In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Perfect Your Posture For Better Swings
2) Putting Up A Tier
3) Question of the Week – Playing Soft Shots
4) Article – Simplifying Your Sand Play Saves Strokes
5) Article – Dial In Your Short Irons Now

Jack’s Note: Tired of hitting bad chips? Watch the free video on the foolproof chipping method here.
1) Perfect Your Posture For Better Swings
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It gets harder to change bad habits the longer you have them. So you need to correct them as soon as you discover them. Otherwise, they’ll become ingrained and you’ll never root them out. If bad habits plaque your swing and you’re looking to make a change, the best place to start is with your posture. Good posture increases the chances of striking the ball solidly.

Below are five keys to good posture:

1. Keep your spine straight through the swing
2. Bend forward from your waist
3. Keep your knees flexed but not too much
4. Place your kneecaps over your insteps
5. Point your fingertips outside your shoes

You address position greatly impacts your swing. If your looking to perfect your swing or get rid of bad habits, a good place to start is with your posture. Good posture increases your changes of hitting the ball on the sweet spot.

To check your posture, set up to an imaginary ball. Relax your body and let your arms hang straight down. Your posture is good if your kneecaps are over the insteps of your feet and your fingertips point to the tips of your shoes. If your fingertips point inside the tips of your shoes, you’re too upright. If the point outside the tips of your shoes, you’re bent over too far and your too flat.

Also, keep an eye on your knees. Many golfers don’t flex their knees enough. In addition, make sure your spine is straight and that you’re bending forward from the waist to avoid slumping your shoulders.

If you’re unhappy with your swing or you’ve developed bad habits and you’re looking to make a change, start with your posture. If you’re set up with good posture, your chances of hitting balls crisply greatly increase.
2) Putting Up A Tier

A long putt of about 40 feet up a tier is tricky. We tend to leave the putt short on the first tier well below the hole. If the slope is high enough, the ball may even roll back to you. Either way, you’ll probably three-putt or four-putt. If you play on a course with numerous tiered greens, leaving these types of putts short can really cost you. But staying true to your stroke fundamentals provides the solid contact you need to get the ball to the hole.

Below are five keys to putting up a tier:

1. Add the pace of the two putts together
2. Set your eyes over the ball
3. Set your hands under your shoulders
4. Keep everything still at impact
5. Imagine yourself bowling up a hill

The problem here is that you’re really dealing with two putts: The one that gets the ball up the first tier and the one that gets the ball from the edge of the tier to the hole. To determine the ideal stroke length for this putt, add the stroke lengths for those two putts together.

Next, take your normal putting stance. Then set your eyes over the ball and your hands below your shoulders.. This sets you up to make solid contact, enough to get you up and over the first tier and to the hole

As you make your practice strokes visualize yourself “bowling” the ball up the hill. Get the feel in your right hand (left hand for lefties) for giving the ball sufficient force to get it up and over the tier’s crest. Try re-creating the feeling when you putt. Keep your sternum still at impact

If you’re putting from the left side of the hole (the cup is to your right), the slope tends to bend the ball the right. The opposite is also true.

Long putts up a tier can cost you a ton of strokes. Golfers often leave these putts short. Sometimes, we’re so short the ball rolls back. The secret to sinking tiered putts is making solid contact. Follow the golf tips given above and you’ll do it.
3) Question of the Week – Playing Soft Shots

Q. Hi, Jack. How do I play a soft landing approach shot from 50 yards and less or from the bunker? My shorts normally run six feet after pitching.

Thanks,
Charles Pitara

A. Thanks for the question, Charles. You’ve actually asked two questions here. One questions is about soft approach shots. The other is about soft landing shots from a bunker. Let’s address them one at time:

Soft Approach Shot
The key to the super soft pitch shot is the left arm action (right arm action for right-handers) given to the ball on the shot. You must swing the club and the left arm to the left of the target after impact on nice soft pitches from 30-50 yards out.

To start, use a sand wedge for this shot. Open your stance and the clubface a bit. Then, make an upright swing. These adjustments encourage the clubface to cut across the ball slightly, imparting sidespin, which helps the ball stop. The key is holding the club firmly with your left hand after impact. Don’t let the clubface’s toe pass its heel the way it does normally. To see if you’re making the shot correctly, check your divots. They should be small and should point to the left of your target. If they do, you’ve hit the shot correctly.

