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How To Break 80 Newsletter
April 18, 2007
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Mastering a Swing Change
2) Strengthening Your Golf Muscles
3) Question of the Week- Improving Distance
4) Article- Sand Shot Basics For Dummies
5) Article- Chipping Basics For Dummies
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1) Mastering a Swing Change ===================================================
Mastering a swing change isn't easy. If you've been driving the ball with a weak grip for several years, it's hard all of a sudden to change to a strong grip. It's also confusing and frustrating, especially in the beginning, as you struggle to get comfortable with the new way of doing things, which is why it takes time and practice to succeed. But there are techniques you can use to make the change smother.
Here are five tips on mastering swing changes:
1. Commit to the change
2. Don't use a club
3. Practice without a ball
4. Perfect the move first
5. Practice, practice, practice
Most swing changes feel awkward at first. While this is natural, it's also disconcerting. For some, it's a good excuse for discarding the change. That's why you have to commit fully to the change, if you're going to succeed. Try using something other than a club, like a broomstick, to help you get more comfortable with the change initially. Once you feel comfortable with the broomstick, change to a club.
Also, don't use a ball to practice the change at first. The ball only serves as a distraction when trying to make a swing change. It changes your focus from learning the change to performing your best. It also forces you to concentrate on correcting your swing fault and hitting a golf ball simultaneously. So get comfortable with the swing change first before introducing a ball.
After you've perfected the change, go to the range and practice hitting balls. And keep practicing the change until it feels natural. If you find yourself thinking about your swing as you hit, step away from the ball and re-group. Make some rehearsal swings while concentrating on mechanics then continue hitting the ball.
We all need to make changes in our golf swings at some time or another, if we're seriously about improving. But mastering a swing change isn't easy. It takes time and effort. Using the approach described above to correct a swing change makes things easier. It also helps you learn the change faster.
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2) Strengthening Your Golf Muscles
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Fatigue makes cowards of us all. It also makes us poorer golfers. Getting tired on the back nine is no fun. Inexplicably, it seems, you find yourself making mistakes on the back nine you didn't make on the front nine, costing yourself strokes. Preventing fatigue is why you see more and more professional golfers getting in shape these days, including Tiger Woods, who works as hard at it as anyone.
Here are five keys to improving golf muscles:
- Focus on flexibility
- Work on balance training
- Exercise for symmetry
- Avoid bulking up
- Include cardiovascular training
The secret to developing your golf muscles is focusing on three things: flexibility, balance, and symmetry. Combining a workout routine emphasizing these there elements and cardiovascular conditioning, like running, swimming, or power walking, strengthens not only your golf muscles but also your whole body. Together, they lower your scores while they prolong your life.
Before a round, focus on exercises emphasizing flexibility, like stretching the back and shoulder muscles, and the rotary muscles of the hips, torso, and rotary cuffs. After a round or when you're not playing in the winter, concentrate on strength and balance training, like imitating the golf swing using a weighted club or resistance bands to increase range of motion.
Keep in mind, however, that the key with strength and balance training is symmetry. That means doing exercises in both directions to develop both sides. For a left-handed golfer that entails swinging a weighted club from both the left and the right sides. Otherwise, you'll end up with a strong left side and a weak right side, creating the peak conditions for an injury.
Performing exercises on one leg instead of two also improves balance. But remember to switch legs. Assuming a golf-swing posture as you go through your routine helps. Also, don't bulk up too much if you're into resistance training. Bulking up hurts the stretching you've done.
And don't forget to add a cardiovascular workout to your routine. Your heart is a muscle, too. It needs exercise to strengthen itself just like your arms, hips, shoulders, and back. Work at staying in shape and you'll not only post lower scores, you'll lead a healthier life.
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Question of the Week- Improving Distance
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From Lamtruong
Improving Distance
Q: Hi, Jack. Thank you for your fantastic newsletter. Can I ask you a root question? How do I improve my distance? My drives average only around 200 yards.
A: Thanks for the compliment and the question, Lamtruong. We all want to hit longer drives. It's great for our egos and our scores. Unfortunately, players often confuse length from the tee with muscle power, as I've said many times before. Technique is far more important. In fact, developing a sound swing greatly improves driving distance, so concentrate on perfecting technique.
And keep the following tips in mind:
1. Widen your stance for greater stability
2. Shift more weight onto your back leg
3. Keep your chin up so you can turn your shoulder
4. Take a full 90-degree shoulder turn
5. Hit hard with your right hand
6. Sense your right forearm crossing over left
7. Finish high with your swing
Two proven drills for increasing driving distance are the lead hand drill and the weighted-club drill.
1. The lead hand drill strengthens the “pulling” muscles of your left arm (right arm for left-handers.) With this drill, practice hitting a golf ball with just your left hand. Start with a pitching wedge. Try it without a ball first. Swing easily and smoothly. When you’re ready, tee the ball up and swing away. Take about 25 swings. When you can hit the ball off the tee consistently, drop down to an 8-iron, and so on, until you get to a driver.
2. The weighted-club drill stretches the back muscles, leading to a fuller turn. Use a heavyweight practice club, a practice “donut,” or a weighted cover for your club. Take about 50 practice swings a day. Swing easily and smoothly. After a month or two, you'll find the arc of your swing is larger than before, without losing control of the swing.
Driving for distance is great. But remember, accuracy is better than distance in many cases. A 200-yard drive that lands in the fairway is better than a 250-yard drive that lands in deep rough.
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
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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