In this issue we’ll discuss…

Hit It Close From A Sidehill Lie
Three Critical Decisions On Short Pitches
Question of the Week - Overcoming Bunker Shot Blues
Article - Strengthen Shoulders To Lower Golf Handicap
Article - Re-Thinking Strategy Off Tee

Hit It Close From A Sidehill Lie

A sidehill lie into the green is a delicate shot. But miss it and you can add two or more strokes to your score. You must factor in not only the distance to the green, but also the effects of the sidehill lie. The biggest danger is taking a straight-back backswing into the slope. That’s the quickest way to shank the shot and tack strokes onto your score.
Below are five keys to this shot:

1. Plan your shot based on the lie
2. Match your stance to the shot
3. Center the ball in your stance
4. Distribute your weight evenly
5. Shape your swing to the slope

Plan your shot based on what you expect. If the ball is above your feet, the ball will hook. It the ball is below your feet, the ball will fade. Also consider the club being used. With longer irons the ball will hook or fade more than with shorter clubs.

Now, match your stance and swing to the slope.

• If the ball is above your feet, address the ball with a slightly closed stance, position the ball in the center, and distribute your weight evenly. Take the club back on an inside-out path. That will produce a drawing trajectory.
• If the ball is below your feet, set up with a slightly open stance, position the ball in the center, and distribute your weight evenly. But use an outside-in path to the ball. That will produce a fading trajectory.
• If the ball is in the rough, expect a straighter shot than from the fairway. The grass will catch and turn the clubface. That’s means you can take a more aggressive line at the pin. Just don’t over do it.

Knowing what to expect from this type of lie is half the battle. The other half is matching your stance and swing to the slope. Plan your shot accordingly and knock it close to save strokes.

Three Critical Decisions On Short Pitches

Golfers often commit two costly mistakes on short pitches. They square their stances and they open their clubfaces. Both hurt the shot big time. A square stance leads to a steeper swing and an open clubface shanks the ball sideways. But asking yourself three key questions before making the shot and you’re chances of hitting it close rise dramatically. Use this a routine whenever you have a short pitch.

The questions are

1. What kind of shot do I hit?
2. What’s the best club for the shot?
3. What kind of swing do I use?

Many golfers choose the wrong club, use the wrong shot, and/or employ the wrong technique on short pitches. Check your lie carefully on short pitches before choosing your club. The lie is good if you can slide the ball under the club. A good lie allows you to use a more lofted club, like a 60-dgree wedge, for maximum touch.

Also, open your stance. This pre-rotates your body to the target. That in turn keeps your swing shallow and helps the club slide through the grass.

Now, play the ball off your front heel and open the clubface. Swing down along your stance. And don’t flip the club. There’s no need. You have plenty of loft to get the ball in the air. It comes out high and soft, just like you want.

Don’t commit two common mistakes on short pitches. It just adds strokes to your score. Before hitting, ask yourself the three questions mentioned above. Answering them will help you choose the right club, the right shot, and the right technique.

After that, it’s just a matter of applying the right amount of touch to hit it close, saving a stroke or two on the hole.

Question of the Week - Overcoming Bunker Shot Blues

Q. Dear Jack, Even though I try to apply all that I can read about bunker shots around the green, I still either skull the ball over the green, or I hit too far behind the ball and it stays in the bunker. The result is frustration. Do I need a lesson?

Thanks,
Archie Buie

A. Thanks for the question, Archie. Golf lessons never hurt. In many cases, they help a great deal. But there are drills you can do on your own to improve your bunker game, in addition to studying technique and reading golf tips.

Below are two exercises for improving their bunker technique:

* This drill establishes how the sand wedge should really work. Stand in a practice bunker without a ball. Adopt your normal bunker stance and take several swings down into the sand. The object is to get the feel of the clubhead dragging through the sand, not digging into it. After a dozen shots, try hitting a ball. Pick out a spot where you want the ball to land and then go for it. Repeat the exercise until you’re comfortable with the feel of the wedge splashing through the sand.

* The Two Lines drill eliminates the tendency to lose focus during the shot. Stand in a bunker and take your normal bunker stance. Now draw two lines in the sand, about six or seven inches apart. The lines represent the length of the sand you should carve from under the ball. Line up several balls between the two lines, and then hit them. The clubhead should enter the sand where the first line is and emerge where the second line is.
Practicing these two exercises builds better bunker technique. As you improve your technique, you’ll increase your confidence in the shot. And confidence leads to a lower score per round and a lower golf handicap.

