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How To Break 80 Newsletter

December 27, 2011

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

1) Tip: Escaping A Bunker From An Upslope
2) Tip: Mastering The 40 Yard Pitch Shot
3) Drill: Creating Controlled Clubhead Speed
4) Article: Golf Tips On Making A Swing Change
5) Article: Little Known Rules Of Bunker Play

Jack's Note: Happy Holidays all! Hope you are enjoying the time and getting some relaxation in. In case you missed it, there is a method for foolproof pitching (no chili-dips or sculls anymore) that I posted about last week that is receiving a lot of commentary. See the action here: http://break80today.com/pitching/

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) Escaping A Bunker From An Upslope
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Greenside bunkers intimidate many weekend golfers. A lot of these players have a hard time escaping in one, adding extra strokes to their scores. Of all the bunker shots you could face during a round, however, hitting from an upslope is probably the most misun-derstood. If you make the right adjustments and don’t panic, you should have few prob-lems getting out in one and landing close to the hole. From there, it’s just a matter of tap-ping in the putt.

Below are six keys to this shot:

1. Shift weight to back foot
2. Make sure the back shoulder is low
3. Brace yourself on the inside of the foot
4. Play the shot with a square clubface
5. Let the toe turn over
6. Accelerate through the shot

Hitting from an upslope in a bunker is a bit tricky. Your natural tendency is to lean into the slope. If you do that, you’re liable to leave yourself with another bunker shot.

Instead, lean your weight on your back foot. Make sure you brace yourself on the inside of that foot, not the outside, and drop your back shoulder. Your right shoulder should be very low for this shot.

Play the upslope bunker shot with a square clubface, instead of an open clubface like you do with your typical bunker shot. Take a nice slow swing and let the toe turn over and release through the ball. That gets the ball to carry forward, instead of just popping straight and landing short.

Also, make sure you accelerate through the shot. Many weekend golfers decelerate with bunker shots. That’s the kiss of death. It almost guarantees you’ll be hitting from the bunker on your next shot.

Hitting from an upslope in a greenside bunker is dicey. But if you make the adjustments described above and stay cool, you’ll escapie the bunker in one.

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2) Mastering The 40 Yard Pitch Shot
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If you're serious about chopping strokes off your golf handicap, learn to hit the 40-yard pitch shot. Golfers often struggle with this shot because of poor club selection, not me-chanics. You can use one of three wedges from this distance. The key is to know not only how the ball comes off the club, but also what happens after it hits the green.

Below are the key wedges and their degrees of loft:

• Sand Wedge (56 degrees)
• Gap Wedge (52 degrees)
• Pitching Wedge (49/48 degrees)

The three wedges used from 40 yards out are the lob wedge, pitching wedge, and sand wedge. All three work well in the right situation.

The lob wedge is ideal if the flag is up front and there’s some green to work with. The ball will flyer higher and roll less. It is especially effective in light rough. But you don’t want to use it from a tight fairway. You also don’t need to open the clubface. It has plenty of loft. Square up to the target and make a good swing.

The pitching wedge is ideal when the flag is back and there’s plenty of green. It’s well suited for the fairway or light rough. In deep rough, try one of the other clubs. The ball will fly hotter and lower with this club, so swing easy. And open the clubface a bit. The ball will roll significantly with this club.

The sand wedge is ideal for pins in the middle of the green or questionable lies in the rough or fairway. It is customizable, so you can easily alter roll and trajectory. If you want more carry and less loft, close the clubface. If you want less carry and more loft, open the clubface. But be careful. An open clubface often sends the ball off to the right.

A pitch shot from 40 yards out is one of the game’s more critical shots. Mastering this shot will help you chop strokes off your golf handicap. To do that, learn which wedge to use when and keep all your body mechanics repetitive for all three shots.

