We all know that hitting the ball properly and as far as possible are very important if we want to score as low as possible.

But did you know that there is one part of the golf swing that can REALLY RUIN your game if not done correctly? See, there’s one thing that can ROB your swing of precious distance and proper ball contact and it can be really frustrating trying to figure it out.

So, I’ve made a short five minute video that shows you exactly what this miscue is and how to avoid it.

Yes, this is part of our latest Seniors DVD but in fairness to those who are not seniors, this same concept and instruction applies so it would be beneficial to see this eye-opening video. It’s just that this issue is more prevalent in seniors but trust me, there are still a great majority of us who commit this mistake, regardless of age.

Make sure to watch the entire video because some of the best drills and explanations are toward the end.

Enjoy!

Jack

P.S. This video tip is part of the brand new Seniors DVD which we recently launched. Learn how to play the best golf of your life with this unique and proven system.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

Save Strokes from Hillside Lies
Hitting the 3-Wood High Or Low
Question of the Week – Conquering Those Long Bunker Shots
Article – Four Keys To A Perfect Swing
Article – Become A Lights Out Putter With A Practice Routine

Save Strokes from Hillside Lies

Golfers botch hillside lies for two reasons: They either fail to make solid contact on or lose their balance during the shot. The reason: With sidehill and downhill lies, you tend to lean into the hill as you swing. The result: an inconsistent array of fat and thin shots. But if you make clean contact on hillside lies, you’ll hit it straighter and save strokes.

Below are four keys to making clean contact with hillside lies:

• Adjust your club selection
• Adjust your ball position
• Flare your downhill foot
• Make your normal shot

The key to this shot is making sure your shoulders match the hill’s slope, which you can do with a simple adjustment of your front foot.

Start by choosing your club. An uphill lie adds loft to your club. Use a less lofted club. A downhill lie subtracts loft from your club. Use a more lofted club.

Adjust your ball position as well. For an uphill lie, play the ball forward an inch or two. For a downhill lie, play the ball in the middle of your stance or slightly back.

Finally, match your shoulders to the slope without losing your balance. Do this by flaring your front foot about 45 degrees. Then swing normally.

Your flared foot evens out your stance and puts the ball at the bottom of your swing. This keeps you from slamming your clubhead into the hill or the center of your ball. A flared foot also gives you more freedom of movement in your backswing and makes you feel balanced while swinging.

Don’t let hillside lies throw you. Make solid contact by (1) adjusting your club selection and ball position, and (2) matching your shoulders to the slope by flaring your front foot. Learn to make clean contact on hillside lies and odds are you’ll eliminate those extra shots that pad your scores.

Hitting the 3-Wood High Or Low

One course I play has two different types of par 5s. Both greens are reachable from the fairway in two with a 3-wood. But on one you must go over a small pond to reach the green. On the other you have nothing but fairway between you and the green. On the first you want to hit a high shot that falls softly on the green. On the second you want to hit a low shot that runs to the green.

Here are five keys to hitting the 3-wood from a tight fairway lie:

• Play the ball back in your stance
• Sweep the ball off the turf
• Hit with a descending blow
• Shift your weight to the front side
• Swing through the ball

The key to hitting different shots with the 3-wood is to adjust your stance, not your swing, to achieve the lofts you need. In fact, it’s almost always better adjust your stance than change your swing.

For the high shot over the water, play the ball a little more forward in your stance and drop your hands slightly at address. Also place a bit more weight over your back foot by tilting your spine away from your target. These adjustments position you perfectly to sweep the ball off the turf while adding loft to your clubface.

To play a shot with a lower, more piercing trajectory, do the opposite. Position the ball where you’d play a mid-iron and set more weight on your forward leg. These adjustments de-loft the club at impact and produce the lower ball flight you need to run the ball to the green.

Adjusting your stance to achieve a different shot with the 3-wood is the preferred option when you need different ball flights from the same club. It’s both safer and easier to execute this move than changing your swing.

Question of the Week – Conquering Those Long Bunker Shots

Q. Hi Jack, I get out of greenside bunkers fairly easily, but the longer bunker shots are a problem. What do you suggest for a 25- to 50-foot bunker shot?

Robert K Mokros
Spring Hill, Florida

A. Thanks for the question, Robert. The goal with a long bunker shot is to hit the ball high and drop it softly on the green.

Using a normal set-up, position the ball just inside your front heel, open your stance slightly, and grip down on the club, applying light to moderate pressure. Point the clubface at the target and the shaft’s butt at your stomach.

As you start back, cup the back of your left wrist (right wrist for lefties). This adds loft to the clubface. On the way down, maintain the cup of the left for a long as possible. Feel as if you’re pulling down with the left arm. Then lock the back of the left wrist, allowing the clubface to slide through sand without it closing.

