TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 257 - August 7th, 2013

 

Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now!

To comment or respond to this newsletter, please click here ttucker@rochester.rr.com

In This Issue  

- Tom's Featured Tip: Short Pitch Shots
- Tom's Bonus Tip: Putting - Get The Big Picture
- Student Spotlight: Noteworthy Accomplishments
- Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
- Sponsors: Batavia Country Club   Chestnut Hill Country Club 
Plum Creek Driving Range and PGA AboutGolf.com Golf Simulator 
GCC Golf Management Program  Provoto Putting Systems

PLUM CREEK DRIVING RANGE IN BATAVIA, NY, IS OPEN ALL YEAR Outdoors in season; Indoors - simulator available for play or practice. Call 585-993-0930 or email Mark at plumcreek4@rochester.rr.com to reserve your simulator time! Great money saving monthly specials, check them out here: http://www.plumcreekdrivingrange.com

Buy Gift Certificates for Lessons   Sample Gift Certificate

Golf lessons - Outdoor and Indoor - are available at Plum Creek, please call me at 716 474 3005, email me at ttucker@rochester.rr.com, or visit my website at   http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/lessonrates.html   for details.

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Tom's Featured Tip:
Short Pitch Shots

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!

Last issue I went over a method for hitting the long chip shot, this issue we'll deal with a complementary swing - the short pitch shot.

If I have a medium to short distance to the hole, let's define that as 125 yards or shorter, my preferred shot is the long chip. However, sometimes the terrain or pin placement calls for a higher trajectory shot, and when that's the case my next default choice is the short pitch shot.

The last choice for me would be the fully loaded pitch shot, only because when you load and unload you bring more chance for error into play on any swing. You get more power and spin, but you also increase your chance for error.

The tip within the tip is that if you don't need a lot of spin on a shot, use the safer swing.

If you are - like me - the player who's not going to overpower any courses anymore and have limited practice time, learning shots like the long chip and the short pitch can still allow for a low handicap, because they can make you deadly around the greens.

The similarity between the long chip and the short pitch is that there is very little loading of the shaft or lag in either method. The reason for that is you are looking for as much distance control as possible, not as much power as possible.

Here's how to execute the short pitch shot.
  • Set up a slightly open to your target line with the ball positioned in the center of your stance or slightly forward of center - lie permitting; clubface slightly open to your aimline.

  • Make a 3/4 backswing keeping your weight well into your forward leg.

  • During your backswing, do not fully load your shaft, keep your wrists fairly firm.

  • Let your hips slide laterally to initiate your downswing sequence.

  • Maintain your wrist angles through impact as your body rotation moves everything through the ball, you rotation is stronger with the short pitch than the long chip.

  • Feel like your arms are staying long through impact, and finish into a high 3/4 follow through

  • The feeling of the whole swing would be a 3/4 swing with long arms and no lag. Dead arms and hands, with consistent swing tempo and rotation speed.

  • The ball may check then release, or stop dead if the greens are soft. It won't spin back because there's less swing speed than you would get from a fully hinged pitch shot.
The great news is that this swing will yield pinpoint consistency with your scoring clubs when you learn your distances, which will probably be somewhere between 70% to 80% of the normal fully hinged pitch shot distance for each club.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing,

Tom


Tom's Bonus Tip:
Putting - Get The Big Picture

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!

When you are initially "stalking" your putt - when you first walk up to the green, always read your putts from the biggest view to the smallest.

Check the terrain around the course, the high and low points around the green, note where the sun rises, observe the slopes and the contours along the ball - target line, and finally check for slope around the hole, 2 feet out in every direction.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing,

Tom


Student Spotlight:
Noteworthy Accomplishments

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!

Chris Carroll, a professional player that I work with, competed in a one day professional tournament at the Bull Run Golf Club in Haymarket, Virginia on Sunday. He shot 38 - 33 (71) and cashed again. He carded six birdies but had another slow start - which we're working on.

His scoring average of 72.67 ranks 12th out of 80 players, low round of 68, high of 81. The top scoring average is 69.9, so he's in the conversation.

All in all a good year so far, and progress is being made on tournament composure and focus.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing,

Tom

Golf Lessons

I conduct lessons at The Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility
there's a link for Plum Creek info here: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/

Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact
me - Tom Tucker - at (716) 474 3005 or email me at ttucker@rochester.rr.com
for more information.

Outdoor Lessons Details and Rates:
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/lessonrates.html

Indoor Lessons Details and Rates:
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/indoor.html

Driver Fitting Rates:
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/indoor.html

Testimonials:
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Sponsors

Plum Creek Driving Range and Simulator  Outdoor range and play indoor golf on any of our 40 Simulator Courses. Call 585-993-0930 or email Mark at plumcreek4@rochester.rr.com to reserve time for simulator play or practice!

Provoto Putting Systems   readