Are You Hitting It 300 Yards?

Ever wondered how a guy like Charles Howell drives the ball 300
yards+...weighing in at like 160 lbs and maybe 5'10''?

And there are countless others who amaze me with their distance but
personally, I like to see guys I can relate to (have a bit more
weight on them and maybe closer to middle-aged) that can hit the
ball far. Makes me feel a little more like I myself can actually
do it.

I found this guy Eric Jones and no, this is not a typo, he can
drive it nearly 400 yards. Don't believe me? The guys at ESPN
filmed him and you can see the video here.

The video at the top of that page is really impressive but what I
really think you'll find interesting is the video in the middle of
the page where Eric shows you one really cool way to add distance
to your tee shots. He calls this technique "Happy Toes".

Eric is a driving distance specialist and expert and has a ton of
info to help golfers gain the maximum distance from the tee...even
if you aren't very athletically inclined.

I want to say- I don't know Eric nor have I been a student of his
or read his material. I just respect what he's done and hear a lot
of great things about his game and unique approach (mainly from my
you guys) .

Enjoy!

Glenn

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=DXNV3&m=KYjKlIRkZAy3iH&b=_H0L8IfjXTUSIjOMkR6yFQ

Hitting Crisp, Clean Irons From Soggy Lies

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Hitting Crisp, Clean Irons From Soggy Lies
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Few things in golf beat playing when the conditions are perfect. But you can't always do that. Sometimes, you have to play when things are less than perfect. In fact, most times you play things will probably be less than perfect. Often, it's nature's fault, like when it rains heavily the night before. Heavy rains can leave fairways soft and soggy the next day, making it hard to hit crisp, clean iron shots and costing you strokes. But you can hit good irons from soggy lies by adjusting your stance and swing.

Here are seven keys to hitting irons from soggy lies:



1. Take a bunker set up
2. Choke down on the club an inch
3. Position the ball in the center
4. Stand taller over the ball
5. Hover the club above the ground
6. Line up the leading edge
7. Hit the back of the ball

You need to treat shots off wet turf as if you were hitting from a fairway bunker. That means you must make ball first contact. It also means you must compensate for you feet sinking into the soft ground, lowering your swing arc.

To do that, take a bunker stance, grip down an inch on the club, and position the ball in the center of your stance (or slightly forward for longer irons and hybrids). In addition, stand taller to the ball by bending less at the hips. Standing taller lets you hover your club above the ball and line up the leading edge with the ball's equator.

As you swing, aim for a spot an inch in front of the ball. You want to hit the back of the ball and drive your club down and into it at that spot. A good swing thought to keep in mind is to picture your clubhead and back knee reaching the ball at the same time.

Making ball first contact and offsetting a lower swing arc produces crisp, clean irons on soft, soggy turf. But remember, you can take relief without penalty from casual water (outside a hazard), but the water must be visible before or after taking your stance.

Simple Way To Solid Contact

One of the biggest keys to hitting the ball crisply is
making sure you are staying still during the swing.

What I mean is a lot of people have a tendency to sway.
I love this one because it drove me mad for weeks until
I realized what I was doing wrong.

A sway -- a lateral motion of the hips and knees on the
backswing -- can be a swing killer.

To eliminate a sway, you must think about initiating your
backswing with a turning -- not sliding -- motion of your
shoulders and hips. As you swing the club back, your right
knee must remain slightly flexed but braced. The tendency
is to let the knee lose tension or bow out, which creates
the lateral motion. The right knee must anchor the swing.
Otherwise, it is unable to drive into the downswing with
the power and accuracy required to hit solid shots. Always
remember to keep the weight on the inside of the right foot,
and think turn instead of sway.

A good drill to get the feel of the weight on the inside of
the right foot is to put a golf ball under the outside of
the right foot while hitting practice balls. This drill
makes it virtually impossible to sway and will give you an
idea of what it should feel like to keep the weight on the
inside of the right foot.

Give it a try!

Go Low!