Finally, let your hands and wrist fall together as the body weight shifts to the outside of the front foot. Keep your head behind the ball by trying to peek under it at impact.

You’ll need a lot of backspin with this shot. So use a wide arc during your backswing by keeping your hands as far from your shoulders as possible. Also, use an inside-to-square-to-inside swing path.

Execute the golf tips explained above and you’ll hit a long bunker shot that drops softly on the green.

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

To view this newsletter online, please visit:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter09232009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:
Article – Four Keys To A Perfect Swing

Article – Become A Lights Out Putter With A Practice Routine

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

About the Author

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.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

Slide and Turn For Distance
Sticking It With A Hybrid
Question of the Week – Increasing Driving Accuracy
Article – Five Keys For A Simple Swing
Article – A Simple Plan To Improve Your Short Game

Jack’s Note: Golf’s playoffs are finally here… the Fedex Cup. I am personally nota huge fan of it because I think the real trophies are the four majors. But I will say it keeps the season interesting.

How much is a good golf lesson worth? It really depends on how bad you want to improve I guess. And now we have a way you can get seven of those priceless lessons for about half of what a normal lesson would cost.

Slide and Turn For Distance

To really drive the ball, you must make a full shoulder turn. By doing so you assure proper weight transfer and boost the chances of swinging on the correct plane. Both things lead to increased distance. But if you’re going to drive the ball, you also must employ your hips properly.

Below are the five keys to employing your hips properly:

• Make a smooth transition
• Start down with your hips
• Slide hips slightly toward the target
• Shift weight to front foot
• Return front foot to ground

To hit for power, you must retain the front-side tension built up in the backswing. Ultimately, the tension creates the clubhead speed needed to drive the ball. To retain that tension at the start of the downswing, you must move forward with your hips, slide them slightly toward the target, and then uncoil them back to the left. In other words, slide then turn your hips at the same time.

Also, as you start forward, shift your weight onto your front foot, and return your front heel, pulled up on the backswing, to the ground. During the hip slide-turn, keep your arms and shoulders in the same position they were in at the top of the swing. You can feel the tension of the backswing coil as you complete this sequence.

The best players actually start forward with the hips before the upper body has quite completed the backswing. But that requires perfect timing, so it’s best that weekend golfers slide then turn to start the downswing. Below is a drill that helps improve your shoulder turn:

Get a driver or an iron and take your normal stance. Tuck a golf ball under your back armpit. Now swing the club. If you move your arms without turning properly, the ball drops out. If you execute the turn properly, the ball remains in your armpit throughout the backswing.

This drill teaches you to keep your arms from separating during the backswing. From there, it’s just a matter of following the sequence described above. If you do that, you should start getting additional distance from your drives.

Sticking It With A Hybrid

For those who watched the final round of the PGA Championship, the shot of the day was Y.E Yang’s chip-in for an eagle. It gave him a one shot lead over Tiger Woods, which Yang never lost. But an equally critical shot was Yang’s second shot on the 18th—a hybrid draw to within 12 feet of the pin. That shot was just as important and dramatic as the chip-in because it sealed the win. It’s a great shot to be able to hit on command. Let’s review the shot’s keys:.

Below are six keys to hitting the hybrid draw:

• Adopt a closed stance
• Hood the clubface
• Follow an inside path
• Hit down, not up
• Stop short of parallel
• Turn the hands over

You have to make some minor adjustments to hit a good hybrid draw. Begin by setting up with the ball slightly back in a closed stance. To ensure a low, right-to-left ball flight (for right-handers), hood the clubface by turning its toe toward the target. To hit a higher, hybrid draw, position the clubface square to the ball, and put a little more weight on your back foot. Also, move the ball slightly forward.

When swinging, concentrate on taking the club back inside. Pull the club back as usual, but stop well short of parallel on your backswing. Once you get to the top, swing down, as if you were hitting an iron off the fairway. Turn your hands over on the way through the ball, with the right hand eventually resting on the left. Also, maintain the slight bend that occurs in your right wrist all the way through impact.

Of course, you’ll need to practice a hybrid draw to ingrain the feeling of hitting one solidly. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to hit the hybrid draw on command. It’s a good safe shot to have in your bag of tricks.

Question of the Week – Increasing Driving Accuracy

Q. Hi Jack, My main problem with my woods is a fade. Occasionally, I hit a slice with my woods. The driver is the worst. My 3-wood is the better of the woods, at 60-70% accuracy. With my irons I usually reach the greens in regulation. I have broken my handicap in my last three rounds and used metals for no more that five strokes. Currently playing off 23 my goal is to reach 10. This will require more accuracy with my drivers. Any suggestions?