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.

===================================================
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/newsletter06172009.php

Here are some of my recent articles:
Strengthen Shoulders To Lower Golf Handicap

Re-Thinking Strategy Off Tee

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, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter.htm

About the Author

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.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

Negotiating Around Trees
Severe Downhill Greenside Chip
Question of the Week - Maintaining Tempo Increases Consistency
Article - Play Bethpage Black Course Free
Article - Go To Shots Trim Scores And Golf Handicaps

Negotiating Around Trees

Nobody plans to end up behind a tree. But even the best of us end up there occasionally. A tree requires a decision. You either have to go over it or go under it. Going over it is risky. It requires crisp contact and a lot of carry. It’s the option to choose if you have to get it close to the green with little roll or if there’s a bunker in front of it. A safer play is going under the tree by playing a punch shot. If you choose wrong, it can cost you big time.

Below are five keys to playing a punch shot under a tree:

Use a long iron or a hybrid
Play the ball in the middle
Use minimal cock in the wrist
Employ a sweeping motion
Make ball-first contact

If you decide to go high, on the other hand, play the ball forward in your stance. Open the clubface. And keep your weight on your back foot. As you take the club back, make a full backswing, with a swift and steep wrist cock. The wrist cock is the key to getting the ball in the air.

Begin the downswing by turning—not shifting—forward. This is critical. If you shift your weight forward, you de-loft the club. Also, keep the clubface open well through impact. And don’t try to scoop the ball. Trust the loft on your club.

Don’t let one bad shot ruin your hole. When behind a tree, weigh the decision carefully. If you’re not adept at going over the tree, don’t risk it. Go under it and try to set yourself up for the next shot.

Severe Downhill Greenside Chip

This is one tough shot. No doubt about it. You have to deal not only with a difficult lie, but also with the green’s break. Why? From a down hill lie, the ball rolls more than normal after hitting the green. Thus, you must factor in break and speed to have any chance of getting the ball close.

Below are six keys to the shot:

Chose your most lofted club
Adjust your weight to the slope
Play the ball back in your stance
Aim the clubface at landing spot
Keep your hands forward

Choose your most lofted club. Address the ball with an open stance. And adjust your weight to the slope of the hill. Align your club as perpendicular to the ground as possible. Doing so will force your weight on to your forward foot, which is where it should be.

Next, play the ball in the back of your stance. Position your hands forward with the clubface aiming at your chosen landing spot on the green or fringe, where you want the ball to start rolling. As you start your back swing, swing along the ground and keep your hands low to the ground well into the finish. This is key.

Also, don’t hesitate to land the ball on the fringe, if that’s your best landing spot. The ball has some spin so it will roll through the fringe before stopping. Whatever you do, don’t try to scoop the ball. It doesn’t work from this lie—or from any other lie for that matter.

This shot is a challenge. But it can be made, if you remember our keys. You probably won’t face it a lot during a round, unless you’re playing on a very hilly course. Even then, you might not get it more than once a round. But knowing how to hit it can save strokes.

Question of the Week - Maintaining Tempo Increases Consistency

Q. Hi Jack, I am a weekend golfer and play to a handicap of 12. My swing is out to in and I end up slicing while using irons. My ball placement for long irons is centre, mid irons an inch back of center, and one inch back for short irons.

Regards
Yash

A. Thanks for the question. Ball position is a fundamental question golfers often take for granted. There are two schools of thought on the subject. Jack Nicklaus says there’s one position for the ball—opposite the heel of your front foot. When Jack played, he used this position for every club.

Tradition says change ball position depending on the club. The driver’s ideal ball position is just inside the heel of your front foot. The ideal long-iron position is slightly back from drivers’ ball position. The ideal mid-iron position is one or two balls back from the long iron position. And the ideal short-iron position is in the middle of your stance. Keep in mind you may have to make adjustments for slope and lie.

These different positions place the ball at the lowest point in your swing given the club’s length and swing taken. In addition, positioning the ball at the different positions encourages clean contact with a crisp descending blow—the key to blasting solid iron and wood shots.

