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

This one’s a real gem folks. If you’ve been losing your shots off to the right (as a right-hander) as a fade or push, you’re going to LOVE the below video. In it Bobby shows one of his students a very little-known trick to stopping those bad shots to the right. It’ so simple you’ll probably kick yourself but regardless, it works.

I hope you’re enjoying these video lessons. Please let me know if you like them and if they are helping your game or if you have any questions.

Oh yeah, in case you missed the Secret Golf Lesson #1, see it here.

Go Low!

Jack

In this issue we’ll discuss…

Hitting A Long Explosion Shot
Hitting A Flop Shot From Bare Ground
Question of the Week – Hitting A Ball Above Your Feet
Article – Which Shot Hits The Spot?
Article – Swing Keys Help Trim Golf Handicap

Hitting A Long Explosion Shot

A greenside bunker 20 to 30 yards from the pin isn’t where you want to be with an approach shot or a drive. But even the best of us find ourselves there occasionally. The long explosion shot from a distant bunker is one of the hardest shots for weekend golfers to make, if not the hardest.

Below are six tips for hitting a long explosion shot:

1. Close your stance instead of opening
2. Widen your stance a couple of inches
3. Work your feet firmly into the ground
4. Concentrate on just skimming the sand
5. Rotate the clubface open to closed

The keys to this shot are two adjustments in your stance. Since you want to make a long accelerating swing, you need a firm foundation. Widening your stance helps. So does working your feet into the ground. But don’t work them in so much that you can’t move them. In addition, close your stance. Your feet should be parallel. That lengthens your swing and makes it easier to bring the club into the ball from inside the line of play.

Use your sand wedge for this shot and focus on just skimming the sand as you go through the ball. Also, rotate the clubface from open to closed on the downswing, which you can do by turning your right hand over your left through impact. Incorporating these adjustments into your stance helps you hit an accurate shot.

We can’t stop ourselves from landing in a bunker 20 to 30 yards from the green. No one can. But good golfers get out in one. Hitting a long explosion shot will help you do that, keep your scores in check, and trim strokes from your golf handicap.

Hitting A Flop Shot From Bare Ground

Phil Mickelson hits accurate flop shots from difficult lies—including bare ground. Hitting a flop shot from bare ground is a challenge. It’s also risky. If you mis-hit it, it can cost you strokes big time. That’s why golfers stay away from hitting a flop shot from this type of lie. But when you have to do it, a flop shot from bare ground can help turn three strokes into two.

Below are six keys to hitting a flop shop from bare ground:

1. Use a lob wedge with minimal bounce
2. Keep the shaft vertical or leaning away
3. Swing your arms to the left (right for left-handers)
4. Swing longer for higher shots
5. Keep legs quiet throughout the shot
6. Complete your follow-through

The secret to hitting a flop shot from bare ground is the wedge’s sole. Use a lob wedge with a sole that has minimal bounce—especially in the heel. Bounce is the flange on the club’s sole that extends below the leading edge. To hit a good shot, you must use the bounce effectively.

Also, keep the shaft vertical or slightly leaning away from the target, which means your hands will be even with or slightly behind the ball. Keeping the shaft vertical exposes the club’s bounce and enables its leading edge to slide under the ball. You want the trailing edge to go into the ground.

And keep your legs quiet from start to finish. On the follow-through, swing your arms to the left (right for right-handers). This prevents the club from de lofting and bouncing off the ground and into the ball. Remember, the longer your swing the higher the ball goes. But it travels only slightly farther.

This approach to hitting a flop shot works for any lie. Of course, there’s no flop shot approach that’s fail-safe. That’s why you need to be judicious about when you use it. But if you’re going to use it, make sure you commit to the shot before swinging.

Question of the Week – Hitting A Ball Above Your Feet

Q. Dear Jack, My question is, whenever I have a shot where my feet are lower than the ball I tend to take more dirt than I would like to, loosing all power and distance.

Help?
Judy Siblock
Northern Ontario, Canada

A. Thanks for the question, Judy. Hitting a ball above your feet is simply a matter of making a few adjustments.

Three things can happen when you don’t make the right adjustments. First, since the ball automatically moves left to right, you’ll pull the shot out of bounds. Second, on shots above your feet, you can shift your upper body forward during the swing and come into the ball at a lower than normal, hitting the ball fat. Third, you can lose your balance and pop out of you stance, resulting in a weak slice.

To hit a ball above your feet, adjust your stance so you’re aiming right of the flagstick, which compensates for the tendency to pull the ball left. Center your weight above your arches feet, not on the balls of your feet, which helps you swing along the slope and stay in balance throughout the shot. And keep your posture constant so you can maintain the same spine angle you set at address through impact. You can also choking down on the club.

Make these adjustments next time you have this type of lie and you’ll hit the ball solidly.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

Which Shot Hits The Spot?

Swing Keys Help Trim Golf Handicap

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.