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How To Break 80 Newsletter

April 19, 2012

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

1) Tip: Use “Dead-Hands” Chip For Downhill Greens
2) Tip: Throttling Back Can Save Strokes
3) Drill: Stop Pulling Putts Left
4) Article: Use Your Hands To Cut Golf Handicap
5) Article: Don’t Overdo These Four Classic Golf Tips

Jack's Note: I often get asked if the videos and tips on our site can be utilized by left handed golfer. The fundamentals in the DVD's apply to both right-handed and left-handed golfers. Although they are filmed using right-handed golfers. The left-handed person has to remember to do things in an opposite manner. Otherwise, the principals are the same.

One such golfer that uses our site picked Bubba Watson to win the Masters and also won some Free DVD's. Damon from Texas City, Texas sent in this nice note:

Hi Jack,

First of all allow me to say thank you for your web site. I do enjoy reading and watching some of the training videos that you send my way on occasion. I am excited to hear that my pick of Bubba Watson won the Masters. I too am a left handed golfer. And double excited to learn that I picked the winner in your contest that I entered. My choices of DVD's are listed below.

Pitching DVD, Seniors DVD, Hybrid DVD

I look forward to receiving them. I have several other DVD's by Bobby Eldridge.

Damon

Damon, your DVD's are on the way,

Thank you for being a loyal customer.

Jack

Trouble viewing links? Your browser may be the issue. We recommend using the Firefox browser. Click Here To Download. Some email clients also distort links: try to copy and paste web urls directly in your browser, or turn on images for emails.

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1) Use “Dead-Hands” Chip For Downhill Greens
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Nothing tests your short game more than a fast downhill chip to a green that runs away from you. You can use almost any club in your bag with a variety of swing motions to make this shot. Some golfers like to use a pinched pitch with a lot of backspin. But that’s risky. A pinched pitch doesn’t always provide enough backspin to hold the green. In-stead, try the “dead-hands” chip taught by Dave Peltz, golf’s short game guru.

Below are seven keys to hitting a dead-hands chip:

• Adopt a narrow chipping stance
• Play the ball back from center
• Raise your hands and bow your wrists
• Square your clubface to the swing line
• Pick out a landing spot and target it
• Swing with just your arms and no wrist cock
• Aim for crisp, clean contact with the ball

Adopt a narrow chipping stance, with your feet about six inches apart. Stand with 60 per-cent to 65 percent of your weight on your front foot to encourage a descending motion on your swing.

Play the ball back in your stance. To position it perfectly, start with your feet pointed squarely at the target line and the ball across from your back foot. Then open both toes slightly—maybe 20 degrees. You should be standing tall and very close to the ball.

Raise your hands and bow your wrists a bit to keep them firm through the swing. This also raises the heel of the club off the ground while the toe stays down. Square the club-face with the swing line, pick out a landing spot, and swing your arms back and through, aiming for crisp, clean contact. Use the club’s toe.

Whatever you do, don’t hinge your wrists. Using just your arms minimizes clubhead speed and shallows out your swing arc.

The dead-hands chip is easier to hit than a pinched pitch. It lands softly on the green and runs out a predictable and reliable distance. Use it to save strokes on a fast downhill green that runs away from you.

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2) Throttling Back Can Save Strokes
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If you’re like most golfers, you like to crush the ball from the tee. There’s no greater feel-ing in golf than blasting one down the fairway. Hitting a great approach shots is also sat-isfying, especially if it hits the green. But you must guard against being too aggressive on approach shots. Smart golfers know when to go for it and when to throttle back. Throt-tling back at the right time can save a lot of strokes.

Below are four times when throttling back makes sense from the fairway:

• Sidehill lies
• Fairway bunkers
• Uphill lies
• Into the wind

Sidehill lies are tricky, especially if you hook or slice. The hill’s slope increases that ten-dency to go right or left. To compensate, back off a little on the shot. Instead, take an ex-tra club, aim a little to the target’s left or right, and swing easy. You might even try taking an extra club.

Many weekend golfers often like to muscle their way out of fairway bunker bunkers. But solid first ball contact is all you want here. Take an extra club for the distance, choke down a little to ensure you don’t take any sand, dig your feet into the sand for stability, and make a controlled U-shaped swing.

