Golf Tips and Instructions: November 22, 2011
November 22nd, 2011===================================================
How To Break 80 Newsletter
November 22, 2011
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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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
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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:
- Set up with the ball in the middle
- Place the handle of the putter forward
- Pick a good target before swinging
- Gauge the distance to the pin
- 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.
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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
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
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About the Author
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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.




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