Most golf teachers can quickly tell if you have a solid golf swing. All they have to do is watch you swing. The ability to tell if you have a great swing isn’t instinctive. It comes from years of studying the swing’s mechanics and from giving hundreds of golf lessons and explaining golf tips. It takes a lot of hard work to be able to spot a great swing. But the work ultimately pays off in knowing what makes a golf swing great.

Recreational golfers—even those with low golf handicaps—can’t always tell when a golf swing is great. That’s because they really don’t know what the elements of a great golf swing are. They play by “feel” so to speak. That’s unfortunate. Knowing the elements of a great swing provides a target for golfers to work toward in perfecting their swings. Eventually, the work that goes into perfect a golf swing improves their ballstriking and their golf handicaps. Let’s examine the elements of a great swing.

Balance Throughout The Swing
Balance is critical to a great swing. It’s among the first things teachers notice when giving golf lessons. Balance throughout the swing stems from a good set-up featuring the following items:

* Head comfortably positioned behind the ball
* Back shoulder slightly lower than the front shoulder
* Both shoulders aligned parallel left of target
* Neutral hands positioned just inside the front leg
* Knees slightly flexed with the chest stacked above it
* Feet positioned slightly wider than shoulder width

A set-up featuring these elements provides great balance. Without it, you’ll never find the position you need to properly deliver the clubhead.

A Great Takeaway
A solid takeaway also keys a great swing, The subject of many golf lessons, a solid takeaway features a clubhead that travels back along the target line, with the face remaining pointed at the golf ball until the wrists hinge. The hands and shoulders must be in “sync” during the takeaway. In addition, the arms must remain ahead of the chest and the knees must stay slightly flexed. The front knee points at the ball. A good takeaway produces the next element of a great golf swing—a tight coil at the top of the swing.

A Great Coil At The Top

Covered in many golf lessons, the coil at the top of the swing is the seat of power. A great top position also is helps maintain your spine angle. The key to a great top position is to rotate your body behind the ball within the circle defined by your hips. A great coil features a front shoulder rotated to a point directly below the chin, the shaft lying parrellel to the ground directly above the back shoulder, the back knee comfortably accepting the transfer of weight while holding off the tendency to straighten, and the front knee still pointing at the golf ball.

Fluid Downswing
Impact is referred to as “the moment of truth.” But it’s the downswing that determine what tat moment of truth will be. If you downswing sequence is fluid, contact with the ball is solid. The priority in the downswing is to keep the club on the proper plane, with the shaft sitting between your forearms on the way down. A key to achieving a fluid downswing is to keep your front shoulder from spinning open too quickly. The hips and shoulders need to stay in sync and your feet stay planted. A fluid downswing also features rigid spine angles, flexed knees, and a steady head, just like you read about in golf tips.

Solid Impact
Key features of a solid impact features the back shoulder slightly lower than the front, forming a wall through which to hit. The front shoulder, arm, and hip form a straight line. In addition, the hands have returned to the same position they held at address, the front wrist is as flat as can be, and both hands are leading the clubhead into the ball. The right foot has transferred weight to the left without the body or head moving ahead of the ball.

The golf swing is simple. It’s merely a turn backward and forward, with your front knee serving as serving as the hub of both turns. But achieving this simplicity isn’t easy. Knowing the elements of a great golf swing helps. Once achieved, a great golf swing improves ballstriking and helps pare down your golf handicap.

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

1. Don’t Let Poor Chipping Cost You
2. How To Drain More Putts
3. Question of the Week – Determining When To Hit Driver
4. Article – Five Keys To Making Your Swing Great
5. Article – The Lost Ball Rule: Not As Simple As It Seems

1) Don’t Let Poor Chipping Cost You

Short chips are critical to going low. Run one by the hole and it can cost you big time. That’s why pro golfers practice incessantly. They can’t afford to run one by the hole. Neither can you. If your chipping leaves something to be desire, you may want to change your technique. The simple technique described below improves your chances of chipping it close.

