle of attack and helps pop the ball straight up.

2) Conquer First Tee Jitters Forever

Belting a drive straight down the fairway is a great feeling. It really pumps you up. It’s even better when it’s on the first tee and if there’s a crowd around. The buttons nearly pop off your shirt. Unfortunately, some golfers get first tee jitters so badly they shank the shot. What they need is a good pre-shot routine that relaxes them before they address the ball.

Below are five keys to a first-tee, pre-shot routine:

1. Identify the hole’s shape
2. Choose your club wisely
3. Plan to hit the fairway
4. Take several deep breaths
5. Pick out a landing area

Start by taking a moment to identify the shape of the hole. Keep in mind that most of the danger zones on a hole are on the sides. If you hit the fairway with your first shot, then, you’ll be off to a good start. So plan to hit the fairway, even if you have to lose some distance. In other words, chose the right club. Don’t automatically opt for a driver. Sometimes a three-wood or a hybrid is a better choice.

If you go with the driver, make sure you pick out a direction and a destination. For the direction, aim at something you want the ball to go toward. It might be a mound, a tree in the background, or whatever. For the destination, pick out a tire track or a brown patch in the fairway from where you want to play your next shot.

Having chosen a club, face the hole and take several deep breaths to relax. Develop a clear picture of the ballflight in your mind. Then, address the ball and take a look at the target. See yourself hitting that spot. Now turn back to the ball and hit away.

You’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll get off the first tee by following a pre-shot routine. It calms you down before hitting and helps start the round the way you should.

3) Question of the Week – Escaping A Greenside Bunker

Q. Hello, Jack – I have the toughest time getting out of bunkers. I put my weight on my forward foot, open the clubface, and follow all the way through. I’m not sure if I should come down steep and then follow thru or sweep it through. No matter what I try it usually takes me 2 or 3 shots to get out. Please help.

Barbara Botich

A. Thanks for the question, Barbara. Ideally, you want the ball to fly out of the sand and land softly on the green. To do this, you need to use a slice swing—a swing that travels on an outside-to-in swing path, with the clubhead held open in relation to the path. Thus, your swing is more of a sweeping motion than a digging one.

The only time you want to “dig” into the sand in a bunker is when you have a buried lie—what golfers call a “friend egg.” To hit this shot, you must dig into the sand a little to get the ball out.

Keep in mind also that you can chip or putt your way of a bunker. To putt your way out of a bunker, you need a greenside bunker with a low lip and a clean lie. You also need at least 15 feet of green, since the ball comes out running hot and low. If any of these conditions are missing, use a wedge. The advantage of sand putt is that the club doesn’t hit the sand before hitting the ball

To hit a sand chip, you need loft to clear the bunker’s lip and lots of green. You want to catch the ball cleanly when you swing, taking just a bit of sand with your shot. The key to this shot is raising your club on its toe, which makes the shaft more upright and lessens the chances of the clubhead grabbing the sand.

In addition, play the ball opposite your back foot and keep your hands forward of the ball, so that the shaft points at your lead shoulder. Also, make the stroke with fixed wrists, with your weight on your front foot. Fixed wrists allow the club’s butt end and its clubface to move together back and through the golf ball, enabling you to get loft on the shot.

If you’ve got a golf question you’d like answered, send an email to us at questions@howtobreak80com 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/newsletter04082009.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Three Ways To Drain More 15 Footers
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/three-ways-to-drain-more-15-footers.html

5) Article – Playing Smart At The Masters Pays Off
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/playing-smart-at-the-masters-pays-off.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.

There’s no getting around it. Your legs impact your swing more than you realize. In fact, they impact it more than any other body part except your hands and feet. Unfortunately, golfers fail to realize this. Even good golfers fail to realize it. They swing the club as if their legs didn’t matter. To create a great swing—one that shaves strokes off your golf handicap—learn to use your legs to increase clubhead speed and power.

Sometimes, golf lessons focus on the role of the hands, feet, and arms in the golf swing so much that players forget everything else. So do golf tips. Other times, golfers either don’t think about the legs’ because they’ve learned legwork and footwork instinctively, or they concentrate so much on their arms, they forget about their legs. These players are missing a golden opportunity to take their swings to a new level.

The Legs Function
The legs have three functions. The first is to support. The second is to balance. And the third is to increase the centrifugal force created by the arms and hands when you swing. In other words the legs function in a golf swing much like a boxer’s legs when he or she unloads a punch. They increase power with good leg drive. Without good leg drive, the punch and the golf swing lack power.