Overswinging on an uphill lie often results in topping the ball. But you can avoid this mistake with a couple of adjustments. Make sure your shoulders are parallel to the ground. Add a little flex to your back knee. Take an extra club to compensate for the hill’s slope. And swing nice and easy along the hill’s slope.

While it swinging hard into the wind seems to make sense, doing so isn’t always smart. Hard swings create more backspin on the ball. That, plus the wind, could result in a bal-looning shot and lost yardage. Instead, take a longer club and swing easy.

Smart golfers know when to throttle back and when to go for it. Throttling back in the four situations described above saves strokes and helps cut golf handicaps.

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3) Drill: Stop Pulling Putts Left
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Pulling short and medium range putts left (right, if you’re left-handed) is frustrating. Missing a few of them during a round turns what could have been a good day into a bad one. It also costs you strokes, which could prevent you from breaking 100, 90, or even 80. But the simple pre-stroke drill described below helps you stop pulling putts left.

Take a couple of steps off the green. Stand over the short grass with your putter in hand, as you normally would. Now check your putter. Is it resting on the ground? If it is, lift it off the ground slightly setting the putterhead on the top of the grass. Now make a few strokes, brushing the blades back and forth.

If you rest your putter on the ground, you must lift it up to start your stroke. This jerky motion destroys your path and feel. Setting your putterhead on top of the grass amplifies your feel and encourages you to take the putter back smoothly, not up, for better results.

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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How To Break 80 Newsletter

April 4, 2012

"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
===================================================

In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Tip: Split The Fairway In The Wind
2) Tip: Maintain Fluidity To Sink More Putts
3) Question: Eliminate Pulling With These Golf Tips
4) Article: Don’t Swing Like the Pros
5) Article: Approach Shots Could Determine Masters

Jack's Note: This is it – Masters Week. The world’s greatest pros are already in Augusta, ready to compete. You can compete this week, too, by entering and winning our “Pick the Winner” Masters Contest. Entry is Free and the prizes are great. But, you have to post your selection before the the first tee time on Thursday. Click Here and enter today.

Trouble viewing links? Your browser may be the issue. We recommend using the Firefox browser. Click Here To Download. Some email clients also distort links: try to copy and paste web urls directly in your browser, or turn on images for emails.

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1) Split The Fairway In The Wind
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Wind can plan havoc with a drive. Hit a ball too high on gusty days and the wind can push the ball back, costing you yards. Headwinds are the most treacherous of all. A strong headwind can push back a high drive anywhere from 15 to 25 yards, and maybe more. That’s a lot of yardage to lose, especially on long par 4s or par 5s. What you need is a low flying, low spinning shot that penetrates the wind that you can go to on gusty days.

Below are six keys to hitting a low penetrating shot:

1. Kick your heel into the ground
2. Mold the dirt kicked up into a platform
3. Tee your ball on top of the platform
4. Play the ball slightly back
5. Choke down on the club for control
6. Take your regular driver swing

If you’re not very accurate off the tee, a strong wind only adds to your problems. The turf tee shot described below increases fairway accuracy without costing you yards.

Start by kicking your heel into the ground when on the tee box to dislodge a good portion of earth. Then mold the earth into a platform on which you place your ball. The earth replaces a tee but it positions the ball much lower than with a tee.

To promote a low piercing shot, play the ball slightly back of where you normally tee your ball. Choke down on the club for extra control and make your normal driver swing.
Work on keeping the club low to the ground.

It should feel like you’re hitting an elongated punch shot, with your arms extended fully through impact. This shot doesn’t produce much carry, but you get a lot of roll. So try to pick a final target at your normal driver distance.

Hit correctly, a turf tee shot produces a dead straight drive that penetrates the wind and splits the fairway. Work on it in practice until you get a good feel for it. Then make it your go-to shot in the wind and it will save you a ton of strokes off the tee.

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2) Maintain Fluidity To Sink More Putts
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Ever see a golfer address the putt for a long time only to miss it? Studying a putt too long isn’t good, whether you’re a PGA pro or a weekend golfer. “Freezing up” over the putt kills the fluidity of your putting stroke, causing you to miss the shot. It shouldn’t take any more than eight seconds to putt after addressing the ball. After that, you lose the feel for the putt. If you want to hole more putts, more consistently, use a pre-shot routine that puts a premium on retaining the feel for the putt.