Below are six keys to this chipping technique:

• Choose your club
• Adopt a putting grip
• Play the ball forward
• Set the shaft on its toe
• Keep the body still
• Use a pendulum swing

Credit the late Paul Runyan, who beat Sam Snead for the PGA Championship in 1938, for inventing the chip-like-a-putt technique.

The technique’s mechanics are straightforward. Use your normal putting grip, play the ball inside your front heel, and set the club on its toe. Then use a pendulum like swing to chip the ball onto the green. If the ball is sitting down, place more weight on your front foot. This move encourages a slight angle of descent through impact.

The key to this shot is setting the club on its toe. Simplifying your motion, it helps replicate your putting stance. It encourages the club to slide through the grass. And it promotes hitting the ball near the club’s toe, which softens the shot and increases feel.

In addition, make sure you keep your body is still when swinging. Swing the club up with your arms going back, then let it swing down.

If poor chipping is costing you strokes, try Paul Runyan’s chip-as-you-putt technique. It will take the fear out of chipping and put the feel back in. You’ll be shocked at how many strokes it saves.

2) How To Drain More Putts

Putting is all about control. If you can control the putterhead, you’ll sink more putts. If you can’t, you’ll sink a lot fewer—and the ones you sink will be because of luck. It’s that simple. To boost putterhead control, determine which hand is your controlling hand. Then practice one-handed putts with this hand.

Use this five-step drill to find your dominant putting hand.

1. Drop a ball 3-6 feet from the hole
2. Hit 10 putts with one hand
3. Hit 10 putts with the other hand
4. Determine which did best
5. Practice putting with that hand

To improve your putting, find out first which hand is the controlling hand. Here’s how:

Drop a ball from 3 to 6 feet from the hole. Take your stance. Put the putter in one hand. Then putt one-handed. Hit 10 putts with this hand. Keep track of your success. Now switch hands. Hit 10 putts with this hand. Keep track of your success. Whichever hand sunk more putts is your controlling hand.

Often the controlling hand is your naturally dominant hand. If you’re right handed, your dominant hand is your right hand. If you left-handed, it’s the left hand. Few golfers think their non-dominant hand controls the putterhead.

After learning which hand is your controlling hand, practice putting with just this hand. It will improve putterhead control. When putting for real, grip the club with the dominant hand first before sliding your other hand on the club. Use a lighter grip pressure with the other hand for support.

By using one hand to for control and the other for support, you’ll improve your ability to control the putterhead. This, in turn, will start the ball online more frequently. Do that and you’ll drain more putts.
3) Question of the Week – Determining When To Hit Driver

Q.Hello Jack,Over the past few months I’ve been working on a “draw” using the techniques you described in your newsletter. Now I have two drives in my armory. The problem is, that when I’m on the tee, I can’t always decide which drive is right for the hole. Usually, it’s no contest. I usually find myself going for the “big one,” that is, hitting the draw because of the extra distance I get. This often gets me into trouble, but I don’t want to come off the course feeling cheated because I used the safe option every time.

So, my question to you is: How do I talk myself into “curbing my enthusiasm” and making the right selection for the job.

Peter Morris
Spain

A. That’s a great question, Peter. Deciding what to hit off the tee is nerve wracking sometimes. A lot depends on how much control you have over the shot, the hole’s layout, how your playing that day, and so on. So there are no set rules on this, only guidelines to help you choose.

The traditional approach holds that good driving isn’t just about hitting it long and straight. It’s also about accuracy. It’s about setting yourself up for your next shot. In essence, its about risk and reward. You have to weigh the risk versus the reward, then decide. If the reward isn’t worth it, don’t risk it. Be conservative. Go with the shot you have the most control over. Use the same criteria when deciding which club to use: 3-wood or driver.

