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How To Break 80 Newsletter
January 14, 2008
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement
Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Hole More With This Long Putter Technique
2) Making Spin Work For You
3) Question of the Week - Adding More "Pop" To Your Woods
4) Article -
Saving Par Cuts Golf Handicaps
5) Article - Taking Your Game To The Next Level
Jack's Note: Woohoo! PGA Tour is underway again for 2009. Football’s great but got to have that golf to see on Sundays. Also, did you know you can get one of my DVD’s for free? Check it out.
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1) Hole More With This Long Putter Technique
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You won't win many tournaments on the PGA Tour—or at your local country club, for that matter—if you can't put well consistently. Consistency is a key reason why professionals, like Scott Maccarron, switch to a long putter. It requires a compact stroke with fewer moving parts, which drives consistency. Let's examine Scott's putting technique.
Below are the 6 keys to his technique:
* Stand close to the ball
* Use the back arm as an engine
* Keep the front arm fixed
* Keep the front elbow pointed at hole
* Hold the body still during stroke
* Maintain a square putterface
The technique needed with long putters is different than that required by traditional sticks or belly clubs. It takes time for most golfers to get used to it. But the more you use a long putter, the more comfortable it becomes.
Start by standing close to the ball with a narrow stance—ideal for the type of pendulum-like stroke needed for the long putter. Standing close lets the club swing freely when putting.
The back arm powers the putter. Acting like a piston, it directs the putter straight back and straight through to the target. Whatever you do, don't extend this arm completely. Otherwise, you'll shoot the ball past the hole.
The front arm and hand act as a hinge. Fix them in place. Keep the front elbow pointed at the hole at all times. And hold the body still, which helps maintain a square clubface. Maintaining a square putterface throughout the stroke is critical to sinking a more putts.
If you're looking for more consistency in your putting, try a long putter. Its compact stroke means fewer moving parts. And fewer moving parts mean more consistency when putting.
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2) Making Spin Work For You
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Golfers put spin on the ball all the time. In fact, it's hard not to put spin on it. But many weekend golfers don't know how to take advantage of spin—like helping stop a shot within a few feet of the hole. Learning to control spin is critical if you want to cut your golf handicap down to size. Among other things, it helps position you perfectly on the green and saves you strokes.
Here are five keys to spin:
* Strike the ball cleanly
* Hit on a downward angle
* Make sure the grass is dry
* Stay on the fairway
* Use the right ball
It's not the clubface's grooves that generate spin. Grooves help, but only in the rough, where they provide friction. In fact, research shows that in the right situation, a sand blasted clubface does as well as a grooved clubface, when it comes to applying spin. And sharpening the leading edge of your clubfaces doesn't help, either.
To control spin, you must strike the ball on a downward angle and make clean, crisp contact. You also must be on a fairway with a good lie and dry grass. Using a ball designed to optimize spin also helps. If all these conditions are met, you're in an optimum position to take advantage of spin's benefits.
Of course, you won't be able to put as much spin on the ball as the pros do. They can deliver as many as 8000 revolutions per minute to a ball with a 9-iron and 2,500 revolutions per minute with a driver.
But they play on well-manicured courses. The greens and fairways on these courses are cut tight and play firm. That enhances a player's ability to put action on the ball. The greens and fairways weekend golfers play aren't quite the same. Nevertheless, in the right circumstances and under the right conditions, a golfer who knows what he's doing can still make spin work for him.
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3) Question of the Week - Adding More "Pop" To Your Woods
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Q. Dear Jack, I have been playing for 3 years. I play 4-5 times a week. I also take lessons. My handicap index is 21.7. I hit all my clubs fairly well EXCEPT my 3 and 5 woods. I hit my driver well most of the time. But when I hit a 3 or 5 wood, I slice the ball, hit it off the heel, or worm burn it. I can't feel any power in my swing. Even if I hit it solid, the ball doesn't go any farther than when I hit a 6 iron or a hybrid 4-iron. It might go about 100 yards. Any advice how to hit a wood at least 150 yards? My instructors gave me some exercises to do using short swings and I can do those, but when I try a swing that goes back to about 11 o'clock, I can't hit the ball. I'm getting desperate.
Thanks,
Carol Cotten
Cedar Park, Texas
A. Thanks for the question, Carol. You may be swinging the club too hard or taking it too far back, throwing your swing off. You don't need to swing as hard as Tiger Woods or take the club back as far as John Daly to add distance. You just need to eliminate your power leaks.
You may be leaking power because of a narrow swing arc. The wider your arc, the more distance you generate. To widen your arc, extend your left-arm (right-arm, if you're left-handed) as much as possible, from the takeaway to top of the backswing. Visualize a friend standing a few feet behind you and try touching her with your club as you take it back. That extends your left-arm arm and keeps it extended.
You may also be losing power because of poor wrist action. To increase it, cock your wrists as you take the club back, uncock them as you swing the club down and through impact, and then re-cock them as you move up and through to the follow-through. Good wrist action, in conjunction with the proper body movement, generates more power.
Finally, check your front side. On the tee, Greg Norman creates a wider swing arc and more power by pointing his front foot toward the hole slightly. This encourages his left side to clear out more easily through impact. He also hovers the club above the ball, building rhythm and promoting a smooth one-piece takeaway. These adjustments will add more "pop" to your woods, helping you compete with your friends.
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
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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.
