By Jack Moorehouse

We all have days when it feels like you never played golf before or had golf lessons. Even the pros have them. Look at what's happened to Tiger Woods since he's returned from his hiatus. He hasn't played well since coming back. In fact, he had his worse day ever as a pro just a few weeks ago. He also didn't play up to his capabilities in the PGA Championship. Playing poorly happens to everyone.

What separates golfers with low golf handicaps from those with high golf handicaps is how they handle bad days. On bad days you must recognize what you can and can't do and use that knowledge. If you start planning and executing shots—no matter what type they are—your confidence will come back and you'll start playing better. This skill isn't easy to teach in golf lessons or group golf instruction sessions. But we can give you four helpful golf tips.

Find A Swing That Works
Hitting drives out of bounds costs strokes. When you're driving poorly, make up your mind to find a swing that works. On days you're not hitting the fairway with your driver, choke down on your driver. It creates a shorter swing that's easier to control. Or, use your 3-wood or 2-iron. If you're missing to one side, plan for it. For example, if you're missing right all day, aim for the left edge of the fairway and let it come back. If you hit a draw and you're missing right, use a baseball swing. It gives you the smooth, powerful feeling you want in a swing.

Manage Your Misses
Greens in regulation (GIR) are a key. Every GIR saves a stroke. But it's crazy to aim for a close pin on bad days—especially if it's protected. The trick when not swinging your irons well is managing misses. Miss your shots on the correct side of the hole, so you land on the green, not in the rough. If there's a flat side to the green, aim for that, so you don't waste a stroke. Also, set up with your feet a little closer together, choke down, and move the ball back a little. These changes improve ball-first contact. You hit lower shots this way, but they work.

Get The Ball Rolling
Hitting a chip to tap-in range saves a one stroke—maybe more. The key to chipping is getting the ball rolling quickly. On bad days, focus on doing that. Check your lie. If it's deep use a club with more loft. If it's shallow use a club with less loft. Also, don't try spinning your chips. You get better roll with less spin. And think draw when chipping. Make practice swings and focus on pointing the toe of your wedge to the sky in your backswing and your follow-through. Notice how you release your left hand through impact, just as you do with your full swing.

Trust Your Instincts
Often, we miss putts because we overanalyze or overthink. After missing a few, we lose confidence. When this happens, trust your instincts. Line up in a comfortable position and swing away. Your instincts are often good barometers. Also, try making practice swings with one hand to regain your putting stroke. The left hand—right hand, if you're left-handed—is a good hand to do this with. It helps you stand square to the target line and set-up correctly. If you're having trouble trusting your feel, a good drill is putting with your eyes closed and guessing where the putts go. The drill restores feel.

Everyone has bad days—even the pros. But golfers with low golf handicaps tend to fare better than golfers with high golf handicaps because they don't let bad days throw them. Low handicappers find what's working for them that day and what safe shots will get them through the round. Remember our golf tips on bad days and you'll survive them. Today, you need to figure out how to get it done. Tomorrow you can go to the range or attend golf instructions sessions.

By Jack Moorehouse

Golf is a thinking man's game. Ask veteran players with low golf handicaps what they think about golf and they'll probably agree with the preceding statement. Like many thinking men's games, such as chess, staying two or three strokes ahead often saves you from disaster. Course management is one of those skills you pick up by playing, not by attending golf lessons or group golf instruction sessions. Those who master course management shed strokes from their golf handicaps without even using up a club.

But even the most skilled course managers can't always control where the ball ends up once it hits the ground. Even if you've learned to stop the ball dead in golf lessons, you can't always count on controlling the ball after it hits. Sometimes, you get a good lie. Other times, you get a bad lie. A lot depends on the course and the kind of day you're having. But golfers with low golf handicaps don't panic when the get bad lies. Instead, they let the lie dictate their shot.

Below are some poorer lies you'll face on a course and golf tips on how to play from them. If you're serious about lowering your golf handicap, ingrain these golf tips. They'll save you strokes.

Normal Bunker Lies
Not all bunker lies are the same. But you can use your feet to tell what kind of lie you have and how hard the sand is beneath the ball. Get a feel for the sand as you dig your feet in for stability. If the sand is wet and firm, you'll need a shallow angle of attack, since you want to take less sand with this shot. So open your clubface and stance slightly and aim for a spot about an inch behind the ball. If the sand is deep and fluffy, you'll need a full explosion shot. Your clubface and stance should be wide open. Take a full steep swing to allow the club to remove plenty of sand.

Shallow Bunkers
Shallow bunkers can fool you. While the loose sand looks fluffy, there's often a hard surface beneath it. Your clubface will bounce off this surface, resulting in a long bladed shot. Play this lie like a normal pitch shot. Square your clubface and open your stance slightly. Make a three-quarter swing and half an inch behind the ball. Stay firm through impact and into your follow-through. The ball flies out like a pitch shot that you hit slightly fat.

