In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Stop Flubbing Chip Shots
2) Get Down For A Ball Below Your Feet
3) Drill of the Week #1 – Hardpan Lie
4) Article – Don’t Let Bunker Shots Cost You
5) Article – Get Your Swing On Plane Now

Jack’s Note: Did you ever think you could learn how to drop 8 – 10 strokes in the time it takes to watch a tv commercial? Watch this video and learn how you can groove your putting stroke in 30 seconds or less.

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1) Stop Flubbing Chip Shots

Flubbing a chip is also frustrating. Flubbed chips costs golfers more strokes than you can shake a stick at. Imagine being just off the green, with a chance to knock it home and save par, and you flub the chip shot. If that doesn’t get you down, nothing will. Sometimes, flubbed chips stem from a lack of concentration. Other times, they stem from mechanical error.

Below are the six keys to hitting a crisp, controlled chip shot:

1. Assume a narrow stance
2. Choke down on the club
3. Position the ball back
4. Shift your weight forward
5. Lean your shaft forward
6. Use a descending angle of attack

In a normal chipping stance, your feet are close together, the ball positioned just back of center, your weight shifted forward, and the shaft leaning forward toward the target. If you look down after taking your stance, you’ll see a “y” formed with your forearms. Make sure that the “y” exists in your address position and you’ll cut down dramatically on bad chips.

The key to this shot is not thinking about the “y” when swinging. If you do, you’ll hit the ball rather stiffly. Instead, try making this a finesse swing. In other words, try making your impact position as smooth and natural as possible without having to think about it.

To do that, check to make sure that the “y” is there when you start your swing and that it’s there after impact. If it’s there in both spots, it was there when you struck the ball.

Also, try not to lose the hinge in your wrists when starting your swing and when going forward. If you have difficulty doing this, chip with a “dead arms” motion. Use your body turn, not your arms, to move the wedge back and through the swing.

Eliminate flubbed chips from your game and you’ll save yourself not only some frustration, but also several strokes.
2) Get Down For A Ball Below Your Feet

A bad drive usually gets you into more trouble than you need. Sometimes, it lands in a clump of trees. Other times, it lands on the side of a hill, leaving you with a mid-iron approach shot to the green and the ball below your feet. If you’re not adept at hitting this type of shot, you could end up getting yourself deeper in trouble and tacking extra strokes on to your score.

Below are six tips on hitting a ball below your feet:

* Use a reverse choke
* Take a wider stance
* Add more flex to your body
* Adjust your aim to your club
* Maintain your posture
* Get down, down, down

While balance is an issue, the real problem is that the ball is farther away from you than normal. You need to make several adjustments to hit the ball solidly and get it back on the fairway:

* Use a reverse choke or a longer club with a shorter swing. With a reverse choke you grab the club all the way to the very end. Also, take a wider stance and add more flex to your lower body. This brings the ball closer to you.

* Adjust your aim based on the club. For a longer club, like a 5-iron, aim more left (about 15 yards). With a shorter club, like a sand wedge, aim less left (only a couple of yards).

* Maintain your posture through the swing. If you straighten up, you’ll hit the ball off the toe, pushing it right.

* Get down on the shot. Swing only 70 percent and don’t try to do too much. It’s a tricky shot.

Don’t let a ball below your feet hurt you. Make the adjustments described above and you’ll hit the ball solidly every time.
3) Drill of the Week #1 – Hardpan Lie

Readers kept asking us for more drills. In response we added something new to this week’s newsletter–the Drill of the Week. This segment will appear in alternate issues, replacing the Question of the Week. Next week we’ll field a question from our readers. We hope the drills help.

Chipping it close from a hardpan lie is a challenge. To do it right, you need loft not bounce, so you need to develop a motion almost like chopping with a lofted club. This drill helps develop that motion:

The Set Up
Use a sand wedge for the drill. Position the ball middle to back with your weight on your forward foot and your hands ahead of the ball.

The Drill:
Find a hardpan lie near a practice green (or elsewhere). Use the setup described above without the ball. Practice sticking the club in the ground, using a chopping like motion instead of a back and forth stroke. Without delay place a ball in position and hit it using the same motion. Try to hit the ball cleanly just below its equator while the club is still descending Repeat until you can hit clean shots. Don’t worry about distance yet. Get comfortable seeing the ball go low and feeling the club impact the ground. Then start focusing on distance.

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/newsletter05262010.php

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article – Don’t Let Bunker Shots Cost You
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/dont-let-bunker-shots-cost-you.php

5) Article – Get Your Swing On Plane Now
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/get-your-swing-on-plane-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.

