Putting Downhill

To many golfers, putting downhill
is their worst nightmare! Unlike
uphill putting where the back of
the cup is slightly higher than
the front and acts as a backstop,
in downhill shots, the back of the
cup is slightly lower.


If the shot is too hard, the ball
can go over the lip and the back
wont stop it in the least.

In addition, when putting downhill
it is common for the ball to roll
quite a bit further than the
golfer planned. The key is a putt
that is soft enough to just topple
the ball into the hole.

What usually happens is that they
decelerate during the
through-stroke, tightening their
muscles and opening the club face
which starts the ball off the
target line, even if it catches
the lip, it spins violently out of
the cup and because it is downhill
it rolls to far to be a tap in.

There are two ways taught to avoid
the problems of a downhill putt,
the first is to strike the ball
with the toe of the putter.

Hitting away from the sweetspot
(or the best point on the club) it
applies less force causing the
ball to roll more slowly.

With this method however, you take
the chance of opening up the
putter face which causes a putt to
the right. Gripping the putter a
little more tightly keeps the face
from opening (turning).

Another means is to choke down on
the putter, in some instances
actually gripping the shaft rather
than the handle. This effectively
shortens the club allowing less
power on impact.

If the downhill is extreme, dont
be afraid to grip almost to the
putter face, it is more difficult,
but can be done with practice.

After learning and practicing this
method, you will find it is easy
to hit a short, controllable
distance, even on a fast downhill

Slow and Easy Does It

It's a BIG problem for most high handicappers and goes
something like this:

You're in the tee box staring down a 450 yard par 5. You need a
good long drive here. So you take a couple easy practice swings
with your driver... line up your shot... take the club back...
then -- somewhere in the back of your mind -- a little voice
whispers to unload with everything you have.

And that's where the problem lies.

You should NOT be thinking about "unloading" anything at the
top of your swing. This leads to one of the biggest
power-robbers ever conceived by man or beast -- the dreaded
"yank" from the top. It activates your left shoulder, arms and
hands (ALL of which should remain loose and tension free) and
promotes a poor pivot (because your brain thinks your power is
coming from the "yank" -- which is doesn't. It comes from the
PIVOT).

The classic "yank" also results in your arms and hands coming
"over-the-top", pulling the club off-plane, and eratic shots
that spray the course like buck shot.

Okay... so here's the big tip of the day.

You must think "slower" and allow your pivot to take over your
swing. Let the club accelerate near the ball instead of
"blowing your wad" at the top. Think to yourself "I'm just
gonna hit a nice easy shot about 180 yards". Do that and "whap"
-- suddenly your shots are longer, straighter, and a heck of a
lot more consistent.

Don't worry about how long you need to hit it, or "hitting it
hard", or getting the club to the ball quickly, or anything
like that. This is what prompts your brain into activating the
"yank".

Instead be patient and concentrate on keeping your left
shoulder, your arms and wrists loose and limber.

Do this and you'll instantly have a slower, smoother,
effortless looking power swing (your buddies will swear
you're just coasting).

If it feels fast, it's not. If it feels slow and easy, it's
fast. How's that for irony.

No More First Tee Jitters

Without doubt -

- it is one of the most common problems in golf - the first tee jitters -

Luckily for you and I have a proven solution!

... courteous of George Beardsley.

He describes his magic formula to beating
your first tee jitters right here :

"People go from the driving range, where they
are relaxed and calm, to the first tee, where
they are anxious and nervous.

What causes this?

Could be a number of things

- from stage fright to uncertainty of technique.

But what ever the reason

-- there is one simple exercise that can help you
hit your best first tee shot.

When we're nervous or stressed, our heart rate
speeds up

-- so we have to slow it down.

And learning to breath properly is the quickest
way to get your heart rate under control.

So, before your next round of golf

-- try this simple breathing technique and you'll
find it much easier to hit that opening tee shot.

Start this process 10 minutes before tee off.

Get by yourself somewhere, whether on the range,
putting green or just off the first tee.

Then, clear your head and begin this simple
method to slow your heart rate.

** 4-7-8 Breathing Method **

Sit with your back straight.

Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge
of tissue just behind your upper front teeth,
and keep it there throughout the exercise.

Exhale through your mouth around your tongue
with your lips slightly pursed.

Follow these steps :

1. Empty your lungs, making a wooshing sound

2. Close your mouth and inhale through your
nose to a Mental count of 4.

3. Hold your breath for a count of 7.

4. Again, blow through your mouth. making a
wooshing sound to a count of 8.

** This is one breath.

Repeat the cycle 9 more times for a total
of 10 breaths.

Do it once or twice throughout the round in
stressful situations.

As you are doing your breathing exercises,
visualize the first tee shot and your ball
going right down the middle."

Hit the Driver 300+ Yards

Hitting a Stright Putt

Many golfers subconsciously make
the mistake of changing their
stance when working on a breaking
putt.

They may open their stance to
allow the ball to start a little
higher, or close it for the ball
to start a little lower.

These are moves that are usually
learned after they have had the
experience to know that they are
not playing enough break. It
would be much better for them to
aim farther away and make a
straight stroke.

Following the theory that every
putt is a straight putt; even if
it breaks you want to use a
straight stroke towards the target.

When shooting a breaking putt, the
target is no longer the hole; it
is a point to the side of the
hole. Aim for that point, make a
straight shot and let the slope of
the land move the ball into the
hole.

Avoid steering the putt into the
hole, read the green and decide on
your target, and putt at the right
speed to the target.

Dont think about the hole in a
breaking putt, or you may
subconsciously adjust your putt to
the hole. The target is what you
want to think about, it becomes
your hole.

It is common for golfers not to
like to play break, what they do
is hit the ball harder to minimize
the slopes influence.

However, hitting the putt harder
means that if the putt misses, the
ball travels a lot further, making
it harder to get the putt in the
next shot.

Breaking putts should only be hit
harder when they are short and
uphill and you want to make sure
you get the ball to the hole.

Thinking of a putt as straight
when you know it will break is
difficult, but you must continue
to use a straight stroke to learn
to consistently hit the right putt
for a break.

Your putting will only improve by
continually, in every situation,
using a straight stroke.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball !!!

You hear this mantra in every sport - keep your
eye on the ball!

It's a perfect chant for the golf player at every
turn. If you can't see the ball clearly, your chances
of hitting it are slim to none!

When you look at the ball, you want to keep your
eyes on one spot. Don't look at your club to see
if it's squared to the ball. Don't let your eye
follow the club as you draw it away

Just focus on the ball - nothing else.

Also, when you look at the ball, try to get a bird's
eye view of it. Your eyes are about a foot above the
pivotal center so raising your shoulders isn't going
to help you see the ball better.

Don't gaze at the ball along the line of the shaft
of your club.

Look down on the ball rather than get your angles
along the shaft.

This will give you much better results and you won't
have a tendency to look up too soon.

Now, there's a natural tendency in everyone to look
away when you start to draw the club back. Ignore that
tendency and just keep looking down on top of the ball.

When you're looking down you'll notice that (if you're
leaning over properly) the only way you can keep the
club head in the line of flight is to keep your hands
moving along parallel with that line.

Sweep your hands along with the club head while the
ball and head are in contact.

Mastering the skill of seeing the ball clearly until
you hit it is true of every kind of shot. Whether the
ball is in long grass, on an up or down slope, no matter
what's around you -the main thing is to see the ball
clearly to hit it accurately.

Very few golfers stand still when looking at the ball
and concentrate their attention on seeing the ball
clearly.

A lot of the times people will give a glance in the
direction they want the ball to go, then they look
back at the ball.

Many golfers would be shocked to find out that they
don't stand still and keep their eye on the ball. The
second your gaze shifts from the ball during any part
of the swing, problems occur.

Really, a lack of concentration is responsible for
most golfing mistakes. You can hit the ball well when
you can clearly see the ball at every point in your
swing from start to finish.

If you want to wipe out one of the worst golf faults,
determine that from the top of your swing until you hit
the ball you will keep your eye clearly on the ball.

You'll find your golf game improving so significantly
- your friends may start asking you for lessons!

15 Hot Golf Tips

1. Always always warm up by hitting some balls on the range
before you start. Don't go through the usually-taught routine
of starting with your wedges and working your way up to the
driver.

That's practicing.

Just do some stretches and get a swing weight or use 2 clubs
together to get your muscles going. Then, hit shots on the
range like you will be playing on the course.

Pretend you just got to the course with no time for warmup and
have to go straight to the first tee. Get rid of those first
few bad holes before you get to the first tee.

