2014 April

Attractive, 6 feet tall, long ball hitter, young golf star with endorsements galore.  All of that came crashing down to earth when she lost her confidence and missed 5 cuts in a row in 2012.   How did she turn it around to win the Lotte Championship at 24?  Her swing coach, David Leadbetter credits it all to working hard and positive mental attitude.

I think it’s her LIMITED backswing which gives her more control with the same distance.  Robert Cotter in his Instant Golf blog refers to the limited backswing by Justin Rose as “The MODERN Golf Swing”.  I think that Michelle and Justin are on to something great. Michelle’s driving average is 260 yards.  Any weekend warrior (male or female) would love this record.

Injuries hurt Michelle’s swing and her game.  She broke three bones in her left wrist in ’07 in a fall. She played through a severely sprained ankle in 2009 and tried to play through a bulging disc in her back late in 2010 (similar to Tiger Woods).

Her recent success shows that if you want something bad enough, you can turn it all around. Wie headed to San Francisco first in the 2014 LPGA money winnings ($616,555), first in scoring (69.57), first in hitting greens in regulation (81 percent) and first in rounds under par.

Learn From Her Swing
This slow motion video of her warm up on the driving range shows a full back swing with great lag.  It all changed when she got on the course in her final round in the Latte Championship.  She was limiting her backswing so that her hands were only shoulder high and she was still hitting about 260 yards and landing on every fairway.

In her practice swing she rehearsed the starting drop of the leading arm without any wrist release. She keeps her leading arm dead straight through out.  [She must be practicing with GOLFSTR+.]

So TRY limiting your backswing for more consistent golf and practice with your GOLFSTR+ For Every Swing in YOUR Game.

CLICK HERE to check out the GOLFSTR website: www.golfstr.com.

EXPIRES MAY 4:  Buy Now for an extra 15% Spring Discount on the Store Page by entering the Coupon Code : discount.

THIS IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER

We should learn from Bubba Watson’s victory in the Masters but don’t take it all to the bank.  BUBBA GOLF is insanity golf.  He is the only player in the field who hit a 366 yard drive over the corner on the dog leg left, 485 yard, par 5 13th  hole on Sunday and landed his second shot on the green with a gap wedge.   The length of his drive was crazy long but he also had to cross over a forest and Rae’s Creek twice.  

Recreational golfers need to play within their capabilities.  Bubba is 6 foot 3 inches tall; has a body that winds up like rubber and power to generate a 124 mph head speed (when the tour average is only 110 mph).    He is super human and this is not reasonable for the recreational player as well as 95% of the pros playing in the Masters.

The 13th at Augusta National is probably the most beautiful of the holes on the course but also the most feared. It’s noth’in for Bubba.

Bubba’s drives are longer, his approach shots are shorter (so they are more accurate) and his lag putting created the win. 

Nick Faldo, a 3 times Masters Champion made some great observations about Bubba’s winning performance in the GOLFWEEK blog.  Faldo believes that Bubba Watson’s weekend success was primarily because of a solid driving performance and of course a couple of lucky breaks.  “Today he drove it really well,” Faldo said after Watson’s three-shot victory. “Probably a little nervy [you think], but generally drove really well.”  In the end, though, Faldo liked Watson’s lag-putting ability. A stat that doesn’t really exist.

The second half of the following video is an amazing slow motion swing analysis of Bubba by CBS Golf Swing Analyst Peter Costis in 2011.   He summarizes the swing with these words:  “the width and length of Bubba’s arm is critical to how he can hit the ball so far.”   [Of course GOLFSTR is designed to help you swing with this amazing wrist lag and straight arm in your backswing [ just like Bubba].

Marvel at what Bubba is able to do.  Learn from his performance and play within your physical and mental capability.   Did you notice how straight Bubba’s leading arm is for every swing in his game?  Could he secretly be using a GOLFSTR+ to get his drives longer and to hit more fairways?  All kidding aside you should be using GOLFSTR+ to develop wrist lag in your backswing, straight leading arm in your drives and approach shots and flat wrist in your chips and putts.

EXPIRES MAY 4: SPRING BONUS, BUY NOW: Check our website for a 15% SPRING DISCOUNT.  This is a LIMITED TIME OFFER.  See details on GOLFSTR home page at www.golfstr.com 

Make sure you tell your friends by passing this Swing Tip along.

