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How To Break 80 Newsletter
December 19, 2007
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement
Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Hitting the 3-Wood Draw
2) Achieving A Proper Release
3) Question of the Week - Hitting Off Hardpan
4) Article - Get Dynamic For More Distance
5) Article - Use Ground Leverage to Generate Power
Jack's Note: On behalf me and everyone else here at How To Break 80, I'd like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season this year. If you don't make it out to the golf course this week, heres hoping you stay warm and spend quality time with your friends and family!
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1) Hitting the 3-Wood Draw
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Knowing how to hit a 3-wood draw comes in handy when facing a dogleg or a tight fairway. But contrary to what some golfers think, you don't have to change your setup significantly to hit a 3-wood draw. In fact, you may not need to alter it at all. Instead, learn to shape your swing to create the desired ball flight.
Five tips on hitting a 3-wood draw:
1. Assume a normal setup position
2. Take the club back on the inside
3. Point the club to the right at the top of the swing
4. Finish with the club pointing left
5. Visualize the shot's "roundness"
The 3-wood is easier to hit than a driver when you want to shape shots. The club's additional loft provides less sidespin than a driver without costing you significant distance. It's also easier to control than the "big dog," making it a great club for shaping your swing.
The key to hitting the 3-wood draw is approaching the ball from inside the target line. On the takeaway, move the club away form the ball on the inside of the target line in an arching motion. At the top of the swing, the club should be pointing just to the right of the target.
These two movements help ingrain the more "around" feeling you need to create a draw. They also help you approach the ball from the inside. In the finish, the club should point to the left of the target line looking slightly left. The swing's "roundness" is what you must visualize when hitting the shot, eliminating the need to change your setup.
Next time you find yourself facing a shot where you must draw the ball, try the 3-wood and keep our five tips in mind. By learning to shape your shots, you won't have to make adjustments to your setup to hit the draw.
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2) Achieving A Proper Release
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Golfers are always asking me to teach them how to release the club properly. That's difficult to do because attaining the proper release is something that happens as a logical result of proper technique. In other words, a proper release occurs naturally when a golfer allows the clubface to square through impact as a result of attaining the proper swing path and clubhead speed.
Below are five telltale signs that a golfer has executed a proper release as a result of sound technique:
* Right hand rotated over the left
* A flat left wrist
* Fully extended arms
* Head behind the ball
* Glove hand beneath the right hand
A proper release is not something you achieve. It's something you arrive at via the proper sequence of movements. If you eliminate your swing faults and your timing is correct, you will automatically release the club properly at the end of the swing.
Ideally, you want to square the clubface at impact by rotating your right forearm (for right-handers) over your left hand. When you do, you end up with a flat left wrist and a square clubface at the moment of impact.
After impact your arms should be extended fully as your lower body rotates to the left while the club remains on the target line. Since your arms pass by your body, your head remains behind the ball. If you wear a glove, your glove hand should be underneath the right hand.
Next time you play with someone with a low golf handicap, watch her swing. Chances are you will see her release the club properly as a result of soundly executing he swing. But remember, releasing the club properly isn't something that's taught. It's something that happens naturally.
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3) Question of the Week - Hitting Off Hardpan
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Q. Jack, can you explain how to hit a wedge from a hard area around the green? Often times, especially as courses dry out in late summer, I find myself with a very difficult lie on hard terrain. The majority of times I scull the shot, instead of flopping it on the green.
Can you help?
Chris Gorman
A. Thanks for the question, Chris.
Hitting from hardpan is a challenge, especially when the shot is within 30 to 70 feet of the flag. Some golfers use a sand wedge for the shot. Others use a 9-iron. Either will do since both have a sharp leading edge, which cuts through the back of the ball. Use whichever you're comfortable with.
The key to making this shot is hitting the ball cleanly. Aim for the lower half of the ball when you swing. Other keys to the shot are
* Take your normal stance
* Put your weight on the front foot.
* Position the ball toward the back of your stance
* Place your hands in front of the ball.
* Use a chopping motion when hitting the ball
To practice this shot, pick a spot near the green that provides a hardpan lie. Take the setup described above except with no ball. Stick the club in the ground using an up-and-down motion, instead of a back-and-forth one. After taking several practice swings, drop a ball on the hardpan and hit away using the same technique. Repeat this sequence until you hit clean shots with regularity. Don’t worry about distance or accuracy in the beginning. It will come as you master 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/newsletter12192007.html
Here are some of my recent articles:
4) Article - Get Dynamic For More Distance
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/dynamic.html
5) Article - Use Ground Leverage to Generate Power
http://www.howtobreak80.com/articles/leverage.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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