In this issue we'll discuss...

1) One-Handed Drill Improves Chipping
2) Set Up On Top To Hit Crisp Pitches
3) Question of the Week - Overswinging Can Cause You To Slice
4) Article - Manufacturers Make Strides In Golf Shoes
5) Article - Golf Tips On The Iron Swing

Jack's Note: Looking to get more distance from your shots? A sound fitness and stretching routine can make all the difference as I said earlier this week via email.

Also, totally off-topic here folks but I'm a bit of a movie buff and am a member at a movie review site called AllTopMovies.com. This week they are giving away a free Sony Blu Ray player, no strings attached. They do this a few times per year so if you want to get your hands on a fancy new Blu Ray player for zilch, check them out.

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1) One-Handed Drill Improves Chipping
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Many golfers play chip shots all wrong. Instead of executing a nice rhythmic swing, they stiff-arm the shot. That results in cupping the left wrist (for right-handed players) and scooping at the ball—the most common chipping mistake among weekend golfers. But the one-handed drill used by many PGA and LPGA pros improves your motion back and through.

Six keys to chipping it close:

* Grip down on club
* Aim for a spot on green
* Hinge your wrist at takeaway
* Have your hands lead in the hitting zone
* Keep wrists firm through impact
* Follow through on the shot

The key to a good chip shot is to hinge your wrists slightly during your takeaway and strike down on the ball crisply in the downswing. To ensure ball-then-turf contact, return your hands and arms to where they were at address, keep the wrists firm through impact, and maintain them that way during follow-through. Stay relaxed and loose throughout the shot.

The one-handed drill hones your chipping stroke. And it's easy to do. Take several balls with you and spread them around the green. Pick out as many different lies as you can. Try to create realistic scenarios. Now, hit the balls one-handed with your right hand (left hand for left-handers). Make sure you pick out a spot on the green before swinging. You want the ball to hit that spot and roll to the hole like a putt.

The one-handed drill teaches you to execute a smooth takeaway and a rhythmic backswing. Keep the right elbow pointed at your right hip throughout. And add a little knee action to create an accelerating forward swing.

Hone your chipping stroke with this drill, then practice using two hands. Improve your chipping and you'll become a force on the course.

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2) Set Up On Top To Hit Crisp Pitches
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Weekend golfers tend to hit pitch shots fat or thin. These golfers believe pitches are hit on the upswing. So they play the ball forward in their stances and place their weight on their back feet. This promotes a sweeping motion. That's wrong. If you want to hit crisp pitches, you must hit the ball with a descending blow. That gets the ball rolling up the clubface, creating backspin. Setting up correctly encourages a descending blow.

Below are five keys to setting up for a pitch shot:

1. Narrow your feet in your stance
2. Play the ball in the middle or the back
3. Lean the hands toward the target
4. Shift your weight to your front foot
5. Aim for ball-first, turf-second contact

Hitting a good pitch begins with the setup. Narrow your feet, position the ball in the middle or back of your stance, and lean toward the front leg. Lean your hands toward the target as well. This position places your head on top of the ball at address. It also promotes a downward angle of attack, facilitating ball-first, turf-second contact.

To assure a proper setup when playing, assume your normal stance. Then remove your left hand (right for left-handers) from the grip and place the hand behind your front knee. This forces you to lean toward your front leg and helps get your head on top of the ball. You should feel as if 70 percent of your weight is on your front foot. Return your left hand to the grip, but keep the position intact otherwise. Now you're set up to hit down on the ball.

To hit a high pitch that lands softly, play the ball towards the middle of your stance. To hit a low running pitch, play the ball opposite your back foot. Whatever pitch shot you decide to hit, always remember that the key to hitting a good crisp pitch shot is in the setup.

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3) Question of the Week - Overswinging Can Cause You To Slice
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Q. Hi, Jack, Why can't I control where my ball goes when I attempt a full swing. I send it off on a slice every time.

When I swing at three-quarters, I ht the ball down the centre of the fairway and achieve reasonable distances (200metres). But as soon as I wind up for a full swing "whammo." I'm all over the place.

Any idea on what causes me to slice and how to correct it?

Cheers,
Norm Beddis
New Zealand

A. Thanks for the question, Norm. It sounds like you're trying to hit the ball too hard, in which case you're either losing control of your swing or losing the natural width radius of your backswing arc—in which case your right arm (left arm for left-handers) isn't working correctly.

