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How To Break 80 Newsletter
July 11, 2007
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement
Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Aligning The Putter
2) Determining Your Ideal Putting Speed
3) Question of the Week - Dealing with Downhill Lies
4) Article - Are You Getting Shafted?
5) Article - How Good Can Your Putting Get?
Jack’s Note: Still struggling with a slice? Learn to draw the ball and add distance and control your game. We only have 14 of these brand new DVD’s left so if you’re interested, visit the page now, or call us at 888-896-6844. Be sure to click on the "Order Now" button because we are offering specials on our other DVD's we don't make available to the public. As I said before, once we sell the last one the page is coming down and we can’t make any exceptions.
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1) Aligning The Putter
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Aligning the putter is putting skill you must master to become a great putter. To learn how to align your putter correctly, you need reliable feedback. But that's not easy to get. A putt's direction doesn't tell you if you have correctly aligned the putter because the direction is a combination of alignment and several impact factors. So how do you master alignment? Here are three ways to do it:
1. Use your body
2. Use a hole on the green
3. Use a laser device
Using your body as a guide is simple. First, check the alignment of your body. Make sure it is aligned parallel to the intended target line. This includes —feet, hips, and shoulders. After doing this, place the putter in front of your feet so the shaft touches both feet. Then go to the hole and see if the shaft points as far left of the hole (or right, if you're left-handed) as the distance between where you were standing and the ball.
Another way is to pick out a hole on the putting green. If possible, choose one without breaks. Now align yourself as you normally would. Then, holding the putter tightly, kneel down behind the putter and look over the putterhead to see if you had the putter aligned correctly.
A third way is with a small mirror and a speech-controlled laser device. Glue the mirror to the front of your putter. Place the laser against the wall. Try to align putter with the laser beam. It hits the mirror and the reflection indicates the point on the wall where you're aiming your putter
In addition, you can use a trick popular with the pros. While kneeling behind the ball, align the letters on the ball directly toward the hole. Then, when putting, make sure the clubface is at right angles to the lettering on the ball. If it is, then you've aligned the putter correctly.
If you're serious about becoming a great putter, aligning the club correctly before hitting the ball is a must. If your putter isn't aligned properly, you have little if any chance of sinking a putt. Use one of the three methods described above to practice this key skill. You hit your putter more times than any other club in the bag. Don't waste a shot.
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2) Determining Your Ideal Putting Speed
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When a putt doesn't reach the hole, most golfers think the ball didn't have enough speed. That isn't always the case. The ball may not have reached the hole because the golfers didn't hit the ball on the putter's sweet spot, preventing the putter from moving the ball with full force. However, the golfers think they must add speed to the ball, so they hit it harder the next time they putt.
But hitting the ball harder isn't answer. When your putting stroke corresponds to a single lever pendulum motion, the swing's duration (the time from the start of the swing to the moment of impact) is almost independent of the desired speed—as long as this motion is relatively small. At an angle of 30 degrees, the variation is less than 2 percent. This means that the putt's duration is virtually independent of the ball's desired starting speed.
Thus, the ideal swing for a short putt takes just as long as the swing for a long one. The difference is that for a long putt you swing the club farther back, resulting in higher clubhead (and ball) speed while the time remains the same. If you watch professional golfers, you'll see that while each player has his or her own individual putting speed, it is independent of the putt's length and always the same. That’s their ideal putting speed—and the speed at which they are most likely to sink a putt.
So how do you determine your ideal putting speed? Try this simple four-step test:
1. Place two pillows on the floor a good 20 inches (50cm) apart. Now set a metronome to the basic rhythm of your putting stroke and swing the putter back and forth between the two pillows, so that putter strikes the left or right pillow with every strike of the metronome. Do this for about 15 seconds.
2. Now increase the rhythm of the metronome by five strikes per minute and swing the putter back and forth for 15 seconds. Then set the metronome five strokes below your basic rhythm. Decide which was the easiest to follow.
3. Repeat the test, but this time increase and reduce the metronome by two strikes per minute. Again, choose the most comfortable rhythm.
4. Finally, repeat the test but this time change the last pendulum frequency by only one strike per minute.
That gives you your ideal putting speed. Try to achieve this when putting, whether on the course or on the practice green.
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3) Dealing with Downhill Lies
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Q.
Hi, Jack. Thanks for the tip on hitting from an uphill lie. However, I find the downhill lie much more difficult. What's the key to keep it from going right, (right handed-player)?
Thanks,
John W. Ruark
A. Hi, John.Several readers asked a similar question this week. Playing from a downhill lie is tricky but not difficult. You need to consider three things with a downhill lie: (1) your stance, (2) the launch angle, and (3) the club’s loft. If you factor these things into your shot correctly, you won't hit the ball to the right.
1. Club selection is key. The slope effectively changes the loft of your club, making a 7-iron into a 6-iron or a 9-iron into an 8-iron. With some lies, a 7-iron becomes a 5-iron. This change, in turn, alters the trajectory of the shot, so you need to use a less lofted club with downhill lies than you normally would from the same distance. Experience tells you which club to use.
2. Stance is also key. Your spine should be perpendicular to the hill’s slope and your weight should be slightly forward, with the ball back in your stance. Tailoring your stance to the slope sets up the shot.
3. A third key is the backswing. Keep your weight on your front foot and concentrate on making a wide takeaway. Also, keep your wrists quiet in the backswing’s early stages and stay down. Staying down on the ball at impact ensures solid contact.
To stay balanced, put more emphasis on swinging with your arms and hands, and less on turning your body. Since your lower body is less active than usual, you’ll have a tendency to mis-hit the ball. Chasing the clubhead down the slope eliminates this tendency.
The best drill for hitting from a downhill lie is simply dropping a ball on a downslope and hitting away. Work on the shot until it becomes second nature and you’ll build confidence in the shot.
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/newsletter07112007.html
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article - Are You Getting Shafted?
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/shafts.html
5) Article - How Good Can Your Putting Get?
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/puttgood.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.
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