Soft Sand Shot
Your sand wedge is the club of choice for this shot as well. Position the ball forward in your stance and open the face of your sand wedge, adding loft to the club. As you swing back and through, keep most of your weight on your back leg. By keeping your weight on your back leg, your sand wedge maintains its original loft at impact. The ball pops out high and settles quickly on the green.

Many weekend golfers slide forward on this shot, shifting their weight to their front side dramatically on the forward swing. The shift takes loft off the club and causes it to dig into the sand, making the ball come out low and hot.

These shots are somewhat advanced. So if you’re a poor pitcher, work on the basics before trying it. But if you’re a good pitcher and you want to improve accuracy, this shot may be just the thing. Practice it to master it.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Simplifying Your Sand Play Saves Strokes
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/simplifying-your-sand-play-saves-strokes.php

5) Article – Dial In Your Short Irons Now
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/dial-in-your-short-irons-now.php

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…

1) Hitting Crisp, Clean Irons From Soggy Lies
2) Drop It Close From Every Bunker Lie
3) Question of the Week – Adjusting To “Real” Fairways
4) Article – Hybrids To The Rescue
5) Article – Playing Smart Saves Strokes
1) Hitting Crisp, Clean Irons From Soggy Lies

Few things in golf beat playing when the conditions are perfect. But you can’t always do that. Sometimes, you have to play when things are less than perfect. In fact, most times you play things will probably be less than perfect. Often, it’s nature’s fault, like when it rains heavily the night before. Heavy rains can leave fairways soft and soggy the next day, making it hard to hit crisp, clean iron shots and costing you strokes. But you can hit good irons from soggy lies by adjusting your stance and swing.

Here are seven keys to hitting irons from soggy lies:

1. Take a bunker set up
2. Choke down on the club an inch
3. Position the ball in the center
4. Stand taller over the ball
5. Hover the club above the ground
6. Line up the leading edge
7. Hit the back of the ball

You need to treat shots off wet turf as if you were hitting from a fairway bunker. That means you must make ball first contact. It also means you must compensate for you feet sinking into the soft ground, lowering your swing arc.

To do that, take a bunker stance, grip down an inch on the club, and position the ball in the center of your stance (or slightly forward for longer irons and hybrids). In addition, stand taller to the ball by bending less at the hips. Standing taller lets you hover your club above the ball and line up the leading edge with the ball’s equator.

As you swing, aim for a spot an inch in front of the ball. You want to hit the back of the ball and drive your club down and into it at that spot. A good swing thought to keep in mind is to picture your clubhead and back knee reaching the ball at the same time.

Making ball first contact and offsetting a lower swing arc produces crisp, clean irons on soft, soggy turf. But remember, you can take relief without penalty from casual water (outside a hazard), but the water must be visible before or after taking your stance.
2) Drop It Close From Every Bunker Lie

Your feet are the key to blasting it close from every bunker lie. Since you can’t ground your club in a bunker, it’s not always easy to tell what kind of sand you’re in by sight. But your feet can tell you what kind of sand you’re dealing by how far you sink in the sand. Is it fluffy, hard, or something in between? Knowing the type of sand you’re dealing with can help you hit it close.

Below are six keys to making bunker shots:

1. Play the ball just inside your front heel
2. Keep your hands directly above the ball
3. Dig your feet in for balance
4. Distribute your weight evenly
5. Choke down on the club to compensate
6. Match your swing to the depth of the sand

If you use the wrong swing in the wrong sand, you’ll either leave it in the bunker or blast it over the other side of the green. Either way, it costs you strokes. Instead, let your feet tell you the type of sand you’re dealing with, use your normal bunker shot setup, and adjust your swing accordingly.

If you’re sitting on top of thin sand, there’s less sand your club can extract, so the ball comes out “hotter” than normal. Swing from hip-high to hip-high in your finish. This gives you about 10 yards in the air with 2 yards of roll with your sand wedge.