For example, if you’re playing a short par-4, say 350 yards, the average shot with the driver might be around 250 yards, leaving about 100 yards to the hole. With a 3-wood the average shot might be about 230 yards, leaving about 120 yards to the hole. Is gaining that extra 20 yards worth the risk of hitting the driver? You also might favor a 3-wood over a driver on long par-5s. If you know you won’t be able to reach the green in two, even with your best drive and best 3-wood, why risk it?

Use the same type of logic to decide on whether to hit a fade or draw. The draw may give you some added distance because it will run when it hits. But you’ll have less control of where the shot finally ends up. The fade may give you less distance, but it will stick pretty much where it hits. That increases your control over the shot. If you deem the risk of hitting one shot over the other is great, go with the conservative approach. More often than not, it will save you strokes.

Golf is about finishing with the fewest strokes possible, not the most yardage off the tees. My advice: use whichever shot you hit the best plus hot it sets you up for the next shot, especially if it’s into the green. That’s the shot that really determines how well you do on the hole. The more greens you hit in regulation, the lower your score.

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/newsletter11252009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Five Keys To Making Your Swing Great
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/five-keys-to-make-your-swing-great.php

5) Article – The Lost Ball Rule: Not As Simple As It Seems
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/the-lost-ball-rule-not-as-simple-as-it-seems.php

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.

When soldiers are injured, the cost for lost time, rehabilitation, and compensation gets expensive. To help cut costs, the U. S. Army invested $4.8 million in injury-prevention programs specific to motions of combat. As part of this effort, the Army lab overseeing the effort also developed sports-related injury-prevention training programs, one of which focused on golf. Called Without Pain, the program is available to the public. It promises to help prevent injuries and lower golf handicaps.

But quantifying the forces in the golf swing—finding out when and how much certain muscles and joints work—wasn’t easy for the Army lab. To do it, it developed its own customized software program. It worked with super Vicon cameras, launch monitors, and indoor simulators, creating a test center. When readings from the test center were complied and examined, they revealed something no one expected: When it comes to the golf swing, the seat of power is in the hips.

A Startling Discovery
Proper hip action in the golf swing is critical to power. Without good hip action, your swing is weak and ineffective. In a good downswing, the hips slide then rotate. As you begin the downswing, you transfer your weight from the back hip to the front hip, setting it up as the rotational center. This can only happen if you retract your abdomen upward and outward, pushing your rear out. Your butt acts as a counterweight keeping everything in balance.

Your hip abductors—the muscles on the outside of your legs—play a large part in transferring the power to your swing. These muscles engage when you move your legs apart. Immediately before the swing, golfers place stress equal to two to three times the golfer’s body weight on these muscles. Tests found that on average elite players were about 30 percent stronger in the hip abductors than those of weaker players. In other words, strong hip abductors plus good hip action equal more distance.

A Simple Test
A simple test tells you if you have proper hip action. Take your normal set-up and then in slow motion pretend to take your swing. Pose at the impact position. Now, take a club and lay it across your hips. It should point at a 45-degree angle. Unfortunately, many golfers don’t achieve the 45-degree angle required. Of the players taking golf lessons from me, for example, only about 20-25 percent achieve the right angle. That’s one reason proper hip rotation is often a focus in golf instruction sessions.

If you don’t have good hip action, try the following drill to help improve it:

Tee a ball. Then assume a normal address position with two clubs in your hands—a 6-iron and a 7-iron. Lay the 6-iron’s clubface on the ground and the butt end against your back leg, inside your hip line. The club’s head rests on the ground just inside of your back foot. Now hit a ball with the 7-iron. Keep your right hip back as you start down. Since the hip is supposed to slide before it rotates, the club should lay propped up. If your hips open prematurely, the club falls to the ground.

Work on this drill until you feel you’ve ingrained the proper hip action. Then work on it some more.