Regards
Geoff Dening

A. Thanks, Geoff. Accuracy is about balance, control, and rhythm. So when it comes to my students, I generally tell them: Keep your swing on plane, maintain good rhythm, and control your clubface. Don’t lift your right heel (for right-handed golfers) too high. Don’t pin your right elbow to your body. And feel your right shoulder hit your chin as you make contact with the ball.”

If I had to give mental tips, I would keep the five tips below in mind the next time you have to hit the fairway:

• Don’t assume your going to hit a perfect shot
• Relax. Don’t allow tension to creep into your set-up
• Tee up on the side of trouble to guard against a bad shot
• Aim for a clear definite target within reach
• Don’t worry about distance. Accuracy is the priority.

Keeping these mental tips in mind and using proper swing mechanics will help improve your accuracy.

Here’s a drill used by Davis Love III to improve accuracy. His father taught it to him when the son was young. The father had young Davis work on hitting 125 yards shots and then 150-yard shots while taking a full driver swing. Once Davis learned this, he progressed to 175, 200, and 250 yards. The drill lengthens your swing arc, helps develop great control, and creates a heightened sense of rhythm.

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

To view this newsletter online, please visit:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter08262009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:
Article – Five Keys For A Simple Swing

Article – A Simple Plan To Improve Your Short Game

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

About the Author

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.

Concern #1: Will This Work for Me?

The biggest question that we have received so far is “Will this work for me”? Those that are using the our fundamentals-based swing already know that this instruction works. However, we believe that this question does apply to everyone, so we’re going to address it.

Background:

If you’ve been with us for some time now you probably know that- we believe in testing everything before we get it to you. To do that with this Full Swing Lessons Video, we gave the video to a group of 18 golfers in AZ over a period of 4 weeks. What we found was really astonishing. On average, the golfer that tried these methods:

* Stayed on the fairways more often – almost 25% more often.
* Lowered their average scores by 3.5 strokes the very first round after watching the DVD.

I personally wish they had dropped more strokes but wasn’t surprised by the nearly four strokes they were able to drop immediately. But from the comments on the previous online videos that were sent out you can tell that the stuff really works. Here’s more of what we found.

Before watching the DVDs, our group of 18 golfers hit an average of 8.2 fairways through a round of 18. Not too shabby. If you figure an average of 4 par threes over 18 holes, our golfers were already hitting 8 of 14 fairways. After watching the Full Swing Lessons instruction only once, our subjects improved to 9.8 fairways hit. If after watching one video, you hit one more fairway per round, I’m sure you’d take it.

Bottom Line:

By hitting and staying on the fairway more often, the golfers we tested improved their average score by 3.5 strokes. They stayed on the fairway more often, had easier approach shots, giving them better putting opportunities, and ultimately lowering their scores. We couldn’t have asked for a better result.

Our test subjects experience was a very positive one and we are confident that you will experience similar results.

Concern #2: Will I Have to Change My Swing?

Many people have been asking if they will have to change their swing to be able to benefit from this DVD.

The beautiful thing about the swing we teach is that we don’t believe in changing someone’s swing from the ground up, just to change their swing. We believe that some golfers need to focus just on one or two swing mechanics that they are not currently doing correctly. This instruction will tweak your swing instead of completely revising it. The idea is to give the golfer different swing thoughts and minor mechanical adjustments only. None of the golfers in our test were asked to change their swings in any major way. We just worked with them to refine their swing and improve in minor areas to get the best results.

Each golfer on this DVD has been experiencing some problem in their swing – hooking, pushing, hitting the ball fat, etc. – so we only cover with them the things that we see them doing to cause these problems and how we think they should fix it. If we have a golfer that’s pulling the ball, we won’t suggest a completely new swing to resolve their pull, we just tweak their current swing to remove the pull. By watching these golfers’ swings before and after my fixes, it will help you to find the fixes to your own swing issues and correct them.

Bottom Line:

This instruction will help you find and fix the issues in your own golf swing as well as any single golf lesson you can get. It will do it at half the price of an hour long golf lesson and best of all, you can watch this lesson over and over again. Whenever you experience an issue in your golf swing, just pop the video back in the player and give it a watch.

We’re really looking forward to hearing all of the great successes that you have after watching this video. I know that it will help to improve your game almost immediately. Only a few days left until this is released, and we’ll keep you informed in the coming days. We look forward to working with you.

In case you missed the sample videos:

Watch Secret Golf Lesson #1

Watch Secret Golf Lesson #2

Leave your comments/concerns/questions below!

You can find more in-depth information on the Full Swing Lessons DVD here.

***Remember–this is a trial product. We have limited stock.

Go Low!

Jack