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.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:
Play Bethpage Black Course Free

Go To Shots Trim Scores And Golf Handicaps

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, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter.htm

About the Author
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.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

Revive Your Short Game With These Tips
Knock It Close From The Rough
Question of the Week - Maintaining Tempo Increases Consistency
Article - Finding Your Rhythm Cuts Strokes
Article - Four Golf Tips To Achieve Distance and Pinpoint Accuracy

Revive Your Short Game With These Tips

You can’t make up strokes from the tee box or the green. But from 25 yards and in is a different story. You can do a lot from there to save strokes. As one great golfer said, the game is played from 100 yards and in. Chip, pitch, and bunker shots impact your score than you might think. So if you can’t break 90 or 100, maybe it’s time to revive your short game.

Below are six keys to reviving your short game:

Play the ball a clubhead from the front foot
Shift your weight to the front foot
Don’t scoop the ball
Keep hands in line with your front leg
Rotate your body through the shot
Release the hands after impact

Playing the ball back, trying to scoop the ball, and placing your weight on your back foot are the three most common short game mistakes. With most short game shots, play the ball a clubhead from the front foot, shift your weight forward, and don’t try to scoop the ball. Scoopers don’t understand the mechanics of chipping or pitching. Instead of trying to scoop the ball, let the club work for you. Trust that it has the loft to do the trick.

In addition, align your hands with your front leg at address, rotate your body through the shot, and release your hands after impact. Aligning your hands encourages a downward blow. Rotating your body allows your hands to reach the impact zone at just the right time. And “knocking your knees” on the follow through says you’ve hit the shot correctly, whether it’s from the grass or a bunker.

If your scores are suffering, maybe it’s time to resuscitate your short game. Check your mechanics to see if you’re making any mechanical mistakes. If you are, first eliminate them. Then, watch your scores drop.

Knock It Close From The Rough

Every golfer lands in the rough sooner or later—even the best of us. If the lie is near the green, the shot becomes critical. It can mean the difference between making a bogey or double bogey and a par. To score low, you must know how to knock it close from the really deep stuff. Knocking it close from there chops one or two strokes from your score and often saves par.

Here are five keys to hitting it close from the deep rough:

Add more club and choke down
Position your hands in front of the ball
Play the ball slightly forward
Retain the right angle
Use a steeply descending blow

Some golfers like to use short irons from the deep rough. But that’s hard. It requires a strong grip, a steeply descending blow, and strength. Plus, you can’t release the club too early. Otherwise, you’ll end up hitting a lot of grass and no ball.

Instead, try using a longer iron and choking down. But don’t change anything else: Take your normal stance from the rough. Position your hands in front of the ball. And play the ball slightly forward in your stance. The longer shaft adds leverage to your swing.
Also, retain the right angel formed by the club and your left arm (right for lefties) at the top of your swing as long as possible.

Holding this angle generates the additional club head speed you need to escape deep rough. It also encourages a steeply descending blow and prevents your hands from releasing too early. The ball flies lower coming out of the rough, but that beats a flubbed shot or a complete miss.

Find some thick stuff at an open field or the range and practice hitting from there. You’ll be glad you did.

Question of the Week - Maintaining Tempo Increases Consistency

Q. Hi Jack, How can I slow my swing on a regular basis? When I slow down, I perform as good as anyone. Unfortunately, my head lets me down and up comes the tempo!

Kindest regards,
Colin D.

A. Thanks, Colin. Tempo is the time it takes you to complete your full swing. It’s geared to your personality. If you’re deliberate, for example, your tempo is likely to be somewhat slower than a person who’s fast paced. When you’re playing well, your tempo is pretty much the same on every full shot. But when your tempo goes, your game goes as well. That’s why you play well one day and poorly the next.

But developing an appreciation for your tempo isn’t easy. It takes hard work. Below is an exercise for developing your appreciation for tempo:
Address the ball. Raise the club head off the ground slightly. Move it forward to a position a foot or so into the follow-through, and start swinging. Guide the club head back over the ball, complete your backswing, and swing through the ball all in one motion. Repeat this exercise several times. Continue for a while. Eventually, you’ll develop a feel for your swing 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.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:
Finding Your Rhythm Cuts Strokes

Four Golf Tips To Achieve Distance and Pinpoint Accuracy

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, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter.htm

About the Author

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.

In this issue we’ll discuss…

1) Stop Pulling Your Shots
2) Beating Blocked Shots
3) Question of the Week - Hitting Long Irons
4) Article - This Simple Move Adds Yards To Your Drives
5) Article - Practice With Scoring Clubs To Cut Golf Handicaps

Stop Pulling Your Shots

Pulled shots, like block shots, are high on the list of bad shots. If your spine angle and weight distribution are off at address, there’s a good chance you’ll pull the shot. Putting too much weight on your forward foot at address pushes your spine angle too far forward. It also prompts a swing path that moves from outside the target line pre-swing to inside the target line post impact, resulting in a pulled shot.

