It's that great time of year again....for golf's toughest test.   The U.S. Open, Congressional 2011.

The Blue Course of Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland is the site of the 2011 US Open.  One year ago, when he lifted the trophy at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell became the first European winner of the US Open for 40 years.  And this year is sure to be an equally hard test.

Defending champion McDowell commented after a recent practice round said on Twitter: "No-one will break par." That's how tough it will be on the 7574 yards, par 71, Blue Course.

Last used in 1997, when Ernie Els won with a 4 under par total of 276, the course has been re-designed and will be the second longest track ever used in the championship's 116 year history. It won't be for the faint-hearted!

With Tiger out and Phil not firing on all cylinders, I am thinking along the lines of a Stricker or Donald or Choi.

Because of the extreme difficulty of this event, anything can happen and anyone can win….but I’d like to hear from YOU. Who do YOU think will win this week and be crowned the reigning U.S. Open champ? Just post your answer here in the comments. Answer correctly and we’ll put you into a drawing on Monday June 21st for selection my products. If your name is drawn, you get to pick any three of our award-winning DVD’s or instructional books (we have seventeen to choose from)…on the house. And yes, we pay for the shipping too

There’s only one rule….only those posts submitted by end of day Thursday June 16th, 2011 will count. Those who vote after that won’t be counted toward the contest because by then you will have an unfair advantage. You’re more than welcome to post at any time though!

Good luck and I hope you choose wisely and get some instructional products for free!

Thought you guys might want to see the latest US Open 2011 Leaderboard for our nation's most prestigious golf tournament.

The best way to track scores is on the PGA Tour official site. See the latest US Open 2011 Leaderboard here:

Here's to an exciting tourney! May the best man win.

***************US OPEN SPECIAL******************

We've decided to run a quick sale through the weekend.

It's our "2011 U.S. Open Special" and here's the deal...

50% off any of our products listed on these pages:

http://www.break80today.com/halfoff

**VERY IMPORTANT**--you must enter the coupon code USOPEN in order to get your 50% discount.  You will have the opportunity to do this after you select your products and get to the checkout.

We have seventeen DVD titles and of course our award-winning book and CD's.

A normal DVD for example would be $47 so you would get it for $23!  And we have some things even cheaper.

But we're only running this through the weekend so check it out now!

Here's a quick list for you:

• How To Break 80 Book and CD's (our core product)

DVD's-

• Full Swing
• Maximum Distance
• Driver
• Putting
• Short Game
• Trouble Shots
• Perfect Impact
• Bunker
• Swing Plane
• Draw (Anti-Slice)
• Seniors
• Precision Putting
• Full Swing Lessons
• Full Swing Drills
• Short Game Drills
• Hybrid

http://www.break80today.com/halfoff

Good golf,

Jack

If you’re serious about cutting your golf handicap, try hitting more greens in regulation (GIR). GIRs, as we’ve noted in our golf tips newsletter, are the cornerstone of good rounds. Hitting more of them per round saves a ton of strokes. It also sets you up for more birdies and pars. But increasing GIRs isn’t easy if you pull or push your approach shots. If you want to increase your GIRs, you must learn to hit straight approach shots. And that, as our golf lessons show us, is harder for weekend golfers than it sounds.

One reason why golfers push or pull shots is their inability to return the club back to its original shaft line at address. The original shaft line is the imaginary line created between a golfer’s hands and the grounded clubface at address. If the swing is too far above this line, you’ll pull the shot. If the swing is too far below the line, you’ll push it. You must return the club on that imaginary line to hit it straight. Do this consistently and you’ll find yourself facing more par and birdie putts. Below are three keys to help you hit straight approach shots.

Keep It Wide
Swing width plays a critical role in returning the club close to the original shaft line. If you lose width during your backswing, you’ll struggle to bring the club back to the original shaft line—something we see often in golf lessons. More often than not, weekend golfers swing the club outside the line, slicing or pull the shot. The drill below trains you to maintain width during the swing:

Using a 7-iron, assume your address position. Now swing the club back with just your back arm. Try to maintain a 90-degree angle between your forearm and upper arm. Look back when the club is at the top. Make the changes need to achieve at least a 90-degree angle if it’s not there when you look.

