In this issue we’ll discuss…

1. Setting Your Body Square
2. Slamming The Brakes On Approach Shots
3. Question of the Week – Keeping Your Left Arm Straight
4. Article – Golf Tips From A Swing Machine
5. Article – Using A Green-Reading Routine Improves Putting

Setting Your Body Square

If you watch a lot of golf on TV, you might have noticed that no two setups are alike. Some players flare both feet. Some are square with the right and open with the left. Others are square with both feet. These stances all have one thing in common: balance. Pro golfers adjust their stance to accommodate their core rotation. The result: better lower body balance.

Here is a five-step test to determine your core rotation:

• Stand 3 feet from the corner of a room
• Set your feet parallel and face the corner
• Close your eyes and relax your body
• Open your eyes after a second or two
• Determine if your body has moved.

Some players achieve perfect balance with a square stance. Usually, these players have a strong core-conditioning program. But most of us have some degree of core rotation requiring a change in stance to achieve balance. The test above helps determine your core rotation.

After taking the test, widen your stance by two feet and repeat the test. You’ll probably see a change in your core rotation. Now, flare your left or right foot until your torso points directly at the corner after you open your eyes. Start from the beginning every time you change your stance. Do that until you’re square. Keep in mind your stance changes with even the slightest alteration of stance width.

Balance affects your golf swing. Without it, your chances of executing a fluid yet powerful swing diminish. You achieve balance when your body core is centered. But tension, strength of abdominal muscles, and other changes cause you to rotate subtly left or right. Use the test above to determine your core rotation, and then square up your stance to achieve balance.

Slamming The Brakes On Approach Shots

Tour pros have a wide variety of approach shots to go to when they’re within 100 yards. Among their favorites is a low wedge shot that lands on the green and stops dead after a couple of hops. This lets golfers get close without having to hit a more lofted club, like a lob wedge. These clubs are harder to hit, presenting a higher risk of mis-hitting the shot. This low wedge shot reduces that risk and saves you a stroke or two in the process. This shot is also useful when it’s windy, since it keeps the wind from influencing the ball’s flight.

Here are five keys to the low wedge shot:

• Use a 9-iron or pitching Web
• Set weight on the front foot
• Make a short swing
• Lean forward during shot
• Steepen the angle of attack

Ideally, you want to use a 9-iron or pitching wedge for the shot. Set up so your body weight favors your front foot. Then shorten your swing. Make sure you finish before your hands pass shoulder level. This keeps the shot low. Leaning forward steepens your angel of attack into the ball and imparts more spin to stop the ball.

If you have a bad lie—the ball is in a hole or divot—you must steepen your angle of attack even more, if you want to slam on the brakes when the ball hits the green. In addition to placing your weight on your front foot, de-loft the club slightly by leaning the shaft forward. As your body turns through, steepen your downswing, hitting the ball first.
Mastering this low wedge shot takes practice. But it’s worth the time and effort. Used correctly, it can save strokes when you’re within 100 yards.

Question of the Week – Keeping Your Left Arm Straight

Q. Hi Jack, How do you keep your left arm straight when using your driver? I hit my driver okay by reducing my back swing but have the tendency now and then to take too much causing my arm to bend.

Regards
James R.

A. Thanks for the question, James. Your left arm (for a right hander) must be straight at impact to make solid contact. But a straight left arm during the backswing is another matter. If you can keep it straight through the backswing, you’ll produce more distance because your swing radius is wider. But some people—either because of age, a lack of flexibility, or injury—must bend the left arm a little during the backswing. That’s okay, as long as the rest of the swing is sound.

But to maximize distance, you’ll need to re-establish the correct width of your backswing arc as you transition to the downswing. To do this, your right elbow must form a right angle as it folds back at the top of the swing, forming an “L” shape. In this position your left arm, is comfortably straight (not tense) and your club is parallel to the ground, assuming you hinge your wrists correctly. From there it is simply a matter of bringing the club down straight through impact

One way to maintain a straight left arm during your backswing is to imagine some people standing behind you when you swing. As you take the club think of trying to touch them with the club. That will keep your left arm extended and maximize swing radius.

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 – Golf Tips From A Swing Machine

Article – Using A Green-Reading Routine Improves Putting

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…

Save Strokes from Hillside Lies
Hitting the 3-Wood High Or Low
Question of the Week – Conquering Those Long Bunker Shots
Article – Four Keys To A Perfect Swing
Article – Become A Lights Out Putter With A Practice Routine

Save Strokes from Hillside Lies

Golfers botch hillside lies for two reasons: They either fail to make solid contact on or lose their balance during the shot. The reason: With sidehill and downhill lies, you tend to lean into the hill as you swing. The result: an inconsistent array of fat and thin shots. But if you make clean contact on hillside lies, you’ll hit it straighter and save strokes.