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3) Drill: Creating Controlled Clubhead Speed
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Many professional hockey players are good golfers. That’s because the motion to hit slap shots in hockey is similar to that for hitting golf balls. The key when hitting a slap shot is to keep the arms relaxed while securing a good grip with the fingers. The relaxed arms help increase stick speed when hockey players need to fire the puck at the net. Below is a drill that helps you feel the same sensation.

Take your 7-iron and grip the club as you normally do. Move your hands apart about 8 inches. Now hit some balls. Keep hitting balls until the sensation is ingrained. Once the feeling is ingrained, go back to your normal grip and hit some more balls. Try to retain the feeling you had when your hands were split.

Splitting your hands fosters a feeling of control with your hands, but with your arms relaxed. Try to remember that sensation. Also, try to remember the grip pressure you used. You want to copy that, too. Experiment with different grip pressures until you find the ideal grip for you.

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 Making A Swing Change
...Why do savvy golfers make swing changes? ... The long-term goal with a swing change is to lower your golf handicap...

5) Article: Little Known Rules Of Bunker Play
...you must extend the rules sometimes to address some unusual situations, like whether you can hit with one foot in a hazard...

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

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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.

Why do savvy golfers make swing changes? They don’t do it because of what their golf-ing buddies say or to copy their favorite pro golfer. Savvy golfers make swing changes because of their ball flight. That’s what really matters. If it’s not what you want it to be, changing your swing can help. (Ball flight is also a factor in monitoring a player’s progress.) The long-term goal with a swing change is to lower your golf handicap.

Making a swing change is also about identifying one major fault and correcting it. Taking care of that problem often cures a lot of other ills. Making a swing change is also about having faith. You might not see a quick payoff initially. You may even regress for a time. But you can let that throw you. Eventually, you’ll see progress. When the new swing fi-nally takes effect, you’ll see a lasting difference in your game and your golf handicap.

Below are five golf tips that will help make a swing change easier:

It Won’t Feel Good

Because a swing change involves a different motion, it won’t feel good at first. It will feel rather awkward, whether you’re making a slight adjustment or changing your whole swing. But it should feel strange. You’re doing something totally different. You also have to play through the uncomfortable parts and expect it to feel different at first. So you need to practice the change until it becomes second nature. But be careful— as we tell students who take our golf lessons. Your old swing can easily sneak up on you.

Practice The Change In Slow Motion

Tiger Woods has been working on a swing change the past two years. Tiger is no stranger to swing changes. He’s made a couple before. Like some weekend golfers, Tiger doesn’t like drills. But he is a fanatic about repetition. So he practices his new swing in slow mo-tion—over and over again. Practicing in slow motion is a good way to ingrain the feel of a change. You can’t always do that when hitting balls because the swing is over so quick-ly. Combining slow motion practice and golf drills also works.

Use It On The Course

Some golfers will work on a swing change in practice and abandon it when playing a round. These golfers are counting on the change sneaking its way into their swing. That approach doesn’t work. You must use the change over and over again to make it second nature. That’s why we encourage students who take our golf lessons to use a swing change during practice AND when they play—the sooner the better. It might be hard at first, but it’s the best—and the fastest—way to make the transition.

Identify One Thing

Focus on one thing when making a swing change. Make sure it’s a major fault. Then de-vote all your time and attention to addressing the fault. It’s what we do in our golf in-struction sessions, and it works. By correcting that one fault you may also be eliminating a host of other ills that plague your swing and your game. And don’t forget about the other parts of your game, like your short game. It’s easy to get completely absorbed in making a swing change and forget about the other areas of play.

Address The Root Cause

There’s nothing wrong with using golf tips during a round. But don’t be fooled by quick fixes on the course. They may help during a round but that’s it. That’s because golf tips often address only the symptom and not the cause. After awhile, they wear off and you’re back where you started. If you’re making a swing change, you must address the problem’s root causes. In fact, we encourage students who take our golf instruction sessions to have an open mind about golf tips and swing changes.