Many PGA pros swing the club 75 percent to 80 percent as hard as they can. That way they're not losing the natural radius of their backswing arcs. Never try to do more than you can do. It usually ends badly.

The split-grip drill is useful in training your backswing. Split your hands a few inches apart on the grip, then swing the club back and push your right arm away to form a 90 percent angle at the elbow. This move determines the natural radius of your backswing arc.

Once you're familiar with the sensation of a shorter backswing, go back to your normal grip. Try to recapture the same feeling as when you hit balls with the split grip. That's a good formula for achieving swing consistency.

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 - Manufacturers Make Strides In Golf Shoes
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/manufacturers-make-strides-in-golf-shoes.php

5) Article - Golf Tips On The Iron Swing
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/golf-tips-on-the-iron-swing.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.

Consistency is key to achieving a low golf handicap. If you play well for long stretches, you'll reduce your handicap. If you play poorly for long stretches, you'll increase your golf handicap. But playing well for long periods is a challenge. When your swing is in tune, you'll need to practice and play a lot to keep it that way. When your swing is out of tune, you'll need to know why it's out of tune and how to improve it. But correcting swing flaws can take awhile. So unless you can afford golf lessons whenever your swing goes south, you'll have to be your own swing doctor.

One area where consistency is imperative is off the tee. Good drives key low scores. To diagnose a swing flaw in the tee box, play a few "practice" rounds first. Note the characteristics of your drives. The characteristics will tell you where your swing flaws are. Once you've identified them, you can apply the right cures to resurrect your swing. To help you get started in this process, we've detailed four swing/ballflight indicators below that tell you what's wrong with your swing. Use these golf tips wisely and you'll reduce your handicap without having to attend golf instruction sessions.

High Ballooning Slice
If you're hitting a high ballooning slice, your club is approaching the ball from outside the target line and moving across it. The angle of your descent into the ball is too steep. So even if your clubface is square at impact, your ball will fly to the right, thanks to the sidespin imparted to the ball. To cure this flaw, you need to set up correctly. Make sure your grip is correct, your hips and shoulders are square, and your head is behind the ball. Also, make sure your body is tilted away from the target and your hands are just inside the pleat of your front pant leg. From this viewpoint, the club may look too closed, but it's not.

Tailing Ballflight
In this case your ball starts out well with good distance, but then drifts off line with either a fade or hook. The problem is not the club path or plane. It's with your grip and clubface at impact. To cure this flaw, you must square your clubface at impact and fit your hands to your natural ball flight. If you naturally hit a fade, make sure the Vs in your hands are pointing to your back shoulder. For hooks, a slightly weaker grip, where the V in your left hand (right, for left-handers) points just to the right of the sternum and the V of your right hand (left, for left-handers) points at your back shoulder, reducing your chances of hitting a snap hook.

The Pop-Up
A pop-up is caused by an excessive weight shift forward and a club that approaches the ball from a very steep angle. This delofts the club and makes the topline of the club its leading edge instead of the other way around. Hence, the ball pops straight up. That's most embarrassing. To cure this flaw, make sure your setup encourages a longer, bigger backswing arc, which shallows out your swing plane and reduces the steepness of your downswing. This will also ensure the proper weight shift. Golfers who pop up tend not to shift their weight to the back foot, resulting in either a pop-up or a reverse pivot.

The Pull Hook
If you're hitting a pull hook, your club is approaching the ball from outside the target line inward from a setup that's too open. Instead of having an open or square clubface at impact, as with a slice, your clubface is closed shut. Square up your stance and use a weaker grip, which will help prevent you from over-rotating the clubface. In addition, adjust you left hand (right-hand for left-handers) grip so the V is pointing toward your sternum, instead of having both Vs pointing to your back shoulder. Unfortunately, the pull hook signals a bigger problem—swinging too much from outside the target line across to inside the target line. Ultimately, you'll want to get your club moving inside out.

The golf tips explained above will get you started diagnosing your swing. Once you discover what your swing flaws are using the ballflight characteristic of your shots, you can then apply the cure. Eliminating your swing flaws goes a long way to improving consistency off the tee. That in turn will help you reduce your golf handicap without having to take golf lessons.

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.