Below are four keys to making clean contact with hillside lies:

• Adjust your club selection
• Adjust your ball position
• Flare your downhill foot
• Make your normal shot

The key to this shot is making sure your shoulders match the hill’s slope, which you can do with a simple adjustment of your front foot.

Start by choosing your club. An uphill lie adds loft to your club. Use a less lofted club. A downhill lie subtracts loft from your club. Use a more lofted club.

Adjust your ball position as well. For an uphill lie, play the ball forward an inch or two. For a downhill lie, play the ball in the middle of your stance or slightly back.

Finally, match your shoulders to the slope without losing your balance. Do this by flaring your front foot about 45 degrees. Then swing normally.

Your flared foot evens out your stance and puts the ball at the bottom of your swing. This keeps you from slamming your clubhead into the hill or the center of your ball. A flared foot also gives you more freedom of movement in your backswing and makes you feel balanced while swinging.

Don’t let hillside lies throw you. Make solid contact by (1) adjusting your club selection and ball position, and (2) matching your shoulders to the slope by flaring your front foot. Learn to make clean contact on hillside lies and odds are you’ll eliminate those extra shots that pad your scores.

Hitting the 3-Wood High Or Low

One course I play has two different types of par 5s. Both greens are reachable from the fairway in two with a 3-wood. But on one you must go over a small pond to reach the green. On the other you have nothing but fairway between you and the green. On the first you want to hit a high shot that falls softly on the green. On the second you want to hit a low shot that runs to the green.

Here are five keys to hitting the 3-wood from a tight fairway lie:

• Play the ball back in your stance
• Sweep the ball off the turf
• Hit with a descending blow
• Shift your weight to the front side
• Swing through the ball

The key to hitting different shots with the 3-wood is to adjust your stance, not your swing, to achieve the lofts you need. In fact, it’s almost always better adjust your stance than change your swing.

For the high shot over the water, play the ball a little more forward in your stance and drop your hands slightly at address. Also place a bit more weight over your back foot by tilting your spine away from your target. These adjustments position you perfectly to sweep the ball off the turf while adding loft to your clubface.

To play a shot with a lower, more piercing trajectory, do the opposite. Position the ball where you’d play a mid-iron and set more weight on your forward leg. These adjustments de-loft the club at impact and produce the lower ball flight you need to run the ball to the green.

Adjusting your stance to achieve a different shot with the 3-wood is the preferred option when you need different ball flights from the same club. It’s both safer and easier to execute this move than changing your swing.

Question of the Week – Conquering Those Long Bunker Shots

Q. Hi Jack, I get out of greenside bunkers fairly easily, but the longer bunker shots are a problem. What do you suggest for a 25- to 50-foot bunker shot?

Robert K Mokros
Spring Hill, Florida

A. Thanks for the question, Robert. The goal with a long bunker shot is to hit the ball high and drop it softly on the green.

Using a normal set-up, position the ball just inside your front heel, open your stance slightly, and grip down on the club, applying light to moderate pressure. Point the clubface at the target and the shaft’s butt at your stomach.

As you start back, cup the back of your left wrist (right wrist for lefties). This adds loft to the clubface. On the way down, maintain the cup of the left for a long as possible. Feel as if you’re pulling down with the left arm. Then lock the back of the left wrist, allowing the clubface to slide through sand without it closing.

Finally, let your hands and wrist fall together as the body weight shifts to the outside of the front foot. Keep your head behind the ball by trying to peek under it at impact.

You’ll need a lot of backspin with this shot. So use a wide arc during your backswing by keeping your hands as far from your shoulders as possible. Also, use an inside-to-square-to-inside swing path.

Execute the golf tips explained above and you’ll hit a long bunker shot that drops softly on the green.

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/newsletter09232009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:
Article – Four Keys To A Perfect Swing

Article – Become A Lights Out Putter With A Practice Routine

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…

• Hit It Close With Super-Soft Pitches
• Using Your Wrists To Turn On Power
• Question of the Week – Chipping It Close From A Downhill Lie
• Article – Splitting The Fairway
• Article – Three Drills To Fine Tune Your Tempo

Hit It Close With Super-Soft Pitches

To hit it close when there’s a bunker between you and the pin, you need both loft and distance control. You have to get over the bunker, but you don’t want to roll too far past the pin. Hitting a high, floating lob shot with your 60-degree wedge is an option. But it takes practice to master this shot. It’s also risky. You could hit it thin and land in the bunker. The super-soft pitch is a safer alternative.