Ball flight tells you when to make a swing change. It’s also a good tool to monitor progress. Making a swing change can be frustrating. But you must stick with the change. Eventually, it becomes second nature. When that happens, your ball flight will improve and you’ll chop strokes off your golf handicap. Also, don’t go it alone. Work with someone who can see what you’re doing. Why—because what you think you’re doing and what you’re actually doing are often different. Another set of eyes helps.

If you’ve played golf for a while, you know that the sport has many rules. You probably know the basics ones, like the rule on hitting a ball in the hazard, but don’t know some of the more obscure ones. If you’re serious about golf, learn the rules. It won’t cut strokes from your golf handicap, but it helps you play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. For people who really love the game, that’s important.

Golf’s rules are designed primarily to prevent a player from gaining an advantage. They do a good job of that. But in trying to achieve fairness, you must extend the rules some-times to address some unusual situations, like whether you can hit with one foot in a hazard. One place where you can find yourself facing an uncommon situation is in a bunker. Most times, bunker play is cut and dry. When it’s not, it’s good to know the rules. Below are some golf tips on little known rules in bunker play.

Touching The Sand

Most students who take our golf lessons know they can’t ground their clubs in a bunker, even during their backswings. Most also know that they can’t touch the sand in a bunker with their hands. But there are exceptions to this rule: You can touch the sand with your hand to look for a buried ball, prevent yourself from falling, remove an obstruction (a so-da can or cigarette butt), or put down a club. However, these exceptions don’t apply if, in doing so, you test the surface or improve your lie. The penalty is two shots in stroke play and the loss of hole in match play. (Rule 13-4)

Playing A Wrong Ball

It doesn’t happen often but golfers sometimes play the wrong ball in a bunker. (We teach students in our golf instruction sessions to always check the ball before hitting to make sure it’s theirs.) You certainly don’t want to be penalized for playing the wrong ball, es-pecially if you’re having a good round. Sometimes the penalty for playing the wrong ball in a bunker is rather severe. It costs you two strokes in stroke play and the hole in match play. (Rule 15-3)

Moving A Loose Impediment

Another little known rule covering bunker play is the one Addressing loose impediments. Accidently moving a loose impediment in a bunker is okay as long as it was not moved in making your backswing. Accidently moving a loose impediment is also okay as long as you don’t improve your stance, your swing, or the ball’s lie. (Rule 13-4) You also have to be careful not to move the ball when taking your stance. If your ball moves as a result of shifting sand caused by your taking a stance, you must take a penalty stroke and replace the ball. (Rule 18-2a)

Casual Water In A Bunker

Sometimes after a good rain, water collects in a bunker, creating a pool. This is considered casual water. If the ball finds this water, you may drop it in a dry area of the bunker with no penalty, as long as it’s no closer to the hole. If the whole bunker is under water, you may drop the ball outside the bunker, keeping the point where the ball lays between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped. The penalty for this is one stroke.

These are just some of the rules covering bunker play. We encourage golfers who take our golf instruction sessions to go through the rulebook periodically and familiarize themselves with the rules as much as possible. You should do it as well. It won’t help your golf handicap much, but knowing a key rule can save strokes. And if you’re won-dering about playing a ball while standing in a hazard, you can. It happened to pro golfer Tim Clark in the 2008. Officials ruled he could play a ball with one foot in a hazard. (Rule 20-2c)

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How To Break 80 Newsletter

November 22, 2011

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

In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Tip: Save Strokes With Skull-Proof Chip Shot
2) Tip: Stop Overswinging
3) Drill: Curing The Yips
4) Article: Sand Play - Getting Back To Basics
5) Article: Faults And Fixes

Jack's Note: Happy Thanksgiving all! Today I am thankful for the opportunity to serve you and help you play better golf. Wishing you the very best - 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) Save Strokes With Skull-Proof Chip Shot
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Is there anything more frustrating than skulling a chip shot? Often, it comes after a good shot that comes up just a little short but in front of the green. If you’re not adept at chip-ping, you’ll have a hard time getting up and down. Poor chipping can cost you strokes and boost your golf handicap into the stratosphere. But you can eliminate those extra strokes by using your putter instead of a wedge. It’s a high percentage play that works in many situations.

