==================================================== BCC Golf Newsletter - Issue 125 Date 01/25/10 ==================================================== ==================================================== Equipment - Books - DVD's - Instruction ==================================================== I have been testing the Railgun II Putter with a "Face On" stroke for a couple of weeks, and here are the results. First of all, the "Face On" stroke is a putting stroke where you stand facing the hole and make a pendulum stroke with the putter anchored near your shoulder. Here's a webpage with a couple of photo's: http://www.wnygolf.com/faceon.html In the upper sequential photo, the stroke is executed while looking down at the ball, in the lower photo the player is actually looking at the hole. Personally, I like to look at the hole for long putts, and I like to look down and watch the stroke so that the face stays square to the aimline for the shorter putts. Now, I'm a pretty good putter, maybe even real good, with a Pendulum Pure In Line Stroke executed with my trusty two ball putter from a conventional side stance, but the "Face On" style has really gotten my attention. It feels very natural, and it allows older backs to practice longer. It's also a little easier to be positive that you are executing a technically perfect pendulum stroke. You can just feel it. As I write this, I'm looking at 7 long putters leaning against the wall in my office right near my "The Putting Game". They all have one thing in common, long shafts and a putter face with either 3 or 4 degrees of loft. You'll notice in the bottom photo here: http://www.wnygolf.com/faceon.html that the heel of the putter is off the ground when the putter is held in the optimal position for this stroke. This can present a directional problem for the putt due to a heel up lie angle combined with 3,or 4 degrees of loft. It should push the shot off line to the right, theoretically it's enough of a mismatch to cause a problem with a putt as short at 10 feet. For the "Face On" style, the answer is a putterface with zero degrees of loft, because with no loft, the lie angle doesn't matter - the putt will roll squarely according to your stroke path. The Railgun II has zero loft, which is why I selected it for testing. The problem that can be created is that with zero loft, can the putt be lifted like it can with a lofted putter face to get it out of any depression that it may lie in at the time you putt? I tested the Railgun II Putter for a two week period, for about 1,000 putts, and had some great results. The putts rolled perfectly true to my swing path, and they were elevating enough to overcome any suspect lies. The one caveat is that you have to set up perfectly to allow for a stroke the hits the ball slightly on the upswing, there isn't much margin for error there. But as I said before - practicing this stroke is easy on the back, so if you are dedicated to improving your putting you should be willing to put in the time. Martin Gonzalez is the owner of the Railgun II Putter, and he has conventional putters as well as long shafted putters. I loved the craftsmanship and the feel. ! have tried several bigger brand names for the "Face On" style. None of the results compared to the results of the Railgun II.....it was the best by far. For more information on this putter go here: http://www.railgun.com/ By the way, don't make the mistake of thinking that this style is only for older golfers or golfers that suffer from the yips, I sincerely think that anyone that is not happy with their putting could benefit from this style. I give the Railgun II Putter Two Thumbs Up for value and usability. Enjoy, Tom ==================================================== TCT Quick Tips - Putter Weight ==================================================== If you have a wristy putting stroke, try a heavier putter. Heavy putters require more of the larger muscle groups to hold and move the putter, and this discourages too much wrist action. If you have a swing donut - one of those weights that you slip onto the driver shaft to practice swinging with a heavy club - try slipping it on your putter and make a few strokes. You'll be amazed by the newfound steadiness. Enjoy, Tom ==================================================== Golf Tip: "Boring" Practice ==================================================== I'm going to let you know right off the bat that this tip is not only very informative, but it's also an unabashed sales pitch for some upcoming indoor lesson sessions at BCC. I didn't want to sneak that in on you..... Circumstances can sometimes generate good ideas, and necessity is the mother of invention. I recently accepted the Men's and Women's Golf Coach position at Genesee Community College, and our 6 am to 8 am practices started about two weeks ago. It's a good fit for me because it's part time and our season is just about over when my