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How To Break 80 Newsletter
November 8, 2006
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) The Sand Chip
2) The Left-Arm Position
3) Question of the Week- Hitting the Ball above Your Feet
4) Article- Four Steps To Building a Better Backswing
5) Article- Five Fundamentals of a Good Set-up
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1) The Sand Chip
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If you’re one of those golfers who wishes his or her sand game was better, you probably dread hitting into a bunker, regardless of how good the shot was that preceded it. However, there is a simple escape that you can use to get out of a bunker: the sand chip.
The sand chip is a low shot that with quite a bit of roll, so you’ll need lots of loft to clear the bunker’s lip and lots of green to work with before taking the shot. Here are 5 keys to the hitting the sand chip correctly:
-Assess the green carefully
-Rise your club on its toe
-Play the ball opposite your back foot
-Make the stroke with little wrist break
-Make “ball first” contact
The idea of the sand chip is to catch the ball cleanly, taking just a bit of sand with your shot. To do this, raise your club on its toe, making the shaft more upright and lessening the chance of your clubhead grabbing the sand.
Play the ball opposite your back foot in your stance and keep your hands forward of the ball, so that the shaft points at your lead shoulder. This set-up ensures a low running shot with sufficient loft to clear most bunkers.
The stroke is made with little wrist break and by keeping your weight on your font foot. The fixed wrists allow the butt end of your club and the clubface to move together back and then through the golf ball, enabling you to get some loft on the shot. Remember, touching the sand will incur a penalty so be careful.
Practice the sand chip the next time you’re at the range. Players who can hit this shot well find it an easier way to escape a trap than the traditional bunker shot.
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The Left-Arm Position
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Even good players have problems striking the ball. If you’re a poor ball striker or you tend to hit fat or thin shots, it could be your left-arm position (for right-handers).
Here are 5 tips on maintaining the correct left-arm position:
-Check your grip
-Hinge the club on your backswing
-Take a full turn
-Keep your hands away from your head
-Fold the arm after impact
Correct use of the left arm begins with the grip. Make sure the club lies diagonally across the fingers of your left hand, not your palm. If you’re holding the club with your fingers, you’ll naturally hinge the club on your backswing. If your wrists hinge on their own, you’ll be tricked into hinging your elbows. Keep your hands as far away from your head as comfortably possible.
Correct use of the left arm also results from your shoulder turn. Good ball strikers synchronize their arm swing with their shoulder turn, facilitating a solid turn and a straight left arm. Poor ball strikers generally stop turning their shoulders too early, but continue to swing their arms back. The result: a shortened arc and a collapsed left arm.
Left Arm Drill
First, make sure you’re gripping the club correctly in the left hand. Second, take your right arm and place it over your left wrist. Your right thumb should point down and your palm should face the target.
Swing back and keep your left arm extended by pulling it across your chest with your right hand. Keep your hands away from your head. Focus on maintaining the radius of your swing created at address. Now swing down. As you do, rotate your left forearm with your right hand, which is how you square your club at impact.
Once you start rotating your left forearm, you’ll begin feeling how the left arm correctly folds on the followthrough. Practice this drill several times until the motion feels natural. When it does, take it to the course. Your swing should be longer and you should strike the ball more forcibly than before.
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Question of the Week- Hitting the Ball above Your Feet
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From Padeep Pal
Hitting the Ball above Your Feet
Q. Hi, Jack, I have trouble hitting the ball above my feet. Alignment is also problem. What can I do to correct it?
A. Thanks for the question, Padeep. Hitting the ball above your feet is a matter of (1) making a few simple adjustments to your stance and swing, and (2) aligning yourself properly before swinging.
Here are 5 tips that can help:
-Aim right of the target
-Stand tall throughout the swing
-Keep weight centered over arches
-Swing along slope
-Stay in balance
One key to this shot is aligning yourself right of target, The ball moves right to left (for right-handers) with this shot, so if you line up dead center on target, you’ll probably pull the ball left. Instead, line up your shoulders, hips, and feet with the target line, not the flagstick. And since the ball is closer to your upper body, stand taller throughout your swing, but not too tall.
Another key is centering your weight above your arches, not on the balls of your feet. The change helps you swing along the slope and stay in balance throughout the shot.
Many recreational golfers shift their upper body forward during the swing and come into the ball lower than what they were at address, resulting in a fat shot. Or they’ll lose balance, pop out of the stance, and hit a weak slice. Keep your posture constant. Maintain the same spine angle that you set at address right on through impact.
With this shot, you also may need to make adjustments to your stance and/or swing. In that case, try choking down on the club and aim about 20 yard to the right of the hole.
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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