“The Web’s Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter”

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Hitting a Short Iron Draw
2) Sticking An Uphill Approach Shot
3) Question of the Week – Curing Alignment Problems
4) Article – Four Secrets To Launching It
5) Article – Get Fit And Go Low
1) Hitting a Short Iron Draw

If you tend to spray the ball off the tee, there may be times when you need a shot that you know you can hit in the fairway. A short-iron (8-iron) draw may be just what the doctor ordered. It can save you from getting yourself into deep trouble when you’re not driving well. But be careful. This is a tricky shot. You have to generate enough clubhead speed to work the ball from a short distance.

Below are five keys to hitting a short-iron draw:

* Set up square to the target line
* Pull your right foot back
* Take the club back on an inside plane
* Pull the club through with your hands
* Keep your head down

To hit this shot successfully, you must make minor adjustments to your stance and swing. Start by setting up square to the target line. Then pull your right foot back about an inch from the line. (If you’re left-handed, you would pull your left foot back an inch.) This closes your stance slightly.

Using a one-piece takeaway, take the club back on a slightly inside plane. Pause for a second at the top of your swing. Make the transition to your downswing. And pull the clubhead through with your hands into impact. Keep your head down until after you’ve finished the swing. These movements encourage your hands to over release a bit, which creates the spin needed to draw the ball.

This shot flies lower and farther than normal. It also has a bit more roll to it. But if you remember those things when executing the shot, the short-iron draw can be ideal when you’re having trouble getting off the tee or on holes with doglegs.
2) Sticking An Uphill Approach Shot

Some courses feature numerous elevation changes. If you play one of these courses, chances are good you’ll face your share of mid-iron uphill approach shots. This shot is trickier than it looks. The last thing you want to do is come up short, which can cost you strokes. You also don’t want to try and “scoop” the ball in the air. Mis-hitting the shot could leave you with a tough 25-yard pitch to the green.

Below are five keys to hitting an uphill approach shot:

1. Play the ball in the center
2. Lean the shaft towards the target
3. Keep your head even with the ball
4. Contact the bottom of the ball
5. Aim for the back of the green

This shot requires a club adjustment. But it’s often hard to tell how much more club to use or how to hit the shot. An old rule of thumb says to take one more club for every 10 yards of elevation. But it’s not easy to tell what 10 yards of elevation looks like from the fairway. What do you do?

First, make all your calculations to the back of the green. Then, take a club that will get you to at least the green’s center—even if the pin is up. Assume your normal stance for a mid-iron club, but play the ball in the center of your stance and lean the shaft towards the target. Try to keep your head even with the ball and swing with confidence.

If you’ve chosen the right club, a good swing gets you home. To avoid the tendency to scoop the ball, focus on making contact with the ball’s bottom. The worst thing to do is to fall back and try to scoop the ball in the air. If you miss, you can find yourself in trouble, which could tack unnecessary strokes onto your score.
3) Question of the Week – Curing Alignment Problems

Q. Hi Jack, I sincerely enjoy the tips and drills. They have helped me tremendously.

My problem is alignment. On the range it’s easy, just lay down some clubs, align, and hit away. However, on the course you can’t have the benefit of laying down clubs.

Do you have some advice on how to ensure that your clubface, feet, hips, knees, and shoulders are aligned at your target?

Thanks for all the help.
Joe Klumpp

A. Thanks for the question, Joe. Golfers tend to misalign themselves in two ways. Some aim their feet at the target, and then ignore their arms, hips, and/or clubface. Others offset their alignment to compensate for a swing fault, like a slice or a pull. Neither way encourages consistency or accuracy.

To check alignment, use the box-and-one visual aid. Tee the ball opposite your left heel at address. Now draw an imaginary rectangular box on the ground. The box’s left side is the line between your left heel and the ball. The box’s right side is the line between your right heel and a point behind and even with the ball. Try to make the box as square as possible.

Having done that, open the toe of your left foot slightly to allow for your hips to clear. Take a normal golf swing. Concentrate on bringing the clubface squarely into the ball in the box’s upper-left hand corner. Follow through as you normally would.

The box-in-one aid helps achieve square alignment. That in turn improves consistency and accuracy off the tee without short-circuiting power.

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 – Four Secrets To Launching It
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/four-secrets-to-launching-it.php

5) Article – Get Fit And Go Low
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/get-fit-and-go-low.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) Optimize Your Backswing For More Yards
2) Putting Spin On Long Irons
3) Question of the Week – This Home Drill Improves Your Hip Turn
4) Article – Saving Shots Around The Green
5) Article – Shaking Off The Shanks
1) Optimize Your Backswing For More Yards

Optimizing your downswing and impact position is critical to good ballstriking. Just as important to good ballstriking is optimizing your backswing. In fact, some experts consider it more important than the other two swing elements. The backswing is where you build speed and width—two key ingredients to a powerful swing. To become a great ballstriker, you must first put yourself in position to make a powerful downswing into the ball.

