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How To Break 80 Newsletter
December 10, 2008
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement
Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Never Miss Another Pressure Putt
2) Hitting Longer Straighter Shots
3) Question of the Week - Breaking Par
4) Article -
Seven Practice Tips For Beginners
5) Article - Golf Tips On Finding The Right Gift
Jack's Note: PSST….our annual Holiday Blowout Sale is ending today so if you haven’t taken a gander at the super low prices we have this season, you can do so today. DVD’s, training aids and books. Save as much as 66% off for some products. Remember, it all ends tonight Friday, December 12.
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1) Never Miss Another Pressure Putt
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We've all faced short putts we've had to make. All too often, we've missed them. The reason: we failed to compose ourselves for the shot and embrace an expectation of success. A history of missing pressure putts also doesn't help. But you don't have to miss pressure putts anymore. You can sink them consistently by following the eight-step, pre-shot putting routine below:
Eight-step routine for sinking pressure putts:
1. Stand at the green's fringe
2. Take a long deep breadth
3. Exhale through your mouth
4. Recall a similar putt you've made
5. See the putting line in your mind
6. Engage in positive self-talk
7. See yourself making the putt
8. Execute the putt
Start by standing at the edge of the green and closing your eyes. Keep them closed throughout the entire process. Take a long deep breathe through your nostrils, allowing your stomach to expand and distend. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Then, recall a putt you recently made similar to this one.
Having recalled the old putt, play this scenario out: See the putting line in your mind, and the ball following the putting line to the hole. Say to yourself: I can make this putt and I can make it right now." Now, envision yourself setting up to the putt and holing the shot—feeling confident in your capabilities and assured of making the putt. Open your eyes and execute the putt.
Performing this routine before every pressure putt helps instill confidence—one of the secrets to great putting. The routine takes only six to eight seconds, so it doesn't slow the game down. What's more, the more you use it, the more you'll become confident in it. Before long, it will become a habit and you'll start sinking more and more pressure putts. Pretty soon, you'll be surprised when you miss.
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2) Hitting Longer Straighter Shots
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Everyone wants to hit longer, straighter drives. But to do it, you need to coil the shoulders and hips correctly, deliver the clubface squarely to the ball, and maintain your chest so it faces the ball at impact. These actions promote the free release of the club and arms. They also promote the natural turnover of the clubface after impact. To hit longer straighter drives, practice hitting a ball from your knees.
This drill teaches five things including how to
* Swing the arms correctly
* Maintain the club on the right arc
* Quiet an overactive body
* Identify proper arm speed
* Allow for free release of the clubhead
Everything this drill teaches is good. It teaches how to turn the arms and shoulders correctly on the backswing and through swing. It teaches how to keep the club on the right arc. It teaches how to achieve a quiet lower body. And it teaches how to identify the arm freedom needed to swing the club and release it freely, which squares the clubface at impact.
The drill is simple and straightforward. After teeing the ball, take your driver and set up the way you ordinarily would. Now, instead of hitting the ball, kneel down. Now, swing the club and hit the ball. But be careful. If the club comes too far inside, it strikes the ground behind the ball. Keep going even if it strikes the ground the first few times. Eventually, you'll hit the ball without doing it.
This drill is good practice for young players, who need to quiet overactive lower bodies. It's also good practice for experienced golfers, who need to synchronize the body's moving parts. Try it next time you're at the range. Soon, you'll be hitting longer, straighter shots with regularity.
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3) Question of the Week - Breaking Par
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Q. Hello, I have been a regular newsletter reader and find your articles extremely well organized and helpful. THANKS A TON!
I am an 8 handicapper. My ball striking is pretty good. But I must admit although I know that putting is half the game of golf, if not more, I still do NOT work on my putting. I can honestly say I've come to be an 8 handicapper without any work on my putting game. That is the reason my birdie opportunities become pars, my pars become bogeys, and the occasional bogeys become double bogeys.
I understand very well that I desperately need to put in some work on my putting to get to scratch or break par. But what else can I do to get under par? My recent scores have been consistent 77's. I'm 5 shots away at this stage.
Thanks a million again for your articles. I've shared your web site with all of my friends and I think they all too are very regular readers of your articles.
Regards,
Hemant.
A. Thanks for the compliments and for sharing your web site. You have an ambitious goal, but at least you have a goal. Obviously, you know you need to work on your putting. That would by my next step. You can't break par without being a good putter. I would also work on consistency. The more consistent you are the more likely you are to score low. Consistency also builds confidence, another key to breaking par.
You should also work on course strategy. Learn to adopt your game to the type of course you're playing. Review courses before playing them. Plot out strategies for each. Try to execute that strategy during the round. Afterwards, review the round. How well did you execute your strategy? What adjustments did you make? Did they work?
In addition, study the courses you play well and those you don't play well. Try to determine why. That information pinpoints weaknesses in your game, which you can work on improving. Also, work on playing "smart" golf, like knowing when to lay up and when to go for it.
Golf is a thinking man's game. Once you learn its mechanics, you must work on your mental skills, if you want to break par consistently.
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.
