In this issue we’ll discuss…

1. Hit Driver Off The Deck
2. Beating Bermuda Grass
3. Question of the Week – Use This Drill To Finish Off The Swing
4. Article – Conquer The Perimeter For A Better Golf Handicap
5. Article – Find A Putting Grip That Works… And Then Change It

Hit Driver Off The Deck

When you’re in the fairway and need something that provides plenty of distance, one option is hitting driver off the deck. It flies low and goes a long way. Driver off the deck is ideal on long par 4s with a ton of yardage left or when going for the green in two on par 5s. It’s not your every day type of shot, of course. But it eats up yardage–if you can pull it off.

Below are five keys to hitting driver of the deck:

1. Use a slightly open stance
2. Position the ball forward
3. Keep your feet and body still
4. Focus on rotating your torso
5. Make a full shoulder turn

The secret to hitting driver off the deck is re-creating your setup position at impact. Make sure you keep your hands in front of your body and strive for full extension of your arms at impact and a balanced finish.

To start, adopt a slightly open stance and a ball position allowing you to pick it cleanly from the turf. Usually, this spot is just forward of a normally teed ball.

During takeaway, keep your feet and legs as quiet as possible. This provides a solid foundation to support the swing’s power. Also, focus on rotating your torso and making a full shoulder turn for power.

From the top, turn your back toward the target, use the ground to push off on, and transfer your weight to the inside of your front foot. Now, power your hands and clubhead into the impact zone.

Next time you find yourself with a ton of yardage to the green on a par 4 or par 5 and you need something low, consider hitting driver off the deck. It’s seldom used, but it works, if executed well.

Beating Bermuda Grass

The type of grass you play on important isn’t important. It’s critical. Just ask those golfers who play a lot on Bermuda grass–a major turf species installed in sports fields, lawns, parks, golf courses, and general utility turfs in Australia, Africa, India, and South America. It’s also popular in the Southern region of the United States, including Florida and Georgia. If you’re not accustomed to playing on Bermuda grass, you’ll be surprised at how it impacts your game.

Here are five tips on how to play on Bermuda grass

• Use a normal stance
• Play the ball back
• Hit down and through
• Follow through to a finish
• Never try to scoop the ball

Bermuda grass grows aggressively in the sun’s direction. This characteristic creates a crook in its growing pattern that causes your ball to “sit up,” which in turn tempts you to try to scoop the ball from the grass. Never try to scoop the ball. Instead, use a normal stance, play the ball back a couple of inches, and hit down and through to a normal finish.

Bermuda grass also affects putting. Get a good read of the green’s grain. Know in which direction it’s running. And give the cup’s sides a good look. One half will look brown and ragged. The other half will look green and clean. The brown side is the side opposite the grain. Your putt will generally drift towards that side.

The type of grass you play is critical. If it’s not what you typically play on, find out what type it is and how it plays. Then adjust to compensate for the turf’s characteristics. It’ll save you a lot of strokes.

Question of the Week – Use This Drill To Finish Off The Swing

Q.I’m left-handed and having a hard time completing my backswing and getting a full shoulder turn. What’s a good drill to follow to get me to get my r/shoulder under my chin and then complete my downswing?

Many Thanks,
Edward

A. Thanks for the question, Edward. One reason golfers have problems like yours is that their strong sides dominate the swing. In your case, that’s your left side. The Let Go Drill helps equalize your sides and trains you to finish your swing off correctly. It’s a simple drill, but if practiced enough, works wonders.

Here’s the drill:

Swing slowly back to the top using a 7-iron. Make sure your make a full shoulder turn on the swing. As you swing through, let go of the club with your left-hand (right hand for right-handers). The club will fly through the impact zone and continue to a full finish. You can’t stop it. Repeat the drill until you feel you’ve trained your right arm (left arm) to keep moving and are finishing full on every shot.

Next, hit balls. Tee up every ball. Now swing. You should feel how doing the drill brings equality to your sides. When you hit shots, the right hand (left hand) leads the club into impact . You’ll be amazed just how far you can launch the ball down the fairway with just your left arm finishing the shot.

It may feel awkward at first practicing this drill, but you’ll get used to it. When it’s time to hit balls, focus on regaining the feel of equality you achieved in your practice sessions.

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 – Conquer The Perimeter For A Better Golf Handicap

Article – Find A Putting Grip That Works… And Then Change It

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 Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 4:59 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.