============================================================== [ TomTuckerGolf.com Tips ] Issue 215 - Date 10/31/12 ============================================================== Newsletters Archive: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/archive.html Hundreds of Great Tips and Articles to help you improve your game. IN THIS ISSUE: - Tom's Featured Tip: Hand - Eye Coordination - Tom's Bonus Tip: Mechanics First, Feel Follows - Lesson Comments: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/testimonials.html - Sponsors: The Batavia Country Club, Chestnut Hill CC,   Plum Creek Driving Range and PGA Golf Simulator Winter leagues are now playing indoors on the Simulator at Plum Creek, Details: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com I will be conducting indoor lessons this winter in the Simulator bay, but not for a few weeks. I'm taking some time off to visit my grandkids in Houston, and to let a nagging back issue heal fully. If you want to respond to this newsletter, PLEASE DO NOT hit reply, email sent via reply gets auto-deleted. Instead, please FORWARD your reply to ttucker@rochester.rr.com and I'll get it directly. Thanks! Tom Tucker http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/ If you like this newsletter, please do me a favor and forward it to your friends so that they may subscribe: Subscribe - http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/signup.html The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. ============================================================== Tom's Featured Tip: Hand - Eye Coordination ============================================================== For the sake of simplicity, all advice on swings and drills is provided from a right handed perspective; lefties .... well, you know what to do :-) I received this comment in my email from an unnamed reader and decided to add my two cents. As always thanks for the feedback ... Tom "There seems to be very little information on basic hand-eye coordination with regards to ball striking in golf. I have noticed with several of my friends, that those who were good contact hitters in baseball, good bowlers and good foul shooters in basketball are also good golfers. All three of those motions are definitely different, except the ability of the eye to perceive what the hand must do to be most successful is rarely covered in golfing tips." "For these good golfers it makes no difference where the ball is in front of them, their ability to strike the ball does not change. I have seen some of them kneel and strike the ball solidly. There are 1000+ tips on how to correctly hit a golf ball solidly, yet no where does it mention the importance of the hand-eye coordination. Watching baseball players with their variety of stances still be solid ball strikers leads me to believe that the hand-eye is not given its due discussion." Here are my thoughts on this subject. Keep in mind that there are many differing points of view on the subject, these are just mine. There is no disputing that it's an advantage to be able to see the ball clearly to play golf well, but I don't believe that having exceptional hand-eye coordination is of paramount importance in becoming an exceptional ball striker. If a person uses a "hitter" swing method rather than a "swinger" swing method, it might be a little more important, but just a little. "Hitters" use more of an arm thrusting motion in combination with weight transfer and body turn, as well as more hand manipulation of the clubhead through impact in their swing. "Swingers" rely more on centrifugal force for swing speed which is produced through body rotation swinging the arms and club (generally) - with less hand manipulation. BTW, both swing methods are totally valid ways to play the game, it's a matter of personal preference. However, regardless of whether you are a "hitter" or a "swinger", hand - eye coordination is undeniably more important for touch shots like short pitches and chips, as well as for putting. Ball-striking, not so much - pitches, chips, and putting - yes. Personally, I believe that proper weight positioning, angle of impact, and swing path trump hand-eye coordination as a paramount consideration for excellent ball-striking. Here are some reasons why I say not so much for ball-striking in general. 1) In golf, the ball doesn't move, so do we need to “keep our eye on the ball” to locate and hit it? The answer is no. USGA engineers designed Iron Byron, a mechanical robot to determine if golf balls submitted to the USGA for approval met the appropriate requirements. This robot is capable of hitting the ball 10,000 times in a row perfectly and it doesn't use eyes to do it. 2) Many blind golfers are capable of hitting the ball better than some of their sighted counterparts. In fact, the motto of the US Blind Golfers Association is: You Don't Have to See It to Tee It http://www.usblindgolf.com/ 3) George Knudson, a renowned golf teacher and author of "The Natural Golf Swing" actually stated that "golf is not a hand eye co-ordination game" and I agree - at least for full swing shots. Notably - Knudson once shot a 67, playing all of his full shots with his eyes closed! 4) I often use an eyes closed swing drill with students that have poor balance. Usually by the end of the lesson, the student is making good contact hitting teed up balls with their eyes closed. Try practicing with your eyes closed - when you are in a place to try it safely of course. It is a really strange feeling that fights against all your natural tendencies, but it reinforces Knudson's point of view. It's a superb balance drill, and you don't have to actually hit golf balls to get the benefits. Improving Hand - Eye Coordination To improve hand - eye coordination, take up playing ping pong - it's superb for developing hand - eye coordination as well as balance. Here's a site I found that may also be helpful: Hand Eye Coordination and Reaction Drills by Neuro-Gym http://isuckatgolf.net/Coordination.html My final thought on the matter is that you can't blame poor ball-striking on poor hand - eye coordination. I won't give any student that pass. Make sure that your ball-striking is fundamentally strong - in other words, keep working on sound ball-striking fundamentals for your own swing type and you should see improvement. Love your practice, and enjoy your golf, Tom ============================================================== Tom's Bonus Tip: Mechanics Then Feel ============================================================== For the sake of simplicity, all advice on swings and drills is provided from a right handed perspective; lefties .... well, you know what to do :-) Mechanics - let the mind teach the body what to do until it becomes a subconscious action. This happens through repetition, lots of it. Feel - then the mind must trust the body to do what it was taught without interference. This happens by having a quiet mind when you play. Keep practicing! Enjoy your golf, Tom ============================================================= Golf Lessons ============================================================= I conduct lessons at The Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility there's a link with info here: http://www.plumcreekdrivingrange.com Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact me - Tom Tucker - at (716) 474 3005 or at ttucker@rochester.rr.com for more information. Rates: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/lessonrates.html Testimonials: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/testimonials.html If you want to test your putting stroke preference compatibility with various hosel styles and shaft placement options, please contact me to set up an appointment. I have the three basic hosel styles available in a putter head with the ability to adjust the shaft placement from heel to mid to center. Call my cell (716 474 3005) or email me at ttucker@rochester.rr.com for details or to make an appointment. It can be done indoors or outdoors, so weather conditions are not a factor. ============================================================== Sponsors ============================================================== Plum Creek Driving Range - http://www.tomtuckergolf.com Play golf all winter on the indoor simulator. Courses, leagues, lessons, and personal available! Batavia Country Club - http://www.bataviacc.com The best greens in WNY Chestnut Hill CC - http://www.chestnuthillcc.com Low greens fees, great course! ============================================================== All the best, Tom Tucker Teaching Pro, Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility WGTF "Top 100 Golf Teacher" USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional Cell: (716) 474-3005 Email: ttucker@rochester.rr.com http://www.TomTuckerGolf.com http://www.usgtf.com/top_100_wgtf.html Success Loves Preparation ~ Anonymous