If you’re sitting in fluffy sand, there’s more sand to extract. Your club tends to stick in this type of sand. Hitting a good explosion shot here means taking a large divot using a fast swing. Swing three-quarters back and make a complete follow through. This gives you about 10 yards in the air and 2 yards of roll with your sand wedge.

Ultimately, you want to get out of the bunker in one. But to blast it close use your feet to tell the type of sand you’re in. Once you know that, lengthen or shorten your swing to match its speed to the sand’s depth.
3) Question of the Week – Adjusting To “Real” Fairways

Q. Hi, Jack. I started playing golf on a very hard surface, where the “fairway” was a few tufts of grass on some rock-hard ground! Bottom line, there was no chance of taking a divot, so I learned to pick-up (scoop?) the ball off the hard surface. Years later, I can afford to play on real fairways. However, I still pick up the ball. How can I change my swing to hitting down on the ball and taking a divot?

Thanks,

Gregg de Wet

A. Thanks for the question, Gregg. You’re right in likening your swing to scooping because that’s essentially what you’re doing. Scoopers are trying to help the ball in the air. They set up with their weight on their back foot, their front shoulder very low, and their back arm bent to an extreme on middle- and long-iron shots. To hit the ball, scoopers must then spin out and fall backward, hitting up on the ball rather than down.

To cure scooping, move the ball back a bit toward the middle of your stance. Lower your front-shoulder just enough to allow you to turn it under your chin and aim it parallel to the target line. Distribute your weight evenly. And make a smooth transition from the top of the backswing to the forward swing. Make a full, balanced finish. These changes encourage a descending blow.

To groove these adjustments, stick a tee in the ground where you would normally place the ball. In this case it would be slightly back a bit from your front heel. Now place a second tee in the ground a few inches in front of the first tee where you would create a divot if you were to swing down on the ball. When you swing, try to pick the tee from the ground. To do that, you’re going to have to use a descending blow, not a scoop motion. Done often, this drill helps eliminate a scooping motion.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Hybrids To The Rescue
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/hybrids-to-the-rescue.php

5) Article – Playing Smart Saves Strokes
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/playing-smart-save-strokes.php

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…

1) Draining Breaking Downhill Putts
2) Gas Up Your Swings
3) Question of the Week – Cutting Fairway Bunkers Down To Size
4) Article – Think Your Way To A Lower Golf Handicap
5) Article – How To Drive More Fairways Starting Now
1) Draining Breaking Downhill Putts

Has this ever happened to you: You blew past the pin on a breaking downhill putt on one hole, then on the next breaking downhill putt, you leave it short. That’s because you probably were focusing on the hole, which can get you in trouble. Breaking downhill putts can intimidate you. But they don’t have to. You can conquer them if you make a slight re-adjustment in your thinking and make some adjustments.

Below are six keys to sinking slick downhill putts:

1. Forget about the hole
2. Read the slope carefully
3. Try envisioning the break
4. Identify the speed spot
5. Make a commitment
6. Use a nice rhythmic stroke

The key to draining slick downhill putts that break is to forget about the hole. Aiming for it increases your chances of blowing past the hole. Instead follow these steps:

Start by walking halfway between the ball and the hole to get a sense of the green’s slope. Try envisioning how the ball will behave. Where it will break? How far will you need to hit the ball before the slope can carry it the rest of the way?

Once you’re determined how the ball will behave, identify your “speed spot,” the spot you need to reach before the slope will carry the ball the rest of the way. Think of that spot as the hole. If you’ve determined that this putt will break, move your spot to the side to allow for how you think the putt will curve.

Also, make a mental commitment to the spot. Don’t waffle. If you do, you have no chance of sinking the putt. Having made a commitment, make your putt to the spot and let the slope do the rest. Use a rhythmic, pendulum-like stroke.

Don’t let breaking downhill putts scare you. Walk the target line, identify the speed spot, move it to the side for the break, commit to the shot, and make a nice easy stroke. Do that and you’ll either sink the putt or leave close.
2) Gas Up Your Swings

There’s nothing wrong with sacrificing distance for accuracy. It’s better to be in the fairway with a 250-yard drive, than the woods with a 265-yard drive. But sacrificing too much distance off the tee can cost you—especially when you’re playing a very long hole. To generate 10 to 15 extra yards off the tee, you must focus on three areas of your swing. Fine-tuning the areas increases clubhead speed.

