How To Break 80 Newsletter

April 28th, 2011

"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Stick It Close On An Elevated Green
2) Hitting It Low Into A Stiff Head Wind
3) Drill of the Week: Stop Hitting Fat And Thin Shots
4) Article: Tapping Your Power Potential
5) Article: Three Golf Tips On Making Impact

Jack's Note: Just FYI folks...Larry Jacob's Thin for Life weight loss program is nearly sold out. But he is offering us Break 80 peeps 50% off his normal price. Check it here. It's the same program a lot of Champions Tour players use.

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1) Stick It Close On An Elevated Green
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Playing to an elevated green sloping from front to back, with bunkers on both sides protecting the pin, can be a challenge. If you've ever played to a green like this, you know how hard it is to play from the sides. Make a mistake with your wedge and you could easily be penciling in a triple bogey (or more) on your card. The problem, of course, is the combination of elevation and slope, which make it hard to stick it close. Your best hope is spinning the shot enough to stop it fast on the green.

Below are five keys to making this shot:

* Add five yards to the shot.
* Shift your weight to your front foot.
* Lean your shaft toward your target.
* Keep your wrist arched.
* Use a descending blow.

A good shot here could set the tone for the rest of your round. First, add five yards to the shot. That compensates for the elevation. You may be tempted to just get the ball over the bunker, but resist the temptation. A key goal here is getting the ball over the sand. If you roll off the back, you'll have an easy chip uphill.

Next, focus on spinning the ball: Shift your weight forward at address, lean the shaft toward the target, and keep your left wrist (right, if you're left-handed) arched throughout the shot. Now make a hard descending blow. This technique adds maximum spin to the shot.

Avoid leaning back on the shot to try and lift the ball—the most common mistake with this shot. All that does is produce a hard-to-control shot with little spin on it.

Pitching to an elevated green is hard enough without adding the slope and the bunkers. But adding enough spin to the ball will help you stick it close for an easily makeable putt.

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2) Hitting It Low Into A Stiff Head Wind
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Now that spring is here, more and more people will be getting out to play. Unfortunately, spring isn't always conducive to playing good golf. A not unusual scenario in the spring is to be in the fairway, mid-iron distance from the pin with a stiff head wind in your face. Making a normal swing with an extra club or two isn't your best shot, since it could balloon into the wind leaving you short. You need to hit a low-boring bullet to make the green.

Below are six keys to making this shot:

* Take two extra clubs
* Play the ball in your stance
* Forward press your hands
* Make a shorter backswing
* Keep your left arm firm
* Abbreviate your finish

Good golfers use a knockdown shot in this situation. Start by taking two extra clubs in this situation. If you would normally hit an 8-iron from this spot, hit a 6-iron.

Play the ball back in your stance—directly off the toes of your back foot—and forward press your hands so that the shaft leans toward your target. Now, make a shorter, more compact backswing. You should feel like your left arm is connected to your chest as you take the club back.

Concentrate on making an aggressive move down from the top of your backswing. Try to keep your forward arm as stiff as you can. Use your body to move your straight arm from a horizontal position to a vertical position at impact.

Abbreviate your finish, like you did for your backswing. But make sure your head, chest, hips, and arms end up facing the target. The key thing is not to go soft on the downswing. The ball will come out low and hot with a little rise to it.

The good thing about this shot is that you can also use it when the wind is at your back, so the breeze doesn't carry the ball too far.

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3) Drill of the Week: Stop Hitting Fat And Thin Shots
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Even the best golfers occasionally hit a shot fat or thin. But hitting too many fat and thin shots can cost you. Not turning your hips properly causes you to hit fat and thin shots. If you hit more than your fair share of fat and thin shots, try the exercise described below:

Take a hula hoop and drop it on the ground. (You can also use a coiled garden hose.) Now step inside the hoop and address an imaginary ball.

If you tend to hit fat shots, focus on your backswing hip turn. Try to keep your back hip inside the back of the hoop as you turn. If it strays outside the hoop, you've moved too far off the ball. When you turn your back hip, you should feel your weight work onto your back foot. Your upper body should be "stacked" above your back knee.

If you hit thin shots, focus on your downswing hip turn. Try to turn your front hip along the front side of the hoop. When your front hip slides outside the hoop, you'll tend to hit down on the top of the ball, topping it. If you do the exercise correctly, you should feel your weight move onto the heel of your front foot.

Practice these exercises until they become second nature. Swinging inside the hoop reminds you to make a full hip turn both back and through the shot. A good hip turn lessens the chances of catching the ball fat or thin.

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

Click here to view this newsletter on the web

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article: Tapping Your Power Potential
... Body type, age, golf handicap—none of these disqualify you from driving the ball farther. The key to longer shots is tapping your power potential. To do that, you must improve the way your hands and arms swing and your body rotates. It's called body sequencing. Improve your sequencing and you'll find yourself hitting the ball longer, straighter, and more accurately....

5) Article: Three Golf Tips On Making Impact
... Flick refers to one approach as the "from the ground up approach." You see it in players like Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, and Vijay Singh. He calls the other approach the "from the center down approach." You see it in people like Anthony Kim and Michelle Wei. The Ground Up approach is the more traditional approach....

Until next time,

Go Low!

Jack

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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.

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