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How To Break 80 Newsletter

February 27, 2008

"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...

1) Hitting The Beach
2) From Slice To Draw In One Drill
3) Question of the Week - Pitching vs. Chipping
4) Article - A Golf Lesson on Plumb-bobbing
5) Article - Why We Love/Hate Certain Golf Courses

Jack's Note: Hi all.  Well, it’s starting to warm up a bit and hopefully we’ll all be out on the course soon.  In fact, I’ve been really busy with one aspect of my game…the short game.  Specifically, pitching…you know, 40 yards and in.  It’s a weakness of mine, I admit, and I don’t need to play a round of golf to get it better.  I’ll share more details with you guys next week on how it’s turning out and some tips and a game plan for helping your pitching as well.

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1) Hitting The Beach
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Many players who have trouble getting out of bunkers think there's magic to it. There's none. The standard bunker shot doesn't require a fancy swing. In fact, the basic shot isn't hard at all. To execute it, you need the right club and the right mind-set. Here are 6 keys to hitting the standard bunker shot:

Modern wedges are built to skid through the sand. Take advantage of this design. Use either a pitching wedge or a sand wedge for a standard bunker shot. If you're worried about clearing a lip, try a gap or lob wedge.

Sand in the Circle Drill
Many players flub bunker shots because they strike the sand too early. Thus, they either hit it fat or on the upswing instead of the downswing. Try this exercise to improve your bunker play:

Find a practice bunker and build a learning station. Draw a line in the sand extending from an inch inside your front heel straight out past the ball about a yard. Then place the ball in a small circle just in front of the line. Your goal is to make a divot in front of the line just under your front shoulder. Focus not on hitting the ball, but on removing the sand from the circle. Visualize it. If the ball is anywhere inside the foot-length divot, the shot will turn out fine.

Practice this shot until you ingrain it. After that, getting out of a bunker will be a piece of cake.

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2) Changing Swing Paths
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I played 18 holes the other day with a friend named Rory a right-hander who's trying to make it on the mini-tours. Accurate and long, he hits a nice draw off the tee that runs when it hits. It's a pretty shot to watch.

But it wasn't always that way. In the beginning, Rory had a bad slice. Everything he hit went high and right. The reason for his slice was his swing path. It was too steep. By changing swing paths, Rory eliminated his slice for good. Now the only time he slices is on a bad shot.

My friend's problem in the beginning was simple and common. His shoulders weren't rotating properly on the backswing, which influenced his swing path. Instead of turning horizontally, his left shoulder would dip down, leading to a steep downswing and an open clubface at impact—the hallmarks of a classic slice.

To correct his slice, Rory learned to change swing paths. In other words, he learned to turn his left shoulder more horizontally than vertically, swinging the club more around his body than up and down. A more rounded swing promotes an inside-out swing path and helps the clubface close through impact.

Sidehill Drill
How did Rory learn to change swing paths? He used a simple drill. He found a small sidehill at his practice range and started hitting balls off the lower portion of the hill. Though this drill is normally used with beginners to teach them the correct swing path, Rory used it to cure a slice and switch from hitting a fade to hitting a draw.

After working on this drill every chance he got, Rory's eliminated the slice. His shoulder turn became more level and his hands released naturally through impact. Making the proper shoulder turn also shallowed out his swing path and allowed the clubface to close sooner than before. Bye, bye slice.

If you're looking to cure a slice or you just want to learn to hit a draw, use the sidehill drill. It will pay off by producing a draw that runs.

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3) Question of the Week - Pitching vs. Chipping
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Q. Hi, Jack, I have always understood the definition of chipping versus pitching is that on chips you have little airtime and lots of roll, while on pitches you have lots of airtime and little roll. How do you define the difference and how is your set up different for each shot? To me, I hear lots of folks (experts) calling a pitch a chip and vice-versa using the above definitions.

Thanks for you reply.
Don Bolin 

A. Thanks for the question, Don. I hear the same thing. A pitch shot is played with a highly lofted club, like a pitching wedge. It's designed to go a short distance with a high trajectory, played into the green from less than 100 yards. Many pitch shots are played from about 40 to 60 yards out. Pitch shots are ideal when you're close to the green, but there's an obstacle between you and the hole, like a bunker.

With a pitch shot, you need to make subtle changes to your address. Move the ball back towards the middle of your stance, which ensures a descending blow, and adopt a slightly open address position, which allows your front side to clear through impact. On short pitch shots, choke down on the club for better control. The pitch shot requires more of a full swing than the chip shot.

A chip shot, on the other hand, is played from a much closer lie than a pitch shot, like just off the green's fringe. With a chip shot, the ball is in the air for a short time. The idea is to get the ball onto the green's surface as quickly as possible and let it roll toward the cup. Thus, most of a chip shot is roll, unlike a pitch shot where most of the time the ball is in the air.

A chip shot requires an abbreviated swing. Play the ball back in your stance, with your hands and weight forward. This stance promotes a descending angle and the crisp strike needed to ensure a good shot. Your stance is slightly more open than on a pitch shot and your feet are closer together. You can choke down on the club as well.

Both shots require practice to learn. Both are easy to hit. And both help cut strokes off your handicap. Master both if you can.

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

To view this newsletter online, please visit:
http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter02272008.html

Here are some of my recent articles:

4) Article - A Golf Lesson on Plumb-bobbing
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/a-golf-lesson-on-plumb-bobbing.html

5) Article - Why We Love/Hate Certain Golf Courses
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/why-we-love-hate-certain-golf-courses.html

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, send a blank email to break80ezine@aweber.com

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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.