Here are three tips to help generate more clubhead speed:
1. Turn your back
2. Soften your wrists
3. Rotate your hips

Three easy moves give your drives more oomph. First, turn your back to the target. How do you know when you’ve made a complete turn? When you feel your left (right for left-handers) shoulder turn underneath your chin and your back directly at the target, you’ve made a complete turn.

Second, soften your wrists. Weekend golfers often stiffen their wrists during their downswing, sapping power from their swings. Instead, let your wrists go soft. This increases clubhead lag. The longer your hands lag the clubhead, the more speed you generate at the bottom of your swing when you release the club.

Third, turn your hips fast. As you approach impact, make sure your turning your hips to the left strongly. This move in combination with soft wrists allows your left arm to lead the clubhead into the ball. This is a key power move. Do it correctly and the clubhead whips threw the impact zone at high speed.

You can sacrifice a little distance for more accuracy. But be careful. You don’t want to sacrifice too much. It can hurt you on long holes. Instead, focus on executing the three tips describe above and you’ll add yardage to your drives without forfeiting accuracy.
3) Question of the Week – Cutting Fairway Bunkers Down To Size

Q. Hi, Jack. Brilliant website. Magnificent tips. One area of the game I struggle with is playing irons out of fairway bunkers. I tend to take too much sand and only get 10 to 20 meters on the shot. I’d really appreciate any tips on how to hit short, mid, and long irons in the bunker.

Thanks,
Paul P.
Dublin, Ireland

A. Thanks, Paul. The keys to iron play from a fairway bunker are minimizing the use of your lower body and picking the ball cleanly from the sand. Recreational golfers tend to drive down on the ball, like their hitting a normal iron. This lowers their centers of gravity, which in turn cause you to hit behind the ball and take so much sand on the shot. To avoid this, make the following adjustments:

* Stand a little taller at address
* Move closer to the ball
* Dig your feet into the ground
* Choke down on the club,
* Play the ball toward middle

Also, don’t try to take a big divot. Instead, pick the ball cleanly from the sand using your arms, leaving little or no divot. In addition, use a half to a full club more than normal from that distance and stay within yourself. Don’t try to do too much with your swing. Hitting the ball in the fairway or anywhere on the green beats being in the bunker.

Try this drill to master this shot. Go to a fairway bunker and drop several balls in the dirt. Address a ball. Get a friend to hold a club butt under your chin. When you start your downswing, he or she removes the club. Continue your swing. Try hitting the ball 10 to 20 yards at first. Extend the distance until you’re hitting the ball on the green. Holding the butt under your chin: (1) forces you to stand tall at address, (2) straightens the spine angle, and (3) helps quiet your lower body.

Don’t try to hit down in a fairway bunker. It causes you to hit behind the ball. Instead, set-up as described above, maintain a quiet lower body, and pick the ball cleanly from the sand.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Think Your Way To A Lower Golf Handicap
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/think-your-way-to-a-lower-golf-handicap.php

5) Article – How To Drive More Fairways Starting Now
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/how-to-drive-more-fairways-starting-now.php

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…

1) How To Squat For Power
2) Make The Second Shot Count
3) Question of the Week – Handling Loose Sand Over A Hard Surface
4) Article – Sorting Out The Spin On Golf Balls
5) Article – Crush It Off The Tee
1) How To Squat For Power

There are certain techniques that pro golfers weekend golfers you shouldn’t use. The reason: Weekend golfers lack the athleticism to use them. On the other hand, there are certain techniques that pro golfers make that weekend golfers can—and should—copy. Squatting for power is one. Many pro golfers make this move to add yards to their drives. It’s Tiger Woods signature move and a key reason he’s able to drive the ball a ton.

Here are seven keys to making an effective power squat:

1. Squeeze your shoulder blades
2. Keep your arms near your body
3. Drop your hands straight down
4. Turn your hips to the left
5. Flex the knees slightly
6. Throw your arms past the ball
7. Point your right shoulder at the target

Once your set up, flex your knees slightly and move your weight over the balls of your feet. Then, squeeze your shoulder blades together and relax your neck muscles, encouraging your arms to extend naturally. Keep your arms close to your body as you go into your backswing and rotate your left arm as you near the top.