Glenn Ellis

How To Squat For Power

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How To Squat For Power
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There are certain techniques that pro golfers weekend golfers you shouldn't use. The reason: Weekend golfers lack the athleticism to use them. On the other hand, there are certain techniques that pro golfers make that weekend golfers can--and should--copy. Squatting for power is one. Many pro golfers make this move to add yards to their drives. It's Tiger Woods signature move and a key reason he's able to drive the ball a ton.

Here are seven keys to making an effective power squat:

1. Squeeze your shoulder blades
2. Keep your arms near your body
3. Drop your hands straight down
4. Turn your hips to the left
5. Flex the knees slightly
6. Throw your arms past the ball
7. Point your right shoulder at the target

Once your set up, flex your knees slightly and move your weight over the balls of your feet. Then, squeeze your shoulder blades together and relax your neck muscles, encouraging your arms to extend naturally. Keep your arms close to your body as you go into your backswing and rotate your left arm as you near the top.

At the top, keep your torso turned by the same amount as you start to pivot your hips toward the target. This sends your torque sky-high. Flex your knees downward ever so slightly, as if you were going to sit down. Don't just bend your torso. Now drop your hands straight down like their being pulled by your hips.

As you approach impact, slow down your lower body so your arms can release properly. After impact, "throw" your arms past the ball. This improves your extension and eliminates the instinct to steer the shot. Finish by getting your back shoulder to point at the target, which encourages you to release the club and increases your clubhead speed.

Next time you see your favorite pro on the tee, watch him or her closely. See if he or she makes a power squat to generate those extra yards on their drives. If he or she does, feel free to copy it. It's one technique you can--and should--copy from the pros.

Here's How to Really BOOM IT!

With the deep face drivers on the market today, the
tees that we have been using for the last 100 years
are being threatened with extinction!

In order to get the maximum out of these new scientific wonders,
you have to HIT THE BALL HIGHER ON THE CLUBFACE. This
requires the use of a longer tee. I use a 2 3/4-inch
tee for my driver, teeing up the ball so that half of
the ball is above the clubface.

MAKE SURE BALL IS POSITIONED OFF LEFT INSTEP
(for right -handed golfers). If you tee it up too far back in
your stance the tendency is to pop the ball up into
the air because the angle of attack into the ball is
too steep.

Finally, make sure you KEEP YOUR HEAD BEHIND THE BALL AT IMPACT
to ensure a slightly upward blow to get the maximum launch
angle and improved distance. Start teeing the ball a little
higher and a little more forward in your stance and you will
love the results!

Now give that a try next time you practice and please tell me
how it turns out for you.

Go Low!

Glenn Ellis

Video on Swing Plane from Jack Moorehouse

I just put together another video for you on swing plane.

With the right swing plane you'll make solid contact more consistently and hit it further. With the wrong plane you will continue to struggle.

Today's video is all about knowing what YOUR own swing plane is. Specifically, how to determine it for your own swing and how to get back on track when you start mishitting the ball.

The best part of this 5 minute video is that we go over the proper swing planes for both tall and short players (yes, we all have different planes.)

I'm sure you'll enjoy this one and will learn a lot. Give it a gander.

http://www.break80today.com/swingplane/findyourswingplane.html

Enjoy,

Glenn Ellis - Gatonet Inc.

Consistency - A Key to Better Golf

People often ask me "Glenn, you interact with thousands
of golfers all over the world who are trying to play
their best golf...what is the most common issue you
see?" The short answer is "consistency". Most golfers
do not understand how to develop a consistent swing and
gameplan. Here's some insight into what you can do if
you want more consistency in your game:

*DEVELOP A PRE-SHOT ROUTINE AND FOLLOW IT- this will remind
you to go through your mental and physical checklist every
time you go to hit a shot.

*DEFINE THE PROPER POSITIONS OF YOUR SWING- once you know
where you arms, legs and shoulders should be when you are
swinging properly, all you have to do is check them to make
sure you are in the proper position before you pull the
triggger.

*ENSURE YOU HAVE THE FUNDMENTALS DOWN PAT- without the right
grip, setup or swing plane you will never be able to repeat
the same swing with any consistency. Worse yet, you may be
consistent already...but with the wrong fundamentals!

Be sure to SEE More Tips by Following This Blog.