In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Sink More Putts By Being Aggressive
2) Hitting The Flop Shot When You Must
3) Question of the Week – Keeping The Left Arm Straight
4) Article – Five Deadly Sins Of Buying Equipment
5) Article – Five Shots That Will Transform Your Game

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1) Sink More Putts By Being Aggressive
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If you watch the pros putt long enough, you’ll notice their putting and playing styles often match. Take Aaron Baddeley. He reveals his personality in his putting style. Aaron is naturally aggressive. He makes quick decisions. He walks quickly. And he has an up-tempo swing. He also has a snappy putting style, which may be one reason he’s so successful on the greens.

Five advantages to an aggressive putting style:

1. Helps eliminate negative thoughts
2. Enhances ballstriking
3. Assures a confident stroke
4. Gives the ball a chance to go in
5. Contributes to consistency

Baddeley doesn’t take long to putt. Once he grounds his putter, he takes one last look at his line, then putts. You can count four from the time he grounds the putter to the time he strokes the ball. He follows this routine every time.

Aaron’s routine has advantages. It eliminates time for negative thoughts to creep in. It helps him hit the ball solidly on the intended line. It guarantees the ball is always struck confidently. It builds consistency, since he does the same thing every time. And it gives the ball a chance to go in on every putt, since he seldom leaves a putt short.

Of course, there are times when Aaron putts too quickly. But so far, his style seems to be working well for him. One of the tour’s young guns, he’s considered one of the game’s best putters.

Another tip you may want to keep in mind is to match your putter with your stroke. Use a straight back-and-through stroke with a face-balanced putter. But use a more arcing stroke with a heel-shafted model.

Aaron’s quick-count putting style isn’t for everyone. But if you’re putting isn’t what you want it to be, try copying his. You may be surprised how well it works.

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2) Hitting The Flop Shot When You Must
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Your ball stops in front of a deep greenside bunker. The green is elevated about 10 feet above your ball. The pin is close to the green’s edge. The putting surface slopes away from the hole. You need a high spinning shot that carries the bunker, but lands softly by the pin and stops quickly. You need a flop shot.

Below are five keys to hitting a flop shop

* Stand taller and closer to ball
* Open the clubface wide
* Use a weaker grip than normal
* Hinge the wrists on the backswing
* Accelerate through the ball

You’d be surprised how many good players can’t hit a flop shot. But that’s no reason why you shouldn’t. It’s a good shot to have in your arsenal.

A well executed flop shot requires four things—a big swing to get the ball up in the air, an open clubface at address so the club doesn’t dig in, and a proper swing plane angle to assure proper ball/turf contact, as well as correctly hinged wrists to hit the bottom of the ball.

But the key to this shot is the setup. Two tips to help with getting the set up right are stand taller and closer to the ball and open the clubface first, then grip the club. Standing taller and closer creates the proper angle of approach to the ball. Opening the clubface first guarantees an open clubface at impact.

It sounds easy. But poor execution isn’t uncommon. So be careful. Make sure you have a lie that lets you get under the ball and that you take a practice swing. Both help in executing the shot the way you want.

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3) Question of the Week – Keeping The Left Arm Straight
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Q. Hi Jack, How do you keep you left arm straight when using your driver? I hit my driver okay by reducing my backswing but have the tendency now and then to over swing causing my arm to bend.

Regards,
James

A. Thanks, James. A good way to remember to keep your left arm straight (right arm for left-handers) is to visualize a friend or playing partner standing well behind you on the tee. Then imagine trying to touch that person with your driver on the way up and back down. Also, at the top, your left arm should be comfortably straight, not rigid. This visualization will help you achieve good width on your backswing.

Another tip on achieving good backswing width is to get your right elbow (left elbow for left-handers) to work in such a way that as it folds, it forms a right angle —or “L” shape at the top of your swing.

The Split Hands drill is a good way to train your self to achieve a proper backswing. Split your hands a few inches apart on a grip. Then swing the club back and push your right arm away to form a 90-degree angle at the elbow. That’s the backswing your want. Once you get the feel for this backswing, go back to your regular grip. But try to remember how the backswing felt during the drill.

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.

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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:

4) Article – Five Deadly Sins Of Buying Equipment
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/five-deadly-sins-of-buying-equipment.php

5) Article – Five Shots That Will Transform Your Game
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/five-shots-that-will-transform-your-game.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

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About the Author
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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 Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 9:00 am and is filed under Golf Articles. 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.