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.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

Three Techniques To Sink More Putts
Positive Stats Build Confidence
Question of the Week – Different Bunkers, Different Shots
Article – Gain More Yardage With Oversized Drivers
Article – Wedge Secrets

Three Techniques To Sink More Putts
Golf tips on driving say to visualize the ball’s flight path before hitting. “Seeing” the flight path in your mind helps achieve it. Visualization works with putting, too. Talk to great putters and they’ll probably say that “seeing” the ball go in before they putt helps them sink more putts. Or, they’ll say they use some other visualization technique when putting.

Below are three techniques to help you sink more putts:

* Visualize the hole
* Putt to a picture
* See the ball path

Visualization banishes technical thoughts. By trusting in your stroke and concentrating on a target, you’re more likely to achieve the desired result. When putting, keep the hole in mind. Even though you’re looking down at the ball, paint a mental picture of the hole. By “seeing” the hole, you’ll make a more confident and smoother stroke through the ball.

Visualization also helps on big breaking putts. With big breakers, hitting to the apex of the curve is critical. To do so, develop a mental picture of the apex and then putt the ball between the picture’s borders. You’ll be surprised how accurate you are with these putts.

In addition, visualizing the path of a putt helps achieve the proper speed and break to putts. Some golfers favor approach over “spot putting”—aiming at a target, such as a small blade of grass, and trying to roll the ball over that point. Depending on how hard you hit the putt that spot may or may not be helpful. Instead, visualize a railroad track leading to the hole and putt along it.

Here’s a final tip: Use a CD to see if your eyes are directly over the ball when putting. Center the ball on the CD, then stand over it in your putting stance. If your eyes are directly over the ball, you’ll see them on the CD’s surface.

Positive Stats Build Confidence

Players who track things like fairways hit, greens hit in regulation, putts per round, and up-and-down conversions should be careful. While keeping stats can reveal a lot about your game, be wary of what you track. Keeping the wrong stats can focus you on the negative about your game—things missed instead of things made. This can chip away at your confidence. Instead, keep positive stats that build confidence and trust.

Here are four examples of positive stats:

1. Up and downs
2. Sand saves
3. Times sticking to a routine
4. Five best shots

Golfers often use statistics to judge their play. That isn’t always best. Instead, use statistics to observe, not judge, your game. For example, if you track fairways hit, you might observe: “I’m hitting more fairways since I started picking a target instead of just blasting away.” This approach not only teaches you something about your game, it also boosts confidence and trust.

But if you use the wrong statistics to judge your game you may develop a negative mind-set. Let’s say you’re tracking how often you three-putted. If you’re three-putting a lot, you know you need to practice. But that mind-set can undermine your confidence and trust when playing, if you’re not careful. In other words, if you think you’re a poor putter, you’ll be a poor putter.

Positive statistics have a better impact. They build confidence and trust. For example, if you count the number of up and downs you make, you’ll start thinking your good at up and downs. Then when you have one, you’ll feel good about making the shot.

Keeping stats can reveal a lot about your game. But be wary of what you track. Keep stats that boost confidence and trust. You’ll be surprised at how building confidence and trust can lower your golf handicap.

Question of the Week – Different Bunkers, Different Shots

Q. Hi Jack, I have the toughest time getting out of bunkers. I put my weight on my forward foot, and I open the clubface and follow all the way through. But I’m not sure if I should come down steeply and then follow thru or sweep it through. No matter what I try it usually takes my two or three shots to get out.

Please help.
Barbara Botich

A. Thanks for the question, Barbara. You didn’t give us much information on the bunker you were in or the kind of lie you had. Was it a greenside bunker or a bunker that’s farther away? Does the bunker have a high or low lip? Was the ball buried in soft sand or was it lying on top of hard-packed sand? Without that information, it’s hard to give you specifics on the swing. In shorts, different bunker require different bunker swings.

In general, if you’re in soft sand and you have a low lip, you’d open your stance and aim the clubface toward the target line. You’d keep your wrists passive as you take the club away and the clubface open throughout the swing. On the downswing you’d sweep the club along your bodyline, hitting about an inch behind the ball.

On the other hand, if you’re in soft sand with a high lip, you need a steeper angle of attack to pop the ball over the lip. While your set-up is the same, your swing differs. To create a steeper angle of attack, hinge your wrists in the backswing as soon as possible and swing your arms up instead of low and around.

In addition, as your body turns, sense that the club is “cocked” to the sky. Now, hit down and through about an inch behind the ball with extra force. The path of the clubhead should run parallel to the alignment of your shoulders, hips, and feet. The combination of left alignment and open clubface sends the ball straight while the angle of attack drives the ball up and over the lip, landing it softly on the green.
To practice the high bunker shot, try the head cover drill. Place a head cover a few inches behind a ball in a steep greenside bunker. Take the club back without hitting the head cover, hinging your wrists during the takeaway as soon as possible. If you hit the head cover, you know you didn’t hinge your wrists fast enough.

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/newsletter08052009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:

Gain More Yardage With Oversized Drivers
Wedge Secrets

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.