In this issue we'll discuss...

1. Reading Break From Off The Green
2. Achieving A Good Swing Plane
3. Question of the Week - Hitting From a Bare Lie
4. Article - Five Golf Tips From An Old Caddy
5. Article - Fixing Your Game When Things Go Bust (Part II)

Reading Break From Off The Green

Playing from the fringe is trickier than it looks. Unfortunately, some weekend golfers take this shot for granted. Smart players don't. They approach the shot with the idea not of sinking the shot, but of just getting it close. But dropping one in from off the fringe every so often saves strokes and boosts confidence.

Below are three golf tips for playing the fringe:

1. Play the same amount of break
2. Hitting a low running shot
3. Hitting a high shot onto the green

Next time you're on the fringe, remember these three scenarios:

* If you're putting from the fringe (or hitting a low or high shot) that's going to land on the fringe, play the same amount of break as you would for a putt. Be sure to take into account the direction of the fringe's grass. If the grass is dark, the grain is against you. It will slow down your ball. If the fringe is shiny, the grain is with you. It will speed up the ball.

* If you're hitting a low running shot with a low lofted club, a fairway wood, or a hybrid, the amount of break depends on the slope of your landing area. Low shots hit with these clubs travel faster than those hit with wedges. Thus, the slope in the line will affect your ball less, at least until the ball slows down as it approaches the hole.

* If you're hitting a high shot onto the green with a short iron or wedge, keep in mind that shots with these clubs travel slower than those hit with less lofted irons. That means they'll be more affected by the slope in the line.

Don't take the shot from the fringe for granted. Study the break carefully and put a good shot on it. Sinking one from the fringe saves you at least one stroke and sometimes two. It also boosts your confidence.

Achieving A Good Swing Plane

Some experts consider swing plane the most important concept in golf. Others disagree. But one thing is clear: achieving the correct swing plane is critical to solid ballstriking. Staying on plane in golf relates directly to how straight, high, and far you hit the ball.

Below are five keys to a great swing plane:

1. Rotate your upper body against steady hips
2. Retain the triangle formed at takeaway
3. Keep the hands parallel to the target line
4. Maintain the bend in your knees
5. Don't move the club behind you

To envision a perfect swing plane, imagine a dotted line drawn from the ball through the club shaft and grip. This is your swing plane line. The club should remain on this dotted line on the same plane angle through takeaway until the club shaft is parallel to the ground. From there, the club may move slightly off plane as you complete your backswing. This is natural.

At the top, the transition from backswing to downswing drops the club back on the dotted line so the club approaches the ball on the same plane as before. The rotation of your forearms through impact keeps the club on line well into the finish. While the bend in your knees formed at address creates a solid platform to support your return. Don't allow the club to get behind you or under the swing plane during your backswing.

Swing Plane Drill:
Grip down on the shaft of a short iron so that the club's butt end almost touches your belly. As you swing back, maintain the triangle formed by your hands and forearms by keeping the butt end of the club pointing at your belly until the head is just outside your back foot. As you start our downswing the drop your arms so the butt end of the club points away from your belly. This is the correct delivery position.

Do this drill correctly and your clubface will remain square and on plane. As a secondary check make sure the club head lies outside the hands and your top arm sits above your bottom arm.

No one has a perfect swing plane. But good ballstrikers keep the club on plane throughout the key parts of the takeaway and follow-through.

Question of the Week - Hitting From a Bare Lie

Q. Hello Jack, Thank you for all your advice. What are you supposed to do when you're 50 yards from the pin on a bare lie? I find sand wedge has so much risk (topping/thinning etc.) that it's just too much trouble. Yet, you're too far out for a putt/chip. It looks like a sitter at that range — but it seldom is.

Best regards,
Tony

A. Hitting from a bare with a sand wedge is risky. It's an easy shot to botch, since the ground is less forgiving than the grass. So you want to be as conservative as possible with the shot.

To avoid a mis-hit, use a 9-iron instead of a sand wedge. A 9-iron has a sharp leading edge, which cuts through the back of the ball, but offers less risk than the sand wedge. Also, use more of a chopping motion when you swing. Aim for the lower half of the ball when you swing. You want to hit the ball cleanly off the ground.

Otherwise, you don't need to make many other adjustments. Take your normal stance, put your weight on the front foot, position the ball toward the back of your stance, and place your hands in front of the ball.

You must practice the shot to perfect it. Pick a spot about 50 yards from the green with a hardpan lie. Take the setup described above except with no ball. Practice by sticking the club in the ground using an up-and-down motion, instead of a back-and-forth one. After taking several practice swings, drop a ball on the hardpan and hit away using the same motion.

Repeat this sequence until you hit clean shots regularly. Don’t worry about distance or accuracy in the beginning. It will come as you master the shot.

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 - Five Golf Tips From An Old Caddy

Article - Fixing Your Game When Things Go Bust (Part II)

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, October 14th, 2009 at 2:33 pm and is filed under Golf Newsletters. 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.