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How To Break 80 Newsletter
February 25, 2009
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement
Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Straight Left Arm Adds Power To Irons
2) Three Ways To Fix A Slice
3) Question of the Week - Keeping Stable "Through The Shot"
4) Article -
Get Organized For An Enjoyable Golf Trip
5) Article - Golf Tips on Hitting Solid Irons
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1) Straight Left Arm Adds Power To Irons
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If you're hitting weak, thin, or fat irons, focus on your left arm (right arm for left-handers). It may be throwing your swing off. In a good swing the left arm remains straight during the backswing. That allows the hands to drop on the right swing path and creates a wide swing arc, generating power. But if you fold your left arm during the backswing, you'll sap power from your swing. You'll also develop an out-to-in swing path, producing left-to-right ball flight.
To correct this flaw, first check your left hand grip. Make sure the club lies diagonally across the fingers of your hand. With a proper left hand grip, correctly hinging the club on the backswing becomes natural. Second, make sure that you make a synchronized shoulder turn. That's the key. Synchronization facilitates a straight left arm. High handicappers usually stop turning their shoulders but continue lifting their arms, resulting in folded arms and crooked shots.
Here's a drill to ingrain the feeling of a straight left arm:
Left Arm Drill
Take your right hand and place it on your left wrist. Your right thumb should point to the ground and your palm should face the target. Swing back. Keep your left arm extended by pulling it across your chest with your right hand. Also, keep your hands away from your head. Focus on maintaining the swing radius you created at address all the way to the top. Now, swing down. As you begin to release through impact, rotate your left forearm with your right hand. This squares the club at impact. Once you start rotating the left forearm, you'll feel how the left arm correctly folds on the follow-through.
Practice this drill until the movements feels natural. The key is to turn—and keep on turning. Then make this swing on the course. You'll find yourself hitting longer, straighter shots.
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2) Three Ways To Fix A Slice
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There's only one reason for slicing—hitting the ball with an open clubface. It's that simple. No matter how good your swing or your ballstriking, if you hit the ball with an open clubface, you'll slice. Learn to hit the ball with a square or closed clubface and you'll fix your slice.
Here are three ways to fix a slice:
1. Strengthen your grip
2. Ease up on grip pressure
3. Flatten your swing
Strengthen your grip: Golfers with weak grips usually slice. For right-handers that means their hands are turned too far left. (For left-handers that means their hands are turned too far right.) To strengthen your grip, rotate your left hand so that your thumb is positioned right of center. Two or three knuckles should be visible. Rotate your right-hand to match the left hand.
Ease up on grip pressure: Too much pressure in your hands, arms, and/or shoulders inhibits the free flow of your swing. Soften grip pressure to create a natural free flowing swing. If you imagine the strongest grip pressure at 10 and no grip pressure at 0, the correct grip pressure is 3.
Flatten your swing: Most slicers approach the ball on too vertical a swing plane. That facilitates making contact with an open clubface. A flatter swing promotes a natural squaring of the clubface and creates a right-to-left ball flight. To sense this feeling, take practice swings with the clubface moving at knee-high level. After a few swings, try hitting one off the ground with the same feel.
Fixing a slice is easier than you think. Making these adjustments helps. In some cases, you might have to make all three. In others, maybe one or two. Keep experimenting until you find the right combination. Then, take it to the course.
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3) Question of the Week - Keeping Stable "Through The Shot"
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Q. Hi Jack, my most glaring fault (among the multitude of faults) is raising up so that I hit a line drive and airmail the green, or I raise up and hit a low slice that heads for the out-of-bounds stakes. Is there a drill to help a 75-year-old 12-handicapper keep his head/body stable "through the shot"?
Thanks,
Dick Geha
A. Thanks for the question, Dick. Your symptoms suggest your holding your head in an awkward, upright angle. If that's the case, your chest is too close to the ball. That's not good. It means you'll have to bring your head down to get a better look at the ball as you swing. If you do, you'll either hit too far behind the ball or try to compensate and pull up, hitting it thin.
Have someone place a Styrofoam cup with two golf balls on the back of your neck at address. The cup should be just above the collar line. That will teach you to position your head in a more comfortable position. The cup has just enough weight for you to feel it, but not enough to be a strain. To hold the cup steady, you'll have to move your head in a better position and keep your neck "flat."
Keeping your head stable removes the need for excessive hand manipulation in your swing, which causes mis-hits. It also makes your posture and your swing fundamentally strong. In addition, you'll make more consistent contact with both your irons and woods, resulting in fewer mis-hits and longer, straighter shots.
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.