At the top, keep your torso turned by the same amount as you start to pivot your hips toward the target. This sends your torque sky-high. Flex your knees downward ever so slightly, as if you were going to sit down. Don’t just bend your torso. Now drop your hands straight down like their being pulled by your hips.

As you approach impact, slow down your lower body so your arms can release properly. After impact, “throw” your arms past the ball. This improves your extension and eliminates the instinct to steer the shot. Finish by getting your back shoulder to point at the target, which encourages you to release the club and increases your clubhead speed.

Next time you see your favorite pro on the tee, watch him or her closely. See if he or she makes a power squat to generate those extra yards on their drives. If he or she does, feel free to copy it. It’s one technique you can—and should—copy from the pros.
2) Make The Second Shot Count

Your drive lands in the fairway on a long par 5. You’re in good position, but you need a good second shot to capitalize on your drive. You know you can’t reach the green in two even with your best 3-wood shot; however, your tempted to hit your 3-wood anyway hoping to get as close to the hole as possible. But hitting the 3-wood—an easy club to hit off line—can get you in trouble.

Consider these three questions before hitting it:

1. Is the pin clear?
2. Is the pin protected?
3. What’s your favorite approach club?

Before hitting the 3-wood, check out the pin’s placement. Is it in the center of the green unprotected? If it is, use your 3-wood, but make a controlled swing to a target. Don’t use a wild swing and get yourself in trouble. If you pick a good landing spot and hit it, you’ll have an unobstructed chip to the hole.

If the pin is protected, rethink your strategy. If there’s a bunker or other obstruction between you and the pin, you don’t want to be 20 to 30 yards away. You won’t be far enough away to put backspin on the ball and stop it. So even if you hit a good shot, you’re out of position. Instead, select a shot that leaves you with a full pitching or sand wedge to the green.

If you don’t hit your pitching wedge well, but you’re lights out with another club, like a 9-iron better, pick a landing spot with your second that’s about 120 yards away—a good distance to hit your 9-iron. Focus on that spot when you hit your second shot like it’s the green. You want to hit that shot. If you do, you’ll be hitting your best approach club into the green.

Second shots on long part 5s can present a dilemma. But they don’t have to trouble you. If you lay-up wisely, you can make par or birdie and save yourself strokes.
3) Question of the Week – Handling Loose Sand Over A Hard Surface

Q. Hi, Jack. Is your chipping technique good for sand traps that have no sand only fluff on top, even one close to green? Or, will there be problems getting over the lips? My home course has rocky sand traps. The club just bounces off top of the sand. It’s very hard to get a layer of sand to send the ball out on blast shots.

Thanks,

Norm

A. Thanks, Norm. Hitting from loose sand over a hard surface is tricky. If you dig down too deeply with the clubface, you’ll hit the hard underbelly. That slows the clubhead down and causes you to leave the ball in the bunker.

Here how to approach this shot systematically:

* Determine the sand’s hardness by testing it with your shoes. This tells you if the sand is hard-packed, just firm, soft with a thin crust, or soft with a hard underbelly.

* If the sand is firm, replace the sand wedge with a pitching wedge. It digs in and under the ball better than a sand wedge, preventing skulling. Also, set up a little wider than normal. Make a low sweeping takeaway. And hit down briskly an inch behind the ball

* If the sand is hard-packed, like Norm’s, play the ball as you would from hard dirt. Square the blade of pitching wedge, position the ball back in your stance, and set the hands ahead of the ball. Pick it cleanly from the surface.

* If the sand has a thin crust, play the shot as a typical bunker shot. Use a sand wedge, especially if the sand is deep and powdery.

Don’t let bunker shots get to you. Most have a slight margin for error. Attack them confidently. Getting out of them in one regularly will shave strokes from your scores and golf handicap.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Sorting Out The Spin On Golf Balls
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/sorting-out-the-spin-on-golf-balls.php

5) Article – Crush It Off The Tee
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/crushing-it-off-the-tee.php

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.