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How To Break 80 Newsletter
November 15, 2006
"The Web's Most Popular Golf Improvement Newsletter"
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In this issue we'll discuss...
1) Pitching to an Uphill Green
2) Bunker Shot from Under the Lip
3) Question of the Week- One Plane vs. Two Planes
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1) Pitching to an Uphill Green
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A friend of mine, who had a 12 handicap, was about 60 yards from a fairly large green, which sloped dramatically uphill. The hole was cut toward the back. My friend took a full swing using his sand wedge. He landed softly on the green and died, well short of the hole, in three-putt range. Perplexed, he asked me what happened.
My friend made a common mistake when pitching to an uphill green. Like many golfers, he had misjudged the effect of the slope’s contour on the bounce and roll of the ball. As a result, his shot—though hit well—died long before reaching the hole, leaving a long difficult putt.
Here are 6 keys to this shot:
-Club selection is key
-Take a normal but slightly open stance
-Position the ball toward the middle
-Make sure the left arm and shaft are straight
-Aim the clubface at intended target
-Use a three-quarter swing.
Control and accuracy are what matter with this shot. The key is taking some loft off the club. Instead of using a sand wedge, try a pitching wedge and take a three-quarter swing. The ball flies lower but runs more, leaving you closer to the pin than a sand wedge.
Otherwise, play this shot as a normal pitch shot. Address the ball with a slightly open stance—which enables the left side (right-handers) to clear through impact— but make sure the clubface is aimed directly at the intended target.
Position the ball toward the middle of the stance, ensuring that the ball is struck crisply with a descending blow. Check to make sure your left arm and the club’s shaft form a straight line, which also ensures that the ball is struck with a crisp descending blow. Then take your swing.
Accurate pitching helps produce lower scores, whether you’re hitting to an uphill green or a flat one. Turning three shots into two with an accurate pitch is a major weapon in the battle for improvement.
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Bunker Shot from Under the Lip
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Playing a ball from under a bunker’s lip tests a golfer’s shot making capabilities. It usually, requires an awkward stance, with one foot in the bunker and one foot out. Sometimes, the lie makes it even harder to execute. Clearly, the shot is one of the more difficult in the game.
Forget about hitting this shot close. Your number one priority is getting the ball out of the bunker. That requires a swing that makes the ball climb steeply upward after the club’s impact. That’s not easy. Trying to set up the next shot makes it that much harder.
Here are 4 keys to the shot:
-Use your normal swing shot
-Adjust your spine angle
-Minimize your follow-through
-Throw the sand out high
You need not alter your swing itself to make this shot. Changing your posture, alignment, clubface position, and/or stance—all pre-swing adjustments—automatically alters your swing. In other words, use your normal sand-shot swing, just change your set-up to suit the situation.
First, add loft to your sand wedge. Open the clubface before gripping the club. This helps the ball climb upward. Then, as you place your right foot in the sand, angle your spine to the right (for right-handers). This is critical. If you don’t do it, you’ll drive the ball into the lip. Your weight should be on your back foot.
In addition, reduce the motion in your lower body during your swing to maintain balance. And don’t try to follow through with this shot. You could injure your wrists or arms. A complete follow-through isn’t necessary anyway—as long as your angle of attack—preset by your spine adjustment—is correct.
Your one swing thought with this shot should be to throw the sand up high. Keeping this idea in mind, and adjusting your spine angle correctly, will get you out of the bunker in one shot.
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Question of the Week- One Plane vs. Two Planes
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From Richard Leary
One Plane vs. Two Planes
Q. Hi, Jack. Is your instruction based on a one- or a two-plane swing? I've read that Hank Haney teaches a one-plane swing. Is that true? Is Tiger's swing becoming a one-plane swing? What’s the difference between the two? I can't tell by watching the swing.
A. Thanks for the question, Richard. My instruction is based on a two-plane swing, not the one-plane swing Hank Haney teaches. To explain the difference, you must
focus on two points in the swing— spine angle at address and the position of the left arm on the downswing.
Your spine forms the natural axis around which your shoulders turn at a 90-degree angle. This angle is critical because it decides one plane of your swing. Your backswing, however, requires a left-arm swing (right-handers) that’s on a slightly higher plane than your shoulders. This plane is critical because it provides a free passage to the ball on the downswing.
Thus, when you swing, you actually employ two swing planes to hit the ball correctly. The first comes from executing the correct take away. The second from executing the proper downswing. The second swing plane, however, runs right through the correct angle of your spine, enabling you to deliver a clean crisp blow to the ball with a square clubhead and good power.
Haney eliminates the first plane by adopting a non-traditional address position. It’s a slightly simpler approach to the swing, which he says is easier to learn and better to employ.
As for Tiger, he has changed his swing from when he started on the pro tour, but it doesn’t look like he’s adopted a one-plane swing.
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
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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