In this issue we'll discuss...

1. Secrets To Great Ballstriking
2. Swing Left For Soft Pitches
3. Match Up V's For Straighter Shots
4. Question of the Week - Preventing Pushed Shots
5. Article - Short Cuts To A Lower Golf Handicap
6. Article - This Year's PGA Championship Won't Disappoint

Jack's Note: Seems like we had a little snafu in last week's ezine. The tip entitled "Swing Left For Soft Pitches" contained some of the prior week's content. Sorry about that folks. We are including last week's missed tip below. (So you get 3 tips this week instead of two).

Secrets To Great Ballstriking

All great ball strikers have one thing in common. They keep their spine angles consistent throughout the swing. It's one of the secrets to making solid contact. While spine angle varies for different body types, it must stay the same from the start of the backswing until after impact. If it doesn't, all sorts of bad things happen—from fat shots to toe hits. If you're ballstriking needs help, check your spine angle.

Below is a drill designed to check your spine angle. It's simple enough to do in your backyard using plastic balls.

Take a wire hanger and bend the hook in a circle. Straighten out the rest of the hanger and then stick that end in the ground. Bend the wire toward you just enough so that the circle hangs over the hitting area. Place a ball under the hanger so that the circle frames the ball. When you set up to the ball, you should be able to look down at the ball through the circle. Make sure it is in line with the target when swinging.

It's okay if the ball appears to move sideways when swinging. If your head moves to the right (for right-handed golfers), the ball moves to the right of the circle's center. Just make sure the ball returns to the circle's center at impact.

If the ball shifts up or down out of the circle's center, you're changing your spine angle when swinging. In other words, your head is moving too much vertically, resulting in an inconsistent point of contact with the clubhead.
This simple drill reveals if you're changing your spine angle when swinging. If you want to make solid contact every time, you must maintain a consistent spine angle. It keys good ballstriking.

Swing Left For Soft Pitches

Good pitching is a fast way to chop strokes off your golf handicap. In fact, it's probably the fastest way to do it. When you pitch the ball close, you save yourself a stroke or two every time. By close, I mean near enough to where you have an easy putt. To pitch it close, you must know how to hit soft shots—the kind of shots that roll about a yard or so after hitting the green.

• Use an open stance
• Open the clubface a bit
• Make an upright swing
• Hold onto the club firmly
• Don't let the toe pass the heel

If you study good pitchers of the ball, like the 59-year-old Tom Watson, who came within a whisker of winning this year's British Open, you'll notice they all swing the club and the left arm (right arm for right-handers) to the left of the target after impact. That creates a nice soft pitch.

Using a sand wedge, open your stance and the clubface a bit. Then, make an upright swing. Doing this encourages the clubface to cut across the ball slightly, imparting sidespin, which helps the ball stop. The key is to hold on to the club firmly with your left hand after impact. Don't let the clubface's toe pass its heel the way it does normally.

To see if you're doing it right, check your divot after hitting the shot. It should be rather small and should point to the left of your target. If it does, you've hit the shot right.
This shot is a somewhat advanced. So if you're a poor pitcher, work on the basics before trying it. But if you're a good pitcher and you want to improve accuracy, this shot may be just the thing. Practice it to master it.

Match Up V's For Straighter Shots

Fred Couple's uses a strong left-hand grip. Tiger Woods uses a neutral grip. And Ben Hogan featured a weak left-hand grip. There's no one grip that's perfect for everyone. That's why some instructors don't insist on everyone using the same grip. But there's one grip constant everyone should adhere to: The V's formed by your grip should match up for longer, straighter shots.

Here's a routine for gripping the club so that the V's match. The routine is for right- handed players. Left-handers must make the appropriate changes:

• Place the clubhead down on the ground using your left
• Adjust the club so that the grip is in your fingers.
• Adjust your left hand so that your thumb points straight down.
• Place the grip in the fingers of your right hand.
• Put the crease over your left hand. They should fit perfectly.
• Place the index finger and thumb of your right hand on the grip.
• Make sure your right thumb points slightly toward your right shoulder.

Gripping the club incorrectly is a common error. Combining a weak left hand grip with a strong right hand grip is probably the most common grip error. That's because the hands fight each other. You can't hinge either wrists properly going back. And you can't release the club with speed and accuracy coming down.

Often, it's the left hand that's the problem. If the V of your left hand is aimed at your nose, rotate it so it's aimed somewhere between your right ear and your right shoulder. That way the V on your left hand matches the V on your right hand. When you look down at address, the V's should run parallel to each other and point somewhere between your right ear and shoulder.

Left-handers, of course, must reverse the hands in our description. But regardless of how you hit the ball, commit this fundamental to memory. Then it becomes second nature and you won't have to think about it when you play.

Question of the Week - Preventing Pushed Shots

Q. Hi Jack, I'm having trouble pushing my shots to the right. What causes a pushed shot? I suppose I'm sliding forward during my downswing. Does it have something to do with my swing plane? Or is it my ball position? I put my ball at the middle of my stance with my mid- and short irons. Can you give me some tips on how to cure this problem? Or do you have some drills for it?

Thanks,
Hernan

A. Thanks, Hernan.

The clubface's position at impact ultimately determines a shot's shape. If the clubface is slightly open (or square) at impact and you employ an in-to-out swing path, you'll push the shot.

To stop pushing, turn your right-hand grip slightly to the left (left-handers must do the opposite). This prevents your right hand from becoming too active and keeps the clubface square through impact. Also, play the ball forward at address and open up your upper body in relation to the target line at address.

Halfway into your backswing, make sure the toe of your iron points skyward. If the pushing problem is severe, cup your left wrist at the top of your swing. Also, work on clearing your body through impact. You should feel as if your hips are opening up towards the target and your front shoulder is moving forward as you strike the ball. You should also feel as if the club's grip end is moving left but that the clubface remains open.

This drill helps you stop pushing your irons:
Lay down two clubs parallel to the target. The first should be along your feet and the second outside the ball. This creates a track with the ball in the middle. Then make your swing. Keep your cap's brim in line with the outer club. This keeps your head on your swing path. If the brim of your cap shifts beyond the outer club, you'll push the shot. Practice this drill faithfully and you'll eliminate pushed shots for good.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:
Article - Short Cuts To A Lower Golf Handicap

Article - This Year's PGA Championship Won't Disappoint

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.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Golf Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.