Muddy Lies
The tendency with muddy lies is to try to pick the ball up. This usually results in either a skulled shot or a fat shot one. Instead, cock your wrists in the back swing and hold the position for as long as you can on the downswing. Your hands will be ahead of the ball, which ensures a descending blow. Releasing your hands will cause the ball to fly low and left, if you're right-handed. Keeping the clubface open, on the other hand, results in a straight and true shot.

Pine Straw
Not every course has pine straw. But many do. Hitting from here is similar to hitting from a fairway bunker. Don't sole your club, which prevents you from disturbing the straw and moving the ball. Instead, hover your club an inch off the ground and stand a bit taller at address to compensate for the change. To prevent slipping, pretend you're standing in cement. Keep your feet planted and your weight centered as you swing. This helps you steady yourself and make solid contact. Also, make thin, ball-first contact and sweep the ball off the ground, as you would in a fairway bunker, instead of swinging down on it.

This list of bad lies is not exhaustive. There are plenty more out there, like sidehill lies or hardpan lies. If you're serious about chopping stokes off your golf handicap, keep track of the bad lies you face regularly and learn to hit from them. If you're having trouble doing so, set up a golf instruction session with a local pro. Your game will improve greatly by learning to handle bad lies.

In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Turn Your Stance Into A Launching Pad
2) Stop Pushing And Pulling Putts Forever
3) Question - Hitting A Draw From The Tee
4) Article - Four Mid-Round Fixes Save Shots
5) Article - Let Your Lie Dictate The Shot

Jack's Note: I've never had the privilege of playing some of the best courses in the world...you know...St Andrews, Pebble, Sawgrass, etc. But I've got to tell you...there is a new online golf game that lets you play these courses in full HD quality. Best part? It's free. VERY REALISTIC.

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1) Turn Your Stance Into A Launching Pad
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Generally speaking, accuracy is better than distance. It's better to be 20 yards shorter on the fairway, than 20 yards longer in deep rough. But sometimes you really need to bomb one off the tee. Or, you're in desperate need just to hit your driver 20 yards beyond your average. What do you do? Making some subtle adjustments to your stance can turn it into a launching pad and give you those 20 extra yards you seeking.

Below are the three power changes you need to make:
*Move your spine closer to target
*Pull your right shoulder back
*Play the ball back slightly

Turn your address position into a launching pad by making three adjustments. All involve minor changes to your stance:
*Move your spine's base closer to the target. This tilts your spine slightly to the right, which means your upper body is leaning away from the target. This change encourages an upward, inside-out swing.
*Pull your right shoulder back slightly from its usual position. This change points your swing plane slightly to the right, which helps you swing right of target and increases your chances of hitting a draw.
*Play the ball back slightly from where you normally position it. This change gets you in the habit of swinging slightly right of target on your downswing and adding right to left spin common to huge tee shots.

These three adjustments don't have to be big. About one inch each is fine. Then, swing normally. Make sure you don't overswing! And don't grip the club too tightly. Strangling it slows your swing.

These three changes turn your tee shot into a draw. So your ball travels farther and rolls more when it hits the ground, giving you the 20 extra yards you want.

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2) Stop Pushing And Pulling Putts Forever
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A bad day with the flat stick can cost you strokes and can turn a good day on the course into a not so good day. Pushing or pulling short easy putts is heartbreaking. It can also undermine your confidence. Sometimes, you just need to make a minor correction to your putting stroke to eliminate any flaws that have crept into your stroke, which you can achieve with a little help from some string on the practice green.

This drill fixes your:
*Eye line
*Body aim
*Face aim
*Impact position
*Swing path

Fixing a faulty putting stroke is easy: First, find a flat section on a practice green. Then stick two six-inch nails in the ground about 10 feet apart. Place one nail on the opposite side of the hole and the other near your ball. Run a string line from one nail to the other. Pull the line taut and tie off the string to the nails.

Next, stick two tees in the ground about six inches in front of your ball. Place the tees about four inches apart, creating a sort of gateway. Position the ball directly underneath the string line. At address, it should look like it's slicing the ball in half. Your feet should be parallel to the string and the putterface perpendicular to the line.

When putting, try rolling the ball between the two tees. Make sure your putter swings slightly inside the string on your backstroke and slightly inside the string on your though-stroke, creating a slight arc. At impact, your putter should be moving directly underneath the string.

This putting station eliminates flaws in your putting stroke. It provides instant feedback, telling you if you're pushing or pulling putts. You can then correct your stroke.