Below are five signs that you’ve made a good backswing:

1. Arms are fully extended
2. Wrists are fully hinged
3. Clubface is parallel to forearm
4. Body is rotated around the back knee
5. Head is behind the ball

Some players think that generating a good backswing means raising their hands high at the top of the swing. Not so. To generate more yards from your shots, you must optimize your backswing. Doing so builds torque, which you need to drive the ball long and straight.

A good backswing features the arms extended, the wrists fully hinged, and the clubface parallel to the left forearm for right-handed golfers. For left-handed golfers, the clubface would be parallel to the right forearm.

In addition, the golfer’s upper body is rotated around the back knee. Proper rotation puts the left shoulder behind the ball and increases weight distribution to the back leg. More importantly, it places your head behind the ball.

Check your backswing in a mirror. See if you’re “faking it”—just lifting your hands above your head. If you are, you’re losing power. To increase this power, hinge your wrists and rotate your body during the backswing. When you hinge and rotate, you shift your weight automatically to the right side, putting you in position for making a powerful downswing into the ball.
2) Putting Spin On Long Irons

Many golfers have replaced their 3- and 4-irons with hybrids. They’re shorter and easier to hit. But some golfers haven’t switched clubs. They’re still using long irons when the situation presents itself. But you must be careful with long irons. The longer the iron the greater the chance of catching the shot thin. Even when you hit the ball solidly, you’re not compressing it against the ground, costing you distance and shot-stopping spin.

Here are five keys to hitting solid long irons:

* Take your regular address
* Shift your hips to the front
* Stretch the club away
* Push your spikes into the ground
* Swing down on the ball

To compress the ball and get the full distance and spin potential from a long iron, you must be on your front side at impact. Using a “stack and stretch” move helps you hit crisp irons.

Take your regular address position. Shift your weight slightly so that your front hip is over your front heel. And keep your shoulders even. If you’re trying to compress the ball, the last thing you want to do is tilt your upper body toward the target.

As you take the club to the top, stretch its butt away from your body as much as possible while keeping your front heel on the ground and your weight on the left side. This is a key move because it puts you in a powerful position.

Start your downswing by pushing the spikes of your front shoe into the ground. Dig them in as deep as you can. This move shifts more of your weight to your front foot before you start to unwind and gives you a strong base that will allow you to hit down on the ball firmly.

To practice the stack and stretch move, wrap one piece of a Theraband around the instep of your front foot and the other around the fingers in your forward hand. As you swing to the top, the Theraband adds resistance, which is what you should feel in your front side as you swing.
3) Question of the Week – This Home Drill Improves Your Hip Turn

Q. Hi Jack, Which drills would help me improve my hip turn in the downswing? My problem is that during the downswing I release the arms and hands before I swift my weight.

Best regards,
José Carlos

A. Thanks for the question, José. It sounds like you’re having problems synchronizing your upper and lower bodies during your swing. The Synchro-Turn Drill teaches body synchronization. It’s a simple drill you can do at home:

Take your stance facing a full-length mirror. Bend slightly at the knees and hips. Assume your address position. And move your hands to your hips, with your thumbs forward. Now pinch your elbows toward each other behind your back, locking your shoulders and hips together.

Start your backswing by turning your lower and upper bodies away from the target. When you’ve turned as far as you can, hold that position for a second or two. You should have turned your hips far enough so that your lead knee is pulled slightly toward you’re back knee.

Start the downswing by moving everything together. Turn as if you’re swinging a club. Move through impact to the finish and stop. Now look at where you are. Your chest should point left of target, if you’re right-handed. Your weight should be on your forward foot. Your back toe should be up for balance and be weightless. And your back knee should be covering your front knee. Repeat this drill 25 times while keeping your head and spine in the same position fixed.

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 – Saving Shots Around The Green
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/saving-shots-around-the-green.php

5) Article – Shaking Off The Shanks
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/shaking-off-the-shanks.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) Swing Smoother For Straighter Shots
2) Generate More Power With Knee Coil
3) Question of the Week – Pick It Clean On Long-Range Bunker Shots
4) Article – The Aerodynamics Of The Golf Ball
5) Article – A Golf Lesson on Plane Angles Shifts (Part II)
1) Swing Smoother For Straighter Shots

If you’re struggling to find the fairway, there may be a simple explanation. Your swing may be too short and too quick. Sometimes, short quick swings throw off tempo and pace. Anytime you do that, you’re likely to hit a bad shot. Often, this happens because we’re trying to hit the ball too far, so we swing harder and faster instead of smoother and slower. If you think your swing is too fast and quick, set some time aside to work on regaining tempo and pace. Below are two drills that can help.