Here’s a seven step pre-shot putting routine:

1. Read the putt from three sides
2. Choose the target line to the hole
3. Replace your marker with the ball
4. Align the ball with the target line
5. Take your address/square yourself
6. Make some practice swings
7. Start an eight second countdown

Studies show that the best putters take the same amount of time on each putt. When you use your pre-shot putting routine, try to take the same amount of time to complete each time you putt.

Start by reading the putt from three sides—ball to hole, hole to ball, and then from the side. Choose the target line for the hole. Replace your marker with your ball and line it up with your target line. Take your address remembering to square yourself to the target line. Make some practice swings. Then putt the ball.

To keep flowing, incorporate an eight second countdown as part of your routine. The countdown takes place between your last practice stroke and your putting stroke. The countdown helps you eliminate ‘freezing up” over a putt.

The longer your stand over a putt, the greater your chances of losing the feel for it. Using an eight second countdown helps retain that feeling.

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3) Drill: Eliminate Pulling With These Golf Tips
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Q.

Hey, Jack:

Your DVD was a very good investment for me. It helped me improve quite a few areas of my game. But I need one piece of advice, if I may.

Yesterday I played my first game in quite a few weeks. We’ve had rain here for the last two months and the courses are waterlogged.

My problem was with my 3-wood, both off the tee and off the fairway. I was line driving it to my right (I hit left-handed). The shot was powerful, but it went to my right like a tracer. This happened 4 times in 9 holes.

Maybe you can point me in the right direction.

Regards,
Ric Wickham

A.

Thanks, Ric. It sounds like you’re pulling the ball. The key factor, as we’ve written here before, is the clubface’s position at impact. If it’s too closed at impact, you’ll pull the shot.

You need to swing the club on an in-to-out swing path or change the clubface’s position at impact to correct this. Try one, all, or a combination of the five golf tips below. It’s often a case of trial and error:

1. Strengthen your grip
2. Close your body alignment
3. Close the clubface slightly
4. Straighten your left arm early
5. Encourage your left arm to cross over

Moving both hands to the right until you can see three knuckles on the back of your left hand strengthens your grip. The thumbs and “V”s between both thumbs and forefingers should be parallel.

Aiming your feet, hips, and shoulders a little to the left of the target closes the alignment of your body. Position the ball back a little in your stance as well.

Closing the clubface slightly after positioning the ball back keeps the clubface “looking” at the ball for slightly longer than usual but not enough to create a pulled shot.

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: Don’t Swing Like the Pros
...If you’re an average weekend golfer looking to cut strokes from your golf handicap, copying the swing of your favorite PGA pro isn’t necessarily smart...

5) Article: Approach Shots Could Determine Masters
...If there’s one course that illustrates how critical approach shots are to a good score, it’s Augusta National. This year’s event could provide a golf lesson in just how critical they are to the layers in the field...

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

We’d all like to swing like the pros. But should we? A PGA Pro’s swing reflects years of practice. If you’re an average weekend golfer looking to cut strokes from your golf handicap, copying the swing of your favorite PGA pro isn’t necessarily smart. Instead of helping your game, it could make it worse. Weekend golfers often lack the flexibility and core strength of the pros, so they can’t achieve the same swing positions as the pros do even after dozens of golf lessons. This makes it difficult to copy a pro.

If you compare videos of an average weekend player and a PGA pro swinging a club, you’ll see key differences in swing positions. Even weekend players who through studying golf tips and/or taking golf lessons acquire the right mechanics can’t always make up for their lack of flexibility and core strength. That doesn’t mean weekend golfers can’t have sound swings or achieve low golf handicaps. They can. But they must make adjustments that professional golfers don’t have to make. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Dynamic Transition

Take the downswing. The biggest difference between the two golfers on the downswing is the pro’s dynamic transition. Thanks to his flexibility a PGA pro produces tremendous torque during the backswing. This torque is stored in the swing at the top. The pro unleashes this torque by starting his lower body toward the target before his backswing has finished, producing a great deal of lag. The lag has the potential for creating extraordinary clubhead speed—the kind seldom seen in golf instruction sessions for weekend golfers. It’s a lot like stretching a rubber band.

The weekend golfer also starts his downswing by moving his lower body. But weekend golfers don’t store as much torque in their swings as professionals because of a lack of flexibility and core strength, so they can’t create s much lag as a pro. Put differently, they can’t stretch the “rubber band” as tight as the pros can. This decrease in tension, combined with a less than dynamic transition, drains clubhead speed. Nevertheless, weekend golfers can achieve good power from their swings, if they make the right adjustments.