Strengthening Your Abductors
But even good golfers with good hip action can have weak hips. If you belong to a gym or health club, you may find that it has weight machines designed to strengthen your hip abductors. If not, this simple exercise below is a good way to strengthen them:

Standing on one foot with your hands on your hips, slowly move your elevated leg from side to side in front of you. Do this 10 times, holding the stretch position. Then switch legs to work the other abductor. For a more strenuous workout, attach resistant tubing to the ankle your moving.

Golfers with poor hip action and/or weak hips tend to commit swing errors. They also tend to injure themselves over time. Swing errors and injuries cost strokes, boosting golf handicaps. Even players with perfect swings are susceptible to these flaws. Golf lessons can teach proper hip action. But only the proper training program can strengthen your hips. Doing so reduces injuries, boosts power, and helps cut strokes from your golf handicap.

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.

Synchronizing your golf swing is critical to becoming a great ballstriker. Generally speaking, poor shots result from being out of sync. Great shots result from your swing being in sync. Get all of the moving parts working in the proper sequence and you’ll create a chain reaction that delivers the clubhead powerfully and squarely to the ball. You could say, then, that the true goal of every golfer—whether an elite player with a low golf handicap or a hacker with a high golf handicap—is learning to swing in sync.

But the golf swing is different for every player. That means that how one professional golfer like Michelle Wie gets her swing in sync differs from how another professional golfer like Charles Howell gets his swing in sync. It’s also means that how Howell gets his swing in sync differs from how a player with a high golf handicap gets her swing in sync. Nevertheless, common sync principles do exist. What’s more, you can learn them by taking golf lessons, reading golf tips, and/or watching others. Below we explain three of those common principles:

Principle #1: Complete Your Back Swing
Each golfer has a unique sequence of motion. It’s the DNA of his swing. Golfers must discover their swings’ DNA to be great ballstrikers. Novice golfers, for example, often assume that the less movement they have in the swing the better. Unfortunately, this leads to some poor swings thanks to an incomplete body turn during the backswing. Having no width in the swing, the golfer takes an axe-like chop at the ball.

To hit the ball solidly, you must swing the club back with your arms as your body winds up. Then uncoil it in the downswing, releasing the force you’ve stored. But some golfers with high golf handicaps never compete their backswings. They’re too much in a rush. A simple drill to develop a more synchronized swing is taking the club all the way back to the top of your swing and then coming through to the finish. Hold the swing at both the top and the finish while you count to five.

Principle #2: Keep Your Body And The Club In Sync
Many golfers turn their bodies too early on the backswing—a common error addressed in many golf instruction sessions. This move causes the hands to pull the club too far inside the target line, flattening your swing. All you can do from this position is lift the club to the top with your arms to finish the backswing. This independent motion of the arms and hands results in a lack of coil, the club being swung over the top, or the golfer releasing his hands too early.

Good synchronization starts with your takeaway. To improve it and promote better club head position, practice your takeaway with a club tucked across your chest and under your arms. This makes you aware of your shoulders slightly tilting as you take the club away and the front shoulder turns under your chin. The clubhead should remain outside your hands at this stage of the swing.

Principle #3: Release The Club Properly
Golfers of all golf handicaps get out of sync when the lower body gets overactive on the downswing, outracing the hands and arms to impact. As a result, the club gets stuck behind the body on a swing path that’s too far inside. This can cause either a blocked shot or, if the golfer tries to compensate with his hands, a hook. When a golfer’s swing is in sync, he can simply turn the front side of his body through and hit the ball as hard as he likes. A simple exercise to eliminate this fault is to hold a club upside down and practice whipping it down to where the club’s shaft parallels the ground while keeping the lower body fairly passive.

Getting your swing in sync is the key to great ballstriking—no matter what you’re golf handicap. Some say it’s the golfer’s one true goal. The principles discussed above will help your get your swing in sync. But others common principles exist, which you can learn by reading golf tips, taking golf lessons, and/or watching others. The effort is worth it. When you’re all synced up, you’ll hit the ball on line with solid contact consistently.

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.