Drill #1:
This drill teaches you the tempo and swing speed needed for different length shots. Start with your driver and three balls. Using a full swing, try to make solid contact but hit it only 150 yards in the air. On your next shot, try to hit the ball 200 yards in the air. Now, increase your swing speed just a bit and try to hit the ball 250 yards. Remember to keep your swing under control no matter how far you’re hitting the ball.

Also, concentrate on staying balanced throughout the swing. If you use a target on the range for this drill that’s even better. You’ll start hitting more fairways on the course in no time.

Drill #2:
This drill teaches you how to use a smooth, consistent swing tempo regardless of the club. Take out your pitching wedge, 6-iron, and driver. Swing your pitching wedge in a smooth and relaxed manner. Concentrate on your tempo. Now hit a few pitches. When you’re comfortable with your wedge shot, switch to your 6-iron. Swing the 6-iron with the same smooth rhythm and tempo you used with your pitching wedge. After hitting several balls with the 6-iron, switch to your driver. Before hitting it, try to visualize and feel your pitching wedge swing. Try to copy the rhythm and tempo of the PW swing.

In doing these drills you’ll find your distance with the longer clubs doesn’t come from how hard you swing, but rather from achieving a smooth and consistent tempo. If you practice these two drills often, you’ll find your shots will be longer and straighter. Remember: For best results, swing smoother not harder.
2) Generate More Power With Knee Coil

A lack of distance puts pressure on your game. So while it’s better to be short in the fairway than long in the rough, it’s okay to try swing techniques that help generate more power. But be careful which techniques you try. Some diminish your ability to strike the ball well. Using your back knee correctly isn’t one of these techniques. It generates more power by improving your ballstriking, adding distance to your shots.

Below are five keys to using your back knee correctly:

* Tilt your spine at the hips and flex your knees
* Position your back shoulder slightly lower
* Keep the flex in your back knee constant as you coil
* Make a full coil and shift your weight back
* Make a longer forward swing than backswing

A key to generating more power is to think of your right knee as a coil that’s wound in the backswing and unwound in the forward swing. Below are the keys:

* At address, tilt your spine at the hips and position your front shoulder slightly lower than your back shoulder. Hang your arms down vertically and flex your knees to ensure balance and stability.

* As you start back, make a full coil and shift your weight back. That positions your swing center behind the ball at the top, increasing accuracy. Shift your weight forward as you unwind, returning your swing center to a point directly above the ball at impact.

* Try to maintain your initial setup posture from the start of your swing to the finish. Maintaining your posture and the angle of your back knee adds power to your swing.

* Using a shorter backswing with a longer forward swing also adds distance to your shots, thanks to the power stored in your backswing coil.

Use your back knee correctly and you’ll add more power to your swing without losing accuracy or efficiency. That in turn will take some pressure off your game.
3) Question of the Week – Pick It Clean On Long-Range Bunker Shots

Q. Hi Jack, You recently answered a question on hitting long-range bunker shots. But nowhere do you say how much sand you should take with the shot. Hit an inch behind the ball? Two inches? Pick it clean?

Thanks for the newsletter. I really enjoy the info.

Ike Isenhour

A. Thanks for the question, Ike. When hitting long-range bunker shots, you need to pick the ball clean. Hitting behind the ball prevents you from getting the distance you need to reach the green. In case you missed the rest of the answer to the question, here are the key points:

* Use a 9-iron on this shot. It gives you the distance you need to hit the green.

* Use your normal stance. Set your clubface slightly open at address, but square it like you usually do. Pull your feet in closer together, but don’t dig them into the sand too much, just a little.

* Turn through the shot, just like you do with a normal iron shot. You’ll need extra body with this shot, so keep everything moving—body, arms, and club—to a full finish.

* Keep your back heel down. It stabilizes you. And don’t try pivoting on your back heel. You’ll lose your balance.

These adjustments, combined with extra body behind the ball, should land you on the green and leave you in good position.

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 – The Aerodynamics Of The Golf Ball
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/the-aerodynamics-of-the-golf-ball.php

5) Article – A Golf Lesson on Plane Angles Shifts (Part II)
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/a-golf-lesson-on-plane-angles-shifts-part-2.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.