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3) Question of the Week: Hitting A Draw From The Tee
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Question

Dear Jack:

I have a fade of various degrees with my driver. On my home course a draw would help me score better, but I cannot seem to be able to do this. Can you help me learn to hit a slight draw with my driver?

Thanks,

Jack Gamble

Answer

Thanks for the question, Jack. Some courses are perfect for draws. But learning to hit a draw if you normally hit a fade or a slice isn't easy. It takes some work to master the shot. Below are five keys to hitting a draw:
*Adopt a closed stance
*Use a stronger left-hand grip
*Follow an inside track
*Aim right at the top of the swing
*Release the club through impact

The key to hitting a draw is to shallow out your swing. To create a shallow angle of attack, you need to quiet your shoulders and let your arms control the swing. Adjusting your stance and grip also help.

Start by taking a square stance. Now draw your back foot back a few inches, closing your stance and clubface. With this stance your clubface aims directly along the target line, but follows an in-to-out path in to the ball, rather than a fade's out-to-in path. Adopting a slightly stronger left-hand grip encourages an active release of the hands and imparts the necessary sidespin on the ball for a draw.

Here's a drill to help you learn to hit a draw:
Tee up a ball. Position it forward in your stance. Drop to your knees. Now swing back and through, knocking the ball of the tee. Don't worry about how far you hit it. Swinging back is easy. But coming forward is not. You'll probably hit the ground a few times before hitting the ball cleanly. That's your shoulders kicking in. You'll make solid contact with the ball once your arms learn to control the shoulders.
Practicing this drill helps you hit a draw. Before long, you'll be hitting one on demand, just like the pros do.

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 - Four Mid-Round Fixes Save Shots
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/Four-Mid-Round-Fixes-Save-Shots.php

5) Article - Let Your Lie Dictate The Shot
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/Let-Your-Lie-Dictate-The-Shot.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.

By Jack Moorehouse

Here's a golf tip that's proven effective more times than not: If you want to cut strokes from your golf handicap, learn to hit shots that hit the green and stick. That's right. Learn to hit shots that stick. They can save you anywhere from one to two strokes per hole. More depending on how far away the ball bounces from the pin. If the ball really takes off after it hits, look out.

The key to hitting shots that stick is backspin. Golfers need to apply backspin to balls more than ever before. Faster greens, tighter pin positions, more forced carries, and lower-lofted wedges and short irons demand it—the USGA's new ruling on wedge grooves not withstanding. This ruling affects both professional and weekend golfers alike. What's more, learning to control backspin helps slash your golf handicap.

The Backspin Equation
You probably already make swings capable of producing shots with good backspin—even if you don't do it on purpose. But just your swing alone isn't enough. To complete the backspin equation, you must add the right type of ball and the right face grooves on your wedge. Nail these factors and your spin potential increases dramatically.

To generate backspin: (1) position the ball back of center one to two ball widths, (2) place your hands ahead of the clubhead, and (3) accelerate through impact. The more you accelerate through impact, the more spin generate and the more likely your shots will stick. Combining the right swing with the right ball and the right type of groves is how many instructors teach this skill in golf lessons.

Ball Construction Is Key
Ball construction is also a key to generating backspin. To hit backspin sufficient enough to have a ball stick, play a ball with a cover soft enough to be engaged by the grooves in the clubface. Generally speaking, urethane covers are softer than Surlyn covers. Urethane and Surlyn are the principal materials from which most covers are made.

While balls with Surlyn covers are longer off the tee, balls with urethane covers help control backspin better. They're also more expensive balls. If some one takes golf lessons from us and they're not using a ball with a urethane cover, we figure they just don't know about the benefits of doing so.

Grooves Are Also Key
Your wedge's face grooves are also key to adding spin. A high-producing wedge must have aggressive enough face grooves to engage the ball. New grooves spin more than old grooves and clean grooves spin more than dirty ones. Also, the sharper the groove edges, the better they grab the ball's cover and produce spin. More importantly, box grooves are better than U-grooves and V-grooves and worn out grooves of any shape.

The USGA recently made a rule change that can affect your choice of wedges with box grooves. This new ruling downsizes volume and limits edge sharpness for all grooves manufactured after January 1, 2010, so they're equal to or less than the previously approved V-groove dimensions. If you're an amateur, you have a choice of which grooves to play until at least 2024. On the other hand, if you buy a wedge manufactured after last January, it must have grooves with spin performance at or below V-groove levels.

If you want to hit shots that stick, learn to add backspin to your ball. The keys to adding backspin are using the right setup and swing, a ball with a urethane cover, and a wedge with the right grooves. These keys affect all shots that hit the green. Getting shots to stick when they hit can chop two to three strokes from your golf handicap.