Below are five keys to hitting super-soft pitches:

• Sole a 56-degree wedge
• Play the ball slightly back of center
• Keep your shoulders level
• Swing your arms and chest away
• Stop your swing just after your back knee

The key to this shot is pre-setting your body in the correct impact position. This helps you strike the ball with just the right amount of spin and loft.

Sole your 56-degree wedge with the face square and pointing directly at your target. Don’t open the clubface. Play the ball slightly back of center and lean your shaft forward, without closing the clubface. Also, line up your grip with your sternum about an inch in front of the ball. Make sure your shoulders are level and your arms hang straight down. Ease off on your grip pressure.

Make your backswing by swinging your arms and chest away from the ball using an easy hinge of the wrists. Your path should feel straight, but with a slight turn. Stop your backswing just as your hands pass your back knee. You want to return the club, shaft, and weight to your start-up position. Finish your swing with your hands low and directly in front of your chest.
When you execute the shot correctly, your club descends into the bottom of the ball, creating the correct loft to send it into the air, land softly on the green, and roll close to the pin.

Using Your Wrists To Turn On Power

Poor ballstriking can cost you a lot of strokes. Several common swing errors lead to poor ballstriking. But if you’re also slicing the ball, it’s a good bet you’re not releasing the club properly. That can get you into serious trouble. More importantly, it can balloon your golf handicap.

Properly releasing the club:

• Ensures solid contact with a square clubface
• Adds power to your swing
• Allows clubhead to exit hitting zone on plane.

These advantages work together to assure golfers hit longer, straighter shots. If you think you’re not releasing the club properly, try these simple golf tips:

Hinge your wrists fully after impact: Golfers plagued by poor ball striking don’t release their wrists properly. Instead, they keep them firm and lift the club onto the next plane. This results in a swing flaw known as the “chicken wing,” in which the golfer never bends his front arm. When swinging the club, your front arm should bend, but with your elbow pointing toward the ground as your wrists unhinge.

Swing your driver with just your back arm and hand: This exercise ingrains the feel of a powerful release. As your hand reaches your back knee on the downswing, begin unhinging your wrist and then really unload through the hitting zone. Also, bow your back wrist as your hand come through contact and “throw” your club at the target.

Make swings with both hands on driver: But make sure to unhinge your wrist fully through impact, so that the wrist of your backhand is bowed and the wrist of your front hand is cupped. If you start hooking, add more body turn to the shot.

Work on these golf tips for better ballstriking. When your shots start flying straighter and farther, you know your releasing the club correctly.

Question of the Week – Chipping It Close From A Downhill Lie

Q. Hi Jack, On the course I play a lot, I seem to face a lot of downhill chips. I either run it way past the hole or dub it, leaving me with nearly the same shot and a very bad temperament! Any advice?

Jeff Bramhall
Bronxville NY

A. Thanks for the question, Jeff. Chipping from a downhill lie is tricky. If you’re not careful, it can cost you two or three extra strokes. Extra strokes can turn a good round into a not so good round.

Having chosen your club, you want the contact point to be where it would be from a level lie. So you need to adjust your body position and center of gravity to account for the slope. To do that, set up with your front shoulder low and your stance slightly wider for stability. Brace yourself on your front knee and set your weight on the inside of your front foot.

Position the ball back in your stance. (How far back you position the ball you’ll learn from experience.) Keep your hands ahead of the ball at address. Now hit down firmly. Work the club under the ball. And lead the hands down the slope.

If the ball is in the rough, you’ll also have to account for the grass. Even if you swing hard, the grass can still catch your clubface and twist it. Since your goal is to get the ball out of the rough, you’ll need as much loft as you can get. Follow the same guidelines as above, but use a sand wedge and open your stance even more.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

Article – Splitting The Fairway

Article – Three Drills To Fine Tune Your Tempo

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…

1) Hitting Shots That Stick Saves Strokes
2) Tee Height Strategy With Oversized Drivers
3) Question of the Week – Hitting Down Produces Best Results
4) Article – Two Drills To Help You Achieve Solid Contact
5) Article – Better Balance Equals More Consistency

1) Hitting Shots That Stick Saves Strokes

Golfers are always looking for ways to shaves strokes off their scores. Hitting approach shots that hit and stick is a great way of doing that. Hitting these types of shots is almost mandatory on courses with firm greens. On these greens the ball hits and bounces off, leaving you with a long chip back instead of an easy putt. That adds strokes to your score.

Below are four tips on hitting shots that stick

* Grip the club at its full-length
* Move the ball up slightly in your stance
* Place a little more weight on back foot
* Use a higher follow-through and fuller finish

When the greens are firm, you must hit it really high to hold the green or get it in there close. To do this, you must produce more backspin—the result of increased swing speed.