One adjustment is keeping the club on the proper swing path. When weekend golfers swing, a quick spin of their hips and shoulders force their clubs on a steep, outside paths. Starting a downswing with a smooth, lateral motion helps the weekend golfers stay more to the inside coming down, where they should be. This adjustment keys the weekend golfers’ power and compensates for his lack of flexibility and strength.

All About Flexibility

Another swing phase where a lack of flexibility and core strength hurts weekend golfers is the finish. It’s all about flexibility. With a stronger body and more flexibility, a professional golfer completes his finish by pointing his right shoulder (left shoulder for southpaws) at the target. The finish results in part from achieving the neutral centered positions the pros normally achieve during their swings, which allow professional golfers to add more body movement to their swings. More body movement means the pro needs to use his hands less during the finish, improving consistency.

Weekend golfers can’t rotate their hips and shoulders completely around like Tour pros. So their hands must play a more active role in the swing to make up for the lack of flexibility. But it’s hard to achieve consistency in our finish with active hands. Nevertheless, weekend golfers can still finish well. Instead of trying to force their cores to turn more than they can, weekend golfers should focus on staying balanced at the finish, and let their levels of flexibility and core strength determine their finishes. This approach also curbs injuries.

We all want to play like the pros. But should we? Weekend golfers who try to imitate the exact moves of their favorite professional golfers may be asking for trouble. They lack the average professional’s flexibility and core strength achieving key swing positions. Imitating the swing of their favorite pros can hurt not only weekend golfers’ golf handicaps but also their bodies. Learning to make the right adjustments to compensate for physical limitations can boost one’s game to the next level.

If you’ve read our golf tips newsletter, you know what we think about approach shots. They’re critical to breaking 80 consistently because they lead to hitting greens in regulations (GIR). GIRs are a key to lowering your golf handicap. The more greens you achieve during a round, the better your chances of making pars and birdies. Unfortunately, you can learn the art of hitting greens in regulation in golf instruction sessions. You have to play a lot to develop this skill.

If there’s one course that illustrates how critical approach shots are to a good score, it’s Augusta National. This year’s event could provide a golf lesson in just how critical they are to the layers in the field. Putting will be important at the Masters, but if there is one course where you could say that approach shots match putting in importance, it’s Augusta. Approach shots can make or break you there. Below we look at four of the course’s tougher holes and the approach shot challenges they provide.

Hole 4/Par 3/240 Yards

This hole is downright treacherous. It’s made harder by deceptive winds. Two bunkers in front guard the green, which slopes back to front. Originally shaped like a boomerang, the green is a bit wider now and the bend not quite as extreme. Nevertheless, it’s a tough target to hit. This green requires a high fade approach shot hit with a long iron, but you must be accurate because you could end up in the right front bunker if you miss. If you do, you could be looking at a double-bogey.

Hole 5/Par 5/510

An accurate tee shot to the fairway’s center on this dogleg left allows a player to go for the green in two. But the hole sets up for a difficult approach shot. That’s because tournament players are usually hitting their second shots from a sidehill lie. These lies, as you may recall from my golf tips newsletter or from attending golf instructions sessions, favor a hook. This green requires a cut shot, not a hook. What’s more, a tributary from Rae's Creek winds in front of a raised green, while four bunkers loom behind it. Miss your approach shot and you’re in deep trouble.

Hole 15/Par 5/530 Yards

It was here that Gene Sarazen hit his famous “shot heard round the world” in 1935, 4-wood approach shot from 235 yards for a double eagle. The hole is reachable in two for better players. But missing the approach shot can really derail a golfer’s game because he’s facing a tough downhill lie. What you want is a high cut shot off the downslope that will hold a shallow green. That’s hard to hit from there. If you hit it thin, you could end up in a pond. If you lay up, you’re facing another difficult downhill lie, a shot you could hit fat or thin. Hit it over the green and you’re in trouble as well. You can’t afford to miss your approach shot here.

Hole 18/Par 4/465 Yards

Two bunkers protect this uphill dogleg right at the fairway’s left elbow. A drive hit down the center requires a middle iron for an approach shot to a deep, narrow green guarded by one bunker short-left and another hard right. Originally, the 18th green had two distinct tiers. The surrounding areas have been contoured to improve sight lines for spectators. This is an uphill hole. Uphill holes are blind. They usually don’t set up well for approach shots. This hole is no exception. Missing your approach shot here can cost you dearly—especially on Sunday.

