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How To Break 80 Newsletter
August 15, 2007
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement
Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Maintain Your Swing Radius To Boost Power
2) Hitting the Long Fairway Bunker Shot
3) Question of the Week - Defeating the Dreaded YIPS
4) Article - Golf's Four Most Common Rules
5) Article - Five Quick Tips For The Weekend
Jack’s Note: Congrats to Tiger on Major win #13. He’s really in a league of his own..especially down the stretch. Was like he was toying with Ernie and Woody at one point until he buried the birdie on 15.
How’s your sand game? Well, I know mine could use a little touch up and you’ll be excited to know we’ve just finished putting together another new DVD specifically for bunker play. Keep an eye out for it later this month…
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1) Maintain Your Swing Radius To Boost Power
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Maintaining swing radius is a must, if you want to boost your power. Radius is the distance from your left shoulder (for right-handers) to the end of the clubshaft. Or, as some like to put it, it's the distance from the center of your golf swing to the outer-edge. And it's the key to generating power.
Maintaining radius enables you to strike the ball solidly. To do so, your lead arm must be in line with your other arm at impact. Radius is one of the five keys to consistency and power. The other four are
* Eliminate tension on the tee
* Assume the proper grip
* Generate leverage
* Release the club properly
Unfortunately, many golfers fail to maintain radius during the swing, short-circuiting power. They lift up during the backswing, pulling them away from the ball. Then they lower themselves during the downswing, moving closer to the ball. To hit the ball solidly, the player must come down the same distance as he or she went up. If he doesn't, he'll miss-hit the ball. In addition to short-circuiting power, a loss of radius causes you to hook, slice, hit a heel shot, and so on.
Maintain radius by taking the club away low and slow using a one-piece takeaway. Use this visual aid as well: Picture a line running from the bottom of your neck to the ball. This is your swing's radius. As you swing the club back and through, keep the line steady. Your swing will become shorter and more compact, boosting your chances of making solid contact.
Maintaining radius improves ballstriking. It's one of the keys to consistency and power. Focus on maintaining radius the next time you're at the range and you'll find yourself hitting the ball straighter and longer.
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2) Hitting the Long Fairway Bunker Shot
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PGA pros can hit long irons out of a bunker. But you're not a PGA pro. And neither am I. For most of us, hitting a long iron off grass is hard enough, never mind trying to hit one out of a bunker. Most weekend players do better hitting a 5-wood or a 7-wood out of a bunker than a 3-iron or a 4-iron. But you have to make some minor adjustments to do it effectively.
Here are five keys to hitting the long fairway bunker shot:
* Open the clubface slightly
* Play the ball back
* Dig in your toes
* Swing normally
* Make ball first contact
To hit a 5-wood or 7-wood out of a bunker, you must hit the ball with a descending arc, rather than trying to pick it clean as you might normally do. To do that you need to make two adjustments. Open the clubface a little, giving you a little extra bounce off the sand. And play the ball back slightly in your stance, maybe an inch or two from the normal ball position. These two adjustments will help you make a slightly steeper swing.
In addition, dig your toes into the sand, not your heels, which will help you avoid hitting a fat shot. And don't over swing. Many recreation players try to crush the ball when hitting a wood. Instead, pick out a target well within reach and go for it. Swing normally and focus on making first ball contact, which will get you out of the bunker and onto the fairway in good shape to hit the next shot.
Next time you need to hit a long fairway bunker shot, try hitting a 5-wood or 7-wood. They're easier to hit than a 3-iron or 4-iron and can be just as effective. You want to get out of the bunker and land in good position to hit the next shot.
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3) Question of the Week - Defeating the Dreaded YIPS
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Q. Hi, Jack: My putting was always ok. So most of my practice time has been devoted to the full swing. Lately as my full swing game has improved, I have started yipping short putts. How do I deal with the dreaded yips???
J. McDonough
A. Thanks for the question. Having the “yips” is gut wrenching. They're generated by a breakdown of the left wrist, causing the right hand to dominate. (For left-handers, it's a problem with the right wrist.) The cure is anything that locks the left wrist in place, and encourages a pendulum like action in your swing.
One cure is the reverse hands grip. Reversing the hands encourages the locking of the left wrist and creates a pendulum-like swing. Everything else—your pre-putt routine, basic posture, ball position, head position, and so on—stays the same.
Another cure is the clamp grip. With this grip, the left hand reaches down the shaft while the right hand clasps the left forearm to the club to steady the left wrist. The clamp grip is considered the ultimate measure in preventing the left wrist from breaking down during the putt. It also encourages a pendulum like swing.
These cures have worked for others. But whatever the cure, you still must practice to be a good putter. One of the best tools to practice with is a metronome, a device for helping people keep tempo on a piano. The metronome helps develop a nice smooth stroke with great tempo.
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/newsletter08152007.html
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article - Golf's Four Most Common Rules
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/rules.html
5) Article - Five Quick Tips For The Weekend
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/fivetips.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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