Below are five keys to chipping with your putter:

1. Set up with the ball in the middle
2. Place the handle of the putter forward
3. Pick a good target before swinging
4. Gauge the distance to the pin
5. Keep your head down during the shot

Using a putter instead of a wedge to hit chips eliminates the chance of skulling the shot. But you must achieve true roll for it to work.

Set up with the ball in the middle of your stance and the handle of the putter just to the left of your zipper. You don’t want a lot of forward press here. Too much forward press inhibits solid contact.

Next, look at the hole and gauge the distance to the pin. Pick out a path that accounts for both the slope and break of the shot—just like you’d do for a normal putt. Now make a smooth, rhythmic stroke.

Keep your head down as you make your stroke until the ball is well on its way. This keeps your eyes focused on the ball so you can make solid contact—a must if you want to achieve true roll.

Mis-hitting chip shots costs you strokes. It’s also frustrating and can ruin your confi-dence. Using your flatstick to chip eliminates mis-hits, but you must achieve true roll to pull this shot off.

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2) Stop Overswinging
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We all like to drive the ball long and far. But trying to really belt a drive often leads to overswinging, caused by making a backswing that’s way too long. Taking an overly long backswing not only forces your swing out of sequence, but also hurts your ballstriking and accuracy. Needless to say, overswinging is a swing fault you want to avoid. Instead you want a short compact backswing that encourages synchronization of your body and arms.

Below are five keys to a shorter backswing:

• Relax your hands on the grip
• Make your normal backswing
• Keep your hands below shoulders
• Start turning your hips and torso
• “Whip” the club toward the ball

They key to driving the ball with power is delivering the club back to the ball squarely. You don’t have to have an overly long backswing to do this. A short compact backswing will do.

To tighten up your backswing, start with your normal stance and relax your grip. Some golfers tighten their grips when trying to drive one off the tee. If your hands are tight, your arms will be tight, inhibiting the flow of your swing.

Now make your backswing as you normally would, but don’t allow your hands to go above shoulder height. Start turning your hips and torso back to the ball before you feel like your “normal’ backswing is complete. This helps shorten your backswing.

Also, “whip”: the club through impact. The whip creates more clubhead speed while promoting solid contact. This in turn adds the extra power you need to drive the ball long and far.

Some golfers overswing when trying to drive the ball for distance. This often results from an overly long backswing, which can throw your swing out of sequence. Shorten your backswing and focus on hitting the ball squarely at impact and you’ll achieve more dis-tance on your drives.

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3) Drill: Curing The Yips
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The last thing you want to do coming down the stretch of a good round is miss short putts. Golfers call this the “yips.” Usually, the yips are the result of decelerating your putter on short putts, causing the putt to go offline. Use the drill below, to train yourself to accelerate through the putt, even on short ones:

Place a few golf balls one to two feet from the hole on the practice green. Take your normal putting stance and then with no backswing start pushing the balls toward the hole. Hold the finish until the ball is holed. Now back away and do the same from a distance of three to five feet. Once you feel comfortable from short range try uphill, downhill, and breaking putts.

This drill ingrains the feel of what it means to accelerate through the ball. But the drill has limited effectiveness for putts beyond eight feet, since most golfers accelerate anyway from more than that distance anyway. Once you’ve learned to accelerate threw the ball on short putts, all you have to do is read the line, pick your spot, and make a confident stroke.

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: Sand Play - Getting Back To Basics
...Most golfers hate landing in a bunker—greenside or otherwise. But there are few exact-ing shots when it comes to greenside bunkers...

5) Article: Faults And Fixes
...swinging the golf club the way the body is designed to move improves consistency and limits injuries...

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.