These three functions—support, balance, and speed—enhance two kinds of movement, lateral (slide) and rotary (turn). To maximize power, these movements must support each other during the swing. Confusion about the importance of these movements leads to a misunderstanding about the correct use of the legs. Even students attending golf instruction sessions or studying golf tips religiously fail to understand how important both movements are in creating power.

This misunderstanding leads to trouble. It causes players to focus more on the turn than the slide in their swings, creating a power gap. But when it comes to generating power in a golf swing, the slide is every bit as important as the turn. Once you understand this, you’re less apt to undermine the synergistic contribution of these movements by favoring one movement over the other.

Two Exercises That Help Out
The Return-to-square Drill determines if you’re combining the turn and slide in your swing synergistically. Here’s how it works:

Stand at address in a doorway with your clubshaft flat against the wall in front of you. Sing the club back and down slowly, returning it to its original position against the wall.

Is it easy to bring the club back flat against the wall? Or are your hands and the top of the shaft getting there first? If the latter is the case, you’re probably pulling your front hip away from the target line too quickly as you swing into the ball, emphasizing turn over slide. If the clubhead reaches the wall first, chances are you lack the required lateral leg movement needed to maximize power. In short, you’re emphasizing turn over slide.

Do this drill over and over again until your arm and legwork are in sync. In addition, try this drill when at the range. Play 10-yard to 20-yard iron shots from a tee creating the feeling that your hitting the shots entirely with your legs. This exercise gives you an idea of the vital support your legs provide during the swing.

Your legs key a dynamic swing. They provide speed, balance, and support, and enhance the slide and the turn. Unfortunately, golf lessons and golf tips often over emphasize the turn over the slide. This short-circuits power. If you want to develop a dynamic swing—one that shaves strokes off your golf handicap—learn to use your legs to increase clubhead speed and power.

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.

Tiger Woods is back. His narrow victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week clearly shows he’s ready to challenge the field again. The win also shows he’s ready to play in the Masters and contend seriously for another green jacket. But the win also leaves you asking the question: What makes Tiger so tough? One reason is his ability to knock it extra close from short range. This ability enables him to attack any pin and produces more easily makeable putts.

If you want to cut strokes from your golf handicap, copy Tiger Woods. Develop the ability to get it close from short range, leaving you with more makeable putts. The more makeable putts you have, the better you’re chances of eliminating big numbers from your scorecard and making pars and birdies—the fastest way to trim your golf handicap to single digits, bar none. For some weekend players, the hardest distance from which to hit it close is from 50 feet in.

Below are three ways to do it. Practice the three ways to sharpen your skill from 50 feet in. Take golf lessons to improve technique. And read golf tips to discover the little things that will help you increases accuracy. In short, do whatever you can to sharpen your ability to hit it close from 50 feet in.

Use A Hybrid or Fairway Wood
Using a hybrid club or fairway wood is the safest and easiest way to hit it close from 50 feet in. It’s ideal for inexperienced players or weekend golfers with high golf handicaps. Start by determining how you want the ball to bounce and roll on the green. Usually, the ball takes two bounces before the green, and then rolls like a putt. Now choke down an inch or two to control the longer shaft, and play the ball in the middle of your stance, with your weight evenly distributed.

Once you’re set up, make a putting motion. Accelerate through impact and try to make level contact with the ball. Think of the shot as a long lag putt but with just a little more pop. Whatever you do, don’t strike downward on the ball. Striking downward “pops” the ball up slightly, making it bounce instead of roll. Staying level gets the ball to roll just like a putt.

A Standard Chip Shot Works Well
A standard chip shot using a 7-iron or an 8-iron also works well from this distance. Play the ball off the instep of your back foot, set most of your weight on your front foot, and use a firm wrested motion. Swing the grip end of the club back from one pants pocket to another. Your setup promotes a descending blow. Play for one-third carry, two-thirds roll, with the first bounce just on the green.

Fly The Ball To The Green
A third way to hit this shot is to fly the ball into the green to avoid a bad bounce or any imperfection in the front of the green. Using a pitching wedge or sand wedge, position the ball in the middle of your stance and set more weight on your front foot. Swing your arms back to the 9 o’clock position, letting your wrists hinge up, and swing through to 3 o’clock, turning your body so it faces the target. Play for two-thirds carry, one-third roll.

This method is the riskiest of the three discussed here. Make sure a mis-hit over the green won’t leave you in deep trouble. With practice you’ll gain confidence in this method, as you will in the other two methods. Once you have confidence, you’ll be able to attack any pin from 50 feet in.

If you want to lower your golf handicap, hone your short game through constant practice, by taking golf lessons from good instructors, and by reading golf tips in sports magazines. You may not become as good at getting it close as Tiger Woods is, but you will improve and you reap the benefits.