Start by choosing a club with plenty of loft, like a 9-iron or pitching wedge. Make sure the clubface is clean and there’s some grip left on it. Using the right ball—high spin/soft cover— also helps.

Grip the club at it’s full-length. and move the ball up slightly in your stance—maybe a half a ball or so. Depending on the lie, you may want to place a little more weight on your back foot at address. Also, keep your head down when you swing until your back arm pushes it up. And use a higher-follow through and fuller finish when you swing.

Placing a little more weight on your back foot helps keep your weight behind the ball and not on top of it. Staying on top of the ball is more of a knock down position. Using a higher, full finish increases swing speed, which is what you need to add backspin to the ball.

This type of approach shot carries more than other balls, but it won’t roll far when it hits the ground. On softer greens, the ball often sticks right where it hits. On firm greens the ball tends to roll off. Regardless of what type of greens you play on, learn to hit approach shots that stick and you’ll chop strokes off your handicap.

2) Tee Height Strategy With Oversized Drivers

More and more golfers are buying drivers with oversized clubheads. The larger clubhead is more forgiving, cutting down on mis-hits. Fewer mis-hits off the tee generally mean better scores. But how high do you tee the ball with these huge clubheads to get the most out of them. Do you tee it in the middle of the face? Higher up? Lower down? It depends.

Below are five tips on teeing the ball for big clubheads for a normal drive:

* Make sure half the ball is above the top line
* Place your weight slightly on your back leg
* Tilt your shoulders slightly upward
* Position the ball in line with heel of front foot
* Place hands slightly behind the ball

The key is the type of trajectory your want. For a normal trajectory place the tee so that half the ball is above the clubhead’s top. Position your weight slightly on your back leg and tilt your shoulders slightly upward. Then, line up the ball so that it’s just off the back heel of your front foot and place your hands slightly behind the ball. This set-up puts you in the best position to take advantage of the large clubhead.

If you’re down wind or looking for some extra distance, try teeing the ball even higher, say about two-thirds above the driver’s topline. That promotes a higher launch angle. Also, position the ball just forward of your normal set-up, which places your hands farther behind the ball than usual. Place slightly more weight on your back foot.

When battling a crosswind or hitting into the wind, try teeing the ball lower than usual, with about one-third of the ball above the club head’s topline. Maintain the same ball position as normally and balance your weight almost evenly over both feet. This more level set-up helps you launch the ball lower to prevent the wind from really affecting the ball’s flight.

Bigger clubheads means fewer mis-hits. But they can confuse you when it comes to how high to tee the ball. Try these golf tips on tee height next time you play and you’ll get the most out of your oversized driver.

3) Question of the Week – Hitting Down Produces Best Results

Q. Hi Jack, We have a beautiful 7500-yard course in Bangalore. I am 60 years old and have learnt the game over the last 3 or 4 years. My handicap is 21. I find hitting down with my irons easier than playing with my woods. I carry a 3-wood and 3 rescue clubs, 20, 23, and 26 loft, instead of 3, 4, and 5 irons. I have tried sweeping the ball with these clubs, but the results are poor off the fairway.

Thanks
Salil Punoose

A. Thanks for the question. One of the biggest problems with hitting the 3-wood and the hybrids is the club’s loft. Since these clubs don’t have much loft, golfers often try to scoop the ball in the air. This causes them to hang back on their right side and swing up on the ball. This, in turn, has the opposite of the intended effect: The club makes contact on the upswing and the golfer tops the shot.

When you address the ball, position it back in your stance a couple of inches. Many weekend golfers position the ball inside the heel of their front foot, just as they would a driver. That’s not back far enough. They either top it or skim it along the ground. But you’re not hitting a driver. Move the ball back toward the center of your stance and hit down on the ball, like an iron.

If you hit the ball with a descending blow, you’ll scrape the grass or even take a small divot. To do this, you must shift your weight to your front side and swing through the ball, letting your arms fully extend. Think about keeping the clubhead traveling down the target line for as long as possible. This helps keep the clubface square.

And don’t try to blast the ball out of sight. I know it’s tempting. If you’re using a three-wood, the green is probably out of reach. And swinging hard throws off your tempo, causing mis-hits. So why risk it. Instead, dial it down a notch. Pick a spot on the fairway. And ease up on your swing. Use the same tempo as you would with an iron.
In addition, try using a 3-wood off a tee next time you’re at the range. That will help you get used to the idea of hitting down on the ball to get elevation. Above all, trust the club’s loft.

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/newsletter09092009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article - Two Drills To Help You Achieve Solid Contact

5) Article – Better Balance Equals More Consistency

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.