Maintain Your Shoulder
Another vulnerable area in your swing is your back shoulder. Be wary of rolling it when you start down with your club—another popular swing fault you see in golf lessons. The back shoulder must remain somewhat passive during the swing and must work downward as you start down on the shot. Keeping your back shoulder passive helps ensure that the club returns to its original shaft line at impact.

To feel the role of the back shoulder as you start down, grab the club with your right hand (left hand for left-handers) only. Take the club back to the top. Now place your opposite hand on your back shoulder. Swing down. As you do, try to prevent the back shoulder from rotating out toward the target. Instead, drop it down toward the ball.

Keep Hands In Front
Your hands should be in front of the ball when you make contact. This ensures crisp, solid ball striking. Unfortunately, a lot of students in our golf lessons try scooping the ball into the air by flicking their wrists. Flicking causes you to lose control of the clubface, resulting in poor contact.

To hone the hands-first impact position, make little shots with a 7-iron, stopping as soon as you can after impact. In this drill, distance is secondary to gaining awareness of where you are at impact. The farther ahead of the ball your hands are, the better.

Hitting GIRs is a major key to shrinking your golf handicap. Hit enough GIRs over the course of a season and you’ll lower your handicap several strokes. To rack up more GIRs, you must hit straight approach shots. That’s hard to do if your not returning the club to its original shaft line. Work on the three keys described and you’ll learn to return the club to its original shaft line.

Your posture at address helps you make solid contact. If your posture is off, your swing is off and you’ll make weak contact. Weak contact drives high golf handicaps. Three areas of the body—the abdominals (the six pack), the rectus abdominis (glute muscles), and the oblique muscles (both right and left)—greatly influence your posture at address. If you strengthen them, you’ll prevent injury and make better contact. Below are three exercises that can help strengthen these muscle groups.

Start With The Glutes
Your glutes are key muscles in golf. When they’re weak, golfers tilt from their pelvis too much. Their spinal curve forms the shape of the letter “S”—something we see often in golf instructions sessions. Too much spinal curve hurts a golfer’s ability to rotate toward the target and maintain good boy angles before impact. You must keep the spine as straight as possible at address, with a slight bend around the neck, to make solid contact.

A simple exercise can strengthen your abdominals. Lie flat on the ground on your back with your knees slightly bent. Now hold a club directly over your head. Without moving the club, bring your knees and under the club. If you can’t make it all the way up, go as far as possible. Do two sets of 10 repetitions each. This exercise forces a posterior tilt of the pelvis and helps strengthen the abdominals.

Train The Obliques
Your obliques are a second muscle group that needs strengthening. Weak obliques force you to lose flexion as you move to the top. This in turn results in a swing fault called reverse spine angle. It looks similar to a reverse pivot, but is more a problem of poor weight shift. Simply put, if your spine angle at address is 30 degrees and that shifts to a minus five degrees, you’ve reversed your spine. This forces you to lean toward the target, resulting in poor contact. It also can produce lower back pain.

To maintain your flexion, you must train your obliques. A simple exercise you can do at home strengthens your obliques. Using a narrow stance get into a half kneeling position. Take a wide grip on a club with your arms extended. Keeping the lower body still rotate your torso toward the lead knee as the arms move up and across the body. The rotation strengthens the obliques while the kneeling helps the glutes. Do a set of 10 repetitions in each direction, switching the leg positions

Strengthen The Back Muscles
A popular swing fault in our golf lessons is early extension. A stability issue, early extension occurs when you move your lower body toward the ball during the downswing. When that happens, the club drops behind you. This swing fault results in the club being blocked as you swing unless you standup to create room. Standing up throws your swing off. The best you can hope for is a push or a hook—both of which can lead to trouble.

Early extension is the result of weak glutes, tight calves, and the inability to squat. To eliminate this swing fault, grab a 5-, 10-, or 15-pound dumbbell and hold it in front of you with your arms extended. Now lower your body into a deep squat position. Your butt should almost touch the ground. Place the dumbbell on a platform or chair. Then stand up without it. Do two sets of 10 repetitions each.

Good posture at address is critical to making solid contact. If key core muscles, like your glutes, obliques, and calves, are weak, your posture deteriorates, making it hard to make a good swing. To maintain good posture throughout the swing, do the exercises described above. They’ll strengthen your core and help you make the kind of solid contact that shrinks golf handicaps.