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) Going Low Another Way
2) Making A Wedge Backup
3) Question of the Week – Gap Wedge Adds Precision To Your Short Game
4) Article – Three Ways To Achieve Accuracy Within 50 Feet
5) Article – More Legs, More Power

1) Going Low Another Way
If you watch golf on television a lot, you’ve probably seen Tiger Woods hit a “stinger” —a low, penetrating shot. You may have tried to hit one yourself without success. That’s not surprising. Hitting a stinger Tiger’s way isn’t for everyone. But knowing how to keep the ball low in the right situation, like on windy days, can save strokes. So you should know how to do it. Below is a non-Tiger way of hitting a penetrating low shot.

Here are 5 keys to this second way:

* Take a normal address position
* Move the ball back slightly
* Widen your stance
* Rotate your body only
* Swing easier using more club

Take your normal address position, but move the ball back slightly in your stance. Now, instead of narrowing your stance, as you do when hitting Tiger’s stinger, widen your stance a little. When you swing, just rotate your body. Don’t drive your legs. Use more club than normally, but swing easier.

Widening your stance levels out the arc at the bottom of your swing while leveling out the arc helps produce a lower, more penetrating ball flight. Using a club with less loft—like a 6-iron instead of a 7-iron—also helps produce a low, penetrating ball flight, while taking an easier swing puts less backspin on the ball. Backspin shoots the ball skyward, so less backspin means a lower ball flight.

Try both ways of hitting a stinger—Tiger’s way and this way. Use the one that’s most comfortable and keep practicing it until you’ve mastered it. Knowing how to keep the ball low when you need to, like on a gusty day, can shave strokes off your score.

2) Making A Wedge Backup
Play golf long enough and you’ll eventually see someone hit a back-up wedge shot. That’s where the ball hits beyond the hole and then spins backward toward the pin. While the need to hit this shot is rare, it happens more than we think. Since hitting the shot correctly saves strokes, it helps to know how to hit it when the need arises.

Below are 5 keys to making a wedge shot back up:

1. Use a wedge with extra loft
2. Play the ball back in your stance
3. Hit the ball with a descending blow
4. Make ball first contact
5. Swing hard but stay under control

New techniques in ball manufacturing prevent a wedge shot from backing like they used to. The old wound up balata balls used to spin a lot more than modern balls, the key to hitting a backup wedge. Today’s ball manufacturers also have done a great job designing balls that achieve great trajectory and spin enough to stop dead with an iron—the preferred option.

But if you must hit a back-up wedge, start by selecting the right club. Choose a wedge that has extra loft, like a lob wedge, play the ball back in your stance, since you have to make ball first contact, and then hit the ball with a descending blow. You’ll need a great deal of clubhead speed to make this shot, so swing hard. But stay under control. And be careful you don’t the ground before the ball. You want to create a divot in front of the ball, not behind it.

Situations where you must hit a backup wedge are rare. But they occur. So practice this shot when you can. That way you’ll know how to hit it when you need to.

3) Question of the Week – Gap Wedge Adds Precision To Your Short Game

Q. Good day, Jack. When I look at golf distance calculators on the Web, they are all fairly in line except for the lob wedge (LW). My distances are: PW 110, SW 95, LW 60. I need to fill the gap between a sand wedge (SW) and lob wedge (LW). Any suggestions on how to do it?

Kind regards,
Theo le Roux

A. Thanks for the question, Theo. Many golfers use a three-wedge system to cover shots from 100 yards and in. They use a pitching wedge—with a loft of about 48 degrees—for full wedge shots, a gap wedge—with a loft of about 52 degrees—for mid-range shots, and a sand wedge—with a loft of about 56 degrees—for shorter shots.

If you combine these clubs with three backswing lengths—full, medium, and short—and three wrist angles (135 degrees, 90 degrees, and 45 degrees) you should be able to cover most shots from about 100 yard to 15 yards or so. The wrist angles are key. They produce the added distance on some shots.

For more precision, some golfers carry a lob wedge (LW)—with a loft of about 60 degrees. You can still combine the four wedges with the three backswings, but the lob wedge adds another degree of precision to your short game.

The distances you cover with your wedges depends on how well you them. Not everybody hits them the same. Visit the range to determine how far you hit each wedge while varying backswing lengths. That will give you an idea of how far you hit each club with each backswing length.

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/newsletter04012009.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Three Ways To Achieve Accuracy Within 50 Feet
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/three-ways-to-achieve-accuracy-within-50-feet.html

5) Article – More Legs, More Power
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/more-legs-more-power.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.