springtime private lessons kick in. One of the challenges is designing practice sessions to accommodate several different swing types. That, plus the fact that most of these players are pretty good to begin with. I truly believe that if you can get the golf club and your body into the correct position at impact with good speed, then how you got it there isn't really too important. There are a lot of different ways to execute the backswing, as well as the downswing, but there aren't many options through the impact zone, which we'll call the area near the bottom quarter of your downswing. The impact position is one of the few absolute fundamental positions in the golf swing. As a result of that thinking, I designed a series of impact drills which the team does every day at the beginning of class. We do other drills also, but the impact drills are a daily regimen. The main drill is the "toe up to toe up" drill, and I've been hitting 82 balls per day with this same daily impact drill they do, in my basement. They hit "Almost Golf Balls" into a gymnasium divider curtain, and I look for a solid "boring" ball flight with a little draw spin tendency. I can tell if the spin looks like it's going to be good by watching their follow through, and I am 150% convinced that these kids will have improved their ball striking significantly by the time we get outside when the weather breaks. I was worried that working on a "Boring" trajectory through impact like this might get boring for the students, but they really seem to like it and to buy into it. This led me to the brainstorm of offering "Boring" lessons indoors in the month of February at BCC for my readers, so I'm doing just that. The lesson will be dedicated to learning one drill correctly, the toe up to toe up drill described here: http://www.wnygolf.com/drillimpact.html You might say, "hey Tom, why should I pay for a lesson when it's right there for me to learn on my own. " That's a valid question, the answer is this - when you do it alone, you might get it right, you might not. Having someone that knows how to execute the drill watching you and making corrections is desirable for some, and necessary for most. I mean - why learn it wrong? It's the most important part of the golf swing. For a very modest fee you can learn how to perform a drill that will stand you in good stead for the rest of your golfing life. If you take the lesson now, you should be able to make significant strides in your ball striking ability before the 2010 season starts. Here's something else that's not mentioned often. It's well known and well advertised that a sure fire way to lower your scores is to work on your putting and chipping. I'm a huge proponent of that, because as I get older and my swing speed falls off, it's imperative that my short game is impeccable if I want to compete with the young guns. I also know that if I can improve my greens hit in regulation (GIR), that I can get a chance to make all that putting practice really pay dividends. This is where better ball striking comes into play. Doing this simple impact drill regularly can put you on the road to better impact, a more boring and penetrating ball flight, more greens hit in regulation, and hopefully lower scores. HERE ARE THE DETAILS Dates and Times: Saturday February 13th, 2010 from 11am - 4 pm Saturday February 20th, 2010 from 11am - 4 pm Sessions start on the hour and run for about 45 minutes Location: the Batavia Country Club. I'll have nets set up in the upstairs dining area, and students will learn how to swing through the impact position by practicing the correct movements and actually hitting AlmostGolf balls into nets. I'll also cover how much you should practice on your own, and what equipment you need to set up for practice. FYI, it's not too expensive to set up a practice area and you don't need a lot of space. I have a average size basement ceiling, and it's fine for this drill. Cost: $25 per adult (16 or over) student, one to three adult students per session, three students maximum per session. One exception on the age, if any of the students that have participated in the junior golf camps at BCC want to get together in a group of three and take this lesson, the total cost will be $45. I do need a commitment of three students for this scenario. Keep in mind that the lesson will be a fairly fast paced learning experience, so it would not be appropriate for very young players. If in doubt, email me at tttucker@rochester.rr.com or give me a call at (716) 474-3005. How To Pay: cash or check, no credit cards. What to Wear, What to Bring: wear comfortable clothing, wear gym shoes or sneakers, not golf shoes, wear a smile. Bring a 6 or 7 iron. How To Reserve a Spot: send me an email - ttucker@rochester.rr.com , let me know what date and time you want, I'll get back to you with a confirmation. Don't forget to include a phone number and your age in the email. Thanks, Tom