Approach shots are critical to breaking 80 during a round. The four holes described above illustrate just how critical they are on some courses. If you’ve been reading our golf tips newsletter, you know about our regard for approach shots. They lead to more greens in regulation (GIR). You won’t break 80 consistently or cut your golf handicap without making your share of them. The more GIRs you record, the more pars and birdies you’ll card. Carding more pars and birdies boosts your game to the next level.

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How To Break 80 Newsletter

March 22, 2012

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

1) Tip: Five Golf Tips For Easy Power
2) Tip: Hitting Small Pitches
3) Drill: Learning To Hit On-path Pitches
4) Article: Golf Tips On Playing Damage Control
5) Article: Golf Tips When putting in the wind

Jack's Note: Now that the PGA’s 2012 Season is back and in full swing, you might want to tune in and watch the competition unfold. Why … you can learn a lot observing the pros uncork their incredibly fluid swings, especially off the tee. It can be like “getting a lesson from a pro teacher” – for Free.

Trouble viewing links? Your browser may be the issue. We recommend using the Firefox browser. Click Here To Download. Some email clients also distort links: try to copy and paste web urls directly in your browser, or turn on images for emails.

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1) Five Golf Tips For Easy Power
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Golfers should strive for powerful accurate drives. But sometimes they throw caution to the wind and just blast away. They try so hard to hit a bomb out of the box they throw their swings completely out of whack. When that happens, the ball often lands in the woods or in deep rough. There’s nothing wrong with trying for more power when you need it. Good golfers do it all the time. But what you want is “easy” power, sort of like what PGA pro Fred Couples generates.

Below are six keys to easy power:

1. Take a good backswing
2. Maintain stability
3. Drag arms and club
4. Maintain “soft arms”
5. Throw your arms out
6. Time your pivot correctly

One key to easy power is torque. Torque comes from rotating your body away from the ground with the feet as the anchor. This provides leverage against the ground. Take advantage of this principal. Make a good backswing and good shoulder turn. Also, maintain your spine angle and a slightly flexed back knee. This helps create stability, which improves torque and consistency.

After making a good shoulder turn, you’re in a coiled position. The tension stored created by the coiling process must be unleashed. To do that, begin moving forward slightly toward impact with your arms and club lagging behind. You need to drag your arms and club, not the other way around.

You arms are fourth key to easy power. They must be relaxed threw the swing. “Soft arms” help generate easy power. Also, try to move both arms together during the swing, not independently. To do this, throw your arms out and extend them using a proper pivot. A correctly timed pivot causes the front leg to straighten just after impact.

Staying loose and relaxed through the swing produces easy power. When you try to hit a bomb, you often tense up. That destroys rhythm and timing, and short-circuits power. It also inhibits fluidity. Instead, stay loose and relaxed and swing smoothly and easily, like Fred Couples. His power comes from good mechanics and solid ballstriking. So should yours.

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2) Hitting Small Pitches
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Greens hit in regulations are a key statistic in golf. The more greens you hit in regulation the more pars and birdies you’ll make. But even a good approach shot can leave you a just short of the green. Putting from there is an option, but only if your path is clear. If it isn’t, then you may need to hit a small pitch. A small pitch clears the grass in the way and gets the ball rolling on the green. But hitting an accurate small pitch is tricky. Applying too much force runs the ball well past the hole.

Below are five keys to hitting an accurate small pitch:

1. Position the ball in the middle
2. Utilize an ultra narrow address
3. Choke down on the club
4. Use your normal pitch swing
5. Try to “thump” the ground

Many weekend golfers try to hit small pitches by applying less force. Altering your swing like this is hard to learn and master. An easier method is adjusting your setup so you can swing with your normal tempo and rhythm.

Set up with the ball in the middle of your stance. Then close up your feet until they’re almost touching. Closing your feet lessens hip flexibility, which cuts down your backswing. A shorter backswing produces less force to the ball.

Also, choke down on the shaft of your club. This shortens your backswing a bit, siphoning off extra force. Choking down also lets you use your normal swing tempo and rhythm.

Swing forward with increasing acceleration. Try to thump the ground under the ball with the wedge’s sole. The ball comes off the clubface softly and flies the required distance you need.