The final Spring Warm-up Tips are all about PRACTICE and FOCUS.  Bubba Watson warmed up for the Masters like every other pro but his mental preparation to hold his emotions must be something else.  After he won this year and 2 years ago he was emotionally exhausted.  If you want to improve your game and play like Bubba, get a grip on your FOCUS.

Learning the right swing and practicing to get Every Swing in YOUR Game under control. Then practice to build confidence.   Finally, learn to block out external thoughts and FOCUS on every swing.

Spring Tune-up Tips 6 to 10
6/ For Over the Top Slicers:  Line-up your drives with the ball logo visible on the inside of the hitting line.  Focus on hitting the logo from the inside.  This extra effort helps you develop a habit to hit every ball with an inside to outside swing for a DRAW and MORE DISTANCE.

7/ Practice hitting approach shots to determine the right club for the right ball height and run-out to reach more Greens In Regulation. 

Practice to build confidence and enjoy the natural beauty wherever you play this wonderful game.

8/ Spend more time learning to chip with an identical cadence and sweep (using a count of . . . 1. . .2).  Mike Calbot uses this in his lessons at Old Cork Screw (an amazing course in Naples, FL).

9/ To slow down and gain confidence, use a pre-swing takeaway by starting the rotation of your shoulders followed by your hips.  Then repeat the same motion to start your swing for more power and distance.

10/ Mentally repeat the same simple swing thoughts to block out all other thought: 

–For putting and chipping you could say:      “Follow Through > > >  1 . . . 2”
–For all other full swing shots you could say “Straight Arm > > >  Sweep in and Finish”  (“F” in Finish is the point of impact as you finish in a balanced pose.)

Plan NOW:  Set your target to drop 5 strokes this year?  Start practicing with the perfect swing and buy your “LESSON IN A BOX”: GOLFSTR+.   [before the price increase].   And pass these Swing Tips on to your friends.

Check out www.golfstr.com for the latest updates and to buy NOW.   Love to hear about your successes.

It’s exciting to start a new golf year watching the Masters.  Wouldn’t it be great if some of those wonderful shots rubbed off on our games?  Dream on!  I have posted 75 blogs using recommendations and comments from professional golfers.  This blog is a summary of tips to lower your handicap.  Now is the time to set your target to cut stokes.  Pick your target for this year.  [I’m dropping 6 strokes.  What’s your target?]

We are all looking for that magic move to instantly cure all of our mental demons.   Peter Kessler recommends pills for “Brain Burnout”.  Just another dumb fix!    It’s not that easy.  Knowing your swing problems and practicing the right motion to build CONFIDENCE are the only way you will lower your score.

Top 10 Tips for your Spring Tune-up (5 this week and 5 to follow next week):

Golf Digest gave us this shot of one HOT Golf Swing but speed is not what we are talking about. Consistency is what counts for the Recreational Golfer.

1/ Look at your score card to determine the weakest part of your game. Where did you lose strokes?  Sort out what you have to do to cut strokes.  Then work on it by practicing both on and off the golf course. [Chipping to 1 putt is my goal.  What’s yours?]

2/ To hit more greens in regulation try clubbing up 1 club, relax your grip to 50% of your “death grip”, swing at 80% with more control and decide where you want to land the ball for your next chip or your uphill putt.  Swing with purpose.

3/ At the start of your round, if you decide to make every shot land in the fairway then you will work on the perfect swing with more control.  You will also pay attention to the impact of your draw or fade and try to do it consistently.

4/ For chip shots, sweep your club back on a low plane and limit your wrist hinge to avoid fat or thin shots.

5/ Use a practice swing exactly the same way you want to hit your ball.   This helps you get a feel for the club you selected, the angle of the ground and MOST IMPORTANT a balanced finish.  Then repeat the same motion when you hit your ball.

Stay tuned for 5 more Spring Warm-up Tips Next week. [Hint: Ways to improve your Focus.]

Summary:
There are lots of crazy quick fix solutions out there but don’t kid yourself, your game will only improve by reducing errors.    If you want to improve your game you need to be in physically good shape, play with a relaxed but focused mind and practice to correct your weaknesses.  The pros do it and you can too.

Why not sort out the right swing and practice with GOLFSTR+  For Every Swing in YOUR Game to gain confidence & make ever swing count.  Relax and enjoy this wonderful game.

It’s a great time to buy a GOLFSTR+ before we add on $10 for shipping and handling.  So click on this site and make it happen:  www.golfstr.com

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