Below are five keys to preventing pulled shots:

Address ball as if on an upslope
Shift weight to back foot
Lower your back shoulder
Position your hands behind the ball
Stay behind ball on the swing

Correcting both your weight distribution and spine angle prevents pulled shots. Start by setting up as if you were hitting on an upslope. Then, shift your weight from your front foot to your back foot. Drop your back shoulder slightly so that it’s lower than your front shoulder. And position your hands behind the ball at address. This set-up tilts your spine away from the target and changes your swing path.

To visualize the set up, take an iron from your bag and have a friend step on the clubface. Now match the angle of your shoulders to the angle of the shaft. That sets you up with your spine angle tilted away from the target and your front shoulder higher than your back shoulder. If you keep this image in mind at address, you’ll set yourself up nicely behind the ball. Stay behind the ball when swinging.
By re-distributing your weight and correcting your spine angle, you’ll prevent pulled shots. From this position, your downswing comes from inside the target line and arcs back inside that target line past impact. This results in a square clubface at impact and a straighter flight path. You’ll also gain some distance.

Beating Blocked Shots

Block shots rank high on the list of bad golf shots. If you tend to block shots, you could be swinging too aggressively. If you are, you need to curb your aggressiveness to improve your shot making and improve your game. Once you learn to control your aggressiveness, you can use it more productively.

Below are four golf tips for beating blocked shots.

Better posture, better impact
Less tilt, more coverage
Release the head early
Brace your left side and release

Bad things happen when you’re too aggressive. Over aggressiveness often causes your lower body to outrace your upper body. That forces your upper body to tilt away from the target. When this happens, your back shoulder can drop too far under the backswing plane, leading to a blocked shot. To prevent this, try to “feel tall over the ball,” with your knees slightly bent, and keep your upper body straight during the swing. Better posture means less tilt. Less tilt means better impact.

Lack of head movement also causes blocked shots. It, too, can force you to lose your forward tilt toward the ball. If your head stays down and straight, your hips lunge toward the ball, pulling you out of your posture. But if you turn your head slightly with the shot you’ll have better results. You’ll keep your spine straighter and get the club back in front of your body sooner. When your arms get out in from of your body, they can swing down the line better.

If you block shots off the tee, it may be because you’re swinging too aggressively. Learn to curb your aggressiveness a little. You can then use it to your advantage.

Question of the Week - Hitting Long Irons

Q. Hi Jack, I have been hitting my 3-wood and 5-wood at the driving range, but I am always hooking the ball. I have noted that the contact mark of my ball contact in the clubface is on the toe side. I can’t seem to hit it at the center of the clubface. I would appreciate very much your advice.

Thanks.
Euls Austin

A. Thanks, Euls. If you’re hooking (or pushing), your clubface isn’t square at impact. You can stop hooking with a few minor adjustments at address.

First, check your grip. It could be too strong, which means your right-hand is turned too far to the right. If it is, turn it slightly to the left. (If you’re left-handed, reverse the process.) Turning your right hand prevents it from dominating the shot, a key contributor to hooking. Second, play the ball forward in your stance. Third, open up your upper body slightly in relation to the target line at address.

In addition, make sure the toe of your club points skyward you’re about halfway into your backswing. Point the toe skyward helps square the clubface at impact. Also, work on clearing your body through impact. If you do it right, you’ll feel as if your hips are opening up towards the target and your front shoulder is moving forward as you strike the ball. You’ll also feel as if the grip is moving left, but that the clubface remains open. Ingraining these tips in your swing eliminates hooking (and pushing).

Below is a drill that helps you stop hooking (and pushing):

Lay down two clubs parallel to the target. Position the first is along your feet and the second outside the ball, creating a track with the ball in the middle. Now, swing. As you do, keep your cap’s brim in line with the outer club. This keeps your head on the right swing path. Practice this drill faithfully and you’ll hit straighter shots.

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.

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

Here are some of my recent articles:

This Simple Move Adds Yards To Your Drives

Practice With Scoring Clubs To Cut Golf Handicaps

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, go to http://www.howtobreak80.com/newsletter.htm

About the Author

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.