Hitting a small pitch is tricky. It’s easy to run the ball past the hole or leave the shot short. But using the golf tips described above makes hitting an accurate small pitch easier.

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3) Drill: Learning To Hit On-path Pitches
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Accurate pitching turns three strokes into two by leaving you with highly makeable putts. But to hit accurate pitches you must get the club moving consistently down the target line on the right path. The drill below helps you master on-path pitching.

Take a 10-foot piece of string and stretch it out directly on the target line of a pitch shot. Anchor each end firmly in the ground with a tee. Place a ball just on the inside of the string. Now take a swing. Focus on keeping the clubhead aimed at the target line or parallel to it throughout the backswing and downswing. Keeping your thumbs pointed at the target line all the way helps.

Practice this drill often. The more accurate your pitches, the more chances you have of carding pars and birdies. The more pars and birdies you make, the better your chances of breaking 80.

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.

===================================================
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: Golf Tips On Playing Damage Control
...Sooner or later you’ll hit a bad shot. Everybody does, even players with low golf handicaps...

5) Article: Golf Tips When Putting In The Wind
...Wind can be as much of a factor when putting as break and slope. Sometimes, it can be more of a factor...

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

If you’ve ever seen the British Open on television, you know how windy it gets at St. Andrews. It can bowl you over—literally. The wind there affects every shot you make. Playing golf at St. Andrews on gusty days can be a harsh golf lesson if you don’t make the right adjustments when putting. Wind can be as much of a factor when putting as break and slope. Sometimes, it can be more of a factor. Needless to say, there’s an art to putting well in the wind, one you must learn if you want to achieve a low golf handicap.

Wind moves because of differences in air pressure. Air masses move from areas of high-pressure to areas of low-pressure. As they move, they collide with the terrain, objects on the ground, and other air masses, causing them to eddy and swirl. A golf ball is one of the objects wind often encounters. The force that wind exerts on golf balls depends on the cross-sectional area presented to it. The bigger the area presented, the more force wind exerts on the ball. This force acts like a “drag” on the ball, slowing it down and/or re-directing its path. Drag is why you must adjust to when putting on windy days.

Assessing The Wind

The first step, we tell students in our golf instruction sessions, is to determine the wind’s direction. While the wind has a more pronounced effect on a slowly rolling golf ball, the effects differ depending on the type of wind you have. For example, headwinds have different effects on balls than crosswinds or tailwinds. So you must first determine the type of wind you have and then how it’s going to affect the ball before putting. Watching how another player’s ball reacts to the wind helps.

Other factors to consider when assessing wind before putting are steadiness and strength. Students taking golf lessons are often taught to assess these factors by checking the treetops. Treetops don’t always work because objects on the course can block the wind on the green. So the wind in the tops of trees is often blowing harder and steadier than the wind on your ball. A better approach is checking your pant leg. If it’s flapping, the wind is gusting at about 10-15 miles. Once you’ve determined direction and how hard and how steady the wind is blowing, you can address the ball.

Strong Winds Affect Balance

Strong winds also affect balance, so maintaining stability is paramount. Start by widening your stance a bit. Keep your feet shoulder width apart or even slightly wider. In addition, bend over slightly more at the waist, flex your knees slightly, and position the ball toward the middle of your stance. These changes stabilize you and create a balanced, rock-solid base. It also gets your eyes over the ball. We also advise students at golf instruction sessions to choke down on the putter’s shaft. Choking down shortens the time between the backswing and the follow-through, increasing control and allowing you to stroke the ball more aggressively. Putting aggressively in the wind is a must. Also, keep your hips as stable as possible when putting in the wind.

Another factor to consider is the green’s grain. It, too, can impact your putting on windy days. In general, if the wind and grain are going in the same direction as the ball’s roll, play for a straighter, faster roll. If the wind and grain are against your putt, play for a slower roll with more break, especially as the ball slows down. If the wind and grain are moving in the direction of the break, play for extra break above the hole. If the wind and grain is against the break, play for less break than you’re seeing on the line.

Conclusion

Strong winds, like those at St. Andrews, Scotland, can play havoc with your putting. But you must learn to putt well in the wind, if you want to reduce your golf handicap. Taking a couple of golf lessons from a pro and/or reading golf tips in magazines and on Websites helps. But there’s nothing like experience. So try to play on gusty days as often as possible until you’ve mastered putting in the wind.