Start right off with the club you will use off the first tee,
probably driver. Hit your next shot based on how well you hit
your first shot and what the hole demands.

SIMULATE ACTUAL PLAYING CONDITIONS on the range.

This is what you would do if you showed up late right?

And it takes a few holes before you get to scoring well right?

Doing the old standard warmup routine of hitting 5 shots of
each club is nothing like you will be doing on the course.
But this will mentally prepare you to play!

2. Understand that you CAN hit the ball well while nervous.
Those first tee jitters happen to even the best pros. Use
some loosening movements, like shoulder shrugs, and then just
tell yourself that you are going to accept your nervousness
and still hit the ball well.

Tommy Bolt said: "stomach butterflies are ok as long as they
are flying in formation".

3. From here on out, you are done berating yourself for bad
shots. If you were playing a best ball or scramble with partners,
and they hit a bad shot, would you tell them: "that shot was
sorry, boy you stink at this game"?

NO you wouldn't because you know it would only hurt their
confidence and their game and you need them to play well.

So why in the world do we do that to ourselves when the same
results come from talking bad to ourself?

4. Did you ever notice that you play better when you are on
vacation? Or right after hearing some good news?

This isn't a coincidence and you can put yourself back in that
place at any time and get the same benefit. Just spend some
moments during the round remembering some great events in your
life.

Force yourself to smile more often. You cannot have negative
thoughts while honestly smiling.

5. Spend some time learning the rules! I guarantee you that
you have left strokes out on the course because you didn't know
about a rule that would have helped you. I'll be passing some
good ideas for you in future emails about this.

6. Forget your score. Don't even look at the scorecard. Have a
partner do all the scoring from now on unless of course you are
in a tournament and you need to know for strategic reasons.

But even then, you can turn that over to your caddy. All you're
going to think about from now on is THIS NEXT SHOT!

7. Control anger and frustration. Turn it into FOCUSED ENERGY!
Sam Snead talked of playing "Cool Mad". When something gets to
you at work, you usually can't cuss and yell and so you are able
to control it at work.

Use that same skill you developed there on the course. Playing
angry is like adding a stroke to every hole, and I know you've
experienced that!

8. Whenever you are waiting to tee up, you should be chipping.
It's perfectly within the rules. Chip to specific distances you
have paced off. Pay attention to the lie you have and the reaction
off the club for that lie.

Get your 10 yard chip down COLD because you will use it this
round and it WILL save you strokes.

9. Whenever nobody is behind you and you finish up a green, you
should be putting a few more times to get the feel, speed and
read of the greens of that round. Again, within the rules.

10. Drink more water! Yep, there is no easier way to reduce your
score on any given round. Lack of water will simply make you
tired and lethargic. You will lose focus.

One moment of low concentration can equal one bad swing that can
easily turn into a double, triple or worse bogey.

11. When in doubt, use more club. If you feel you are in between
clubs, take the higher one and grip down a half inch. Keep the
same swing and tempo, don't slow the swing down to adjust.

12. From here on out, once you decide on a club or a specific shot.
Don't look back. Commit to it. Confidence is far more important
according to all the golf psychologists than making the "correct choice."

Brad Faxon said: "It's more important to be decisive than correct.

As far as I'm concerned if you're decisive, you are correct.

The closer to the hole, the more valuable that philosophy becomes"

13. Change your mindset from "How many pars and birdies can I make
today" to: "I will have zero balloon score holes today".

I know you've done this. You finish a round, go to the 19th hole,
tally up your score and then kid yourself by saying "I played pretty
well today except for that triple on #8 and double on #17".

I hate to tell you this, but, those holes count too. When playing
for zero balloon scores, you will be playing a lot smarter. More
on this coming emails.

14. Forget that old school teaching that says you have to "identify
your weaknesses." You know darn well what holds you back in your
game. Start focusing this round, for every shot on what you do well.

ON WHAT WENT RIGHT! Build a storage of good things you are capable
of to come back to time and time again. When you do something bad,
quickly analyze it for what can be learned AND THEN FORGET IT! FOREVER!

15. For putting, you can solve most of your problems with this one
tip: Always hold your finish. Hold your putter in the air, pointing
at the target after you stroke the ball.If you do this, it is necessary
that you had to have had a smooth, controlled stroke and didn't jab at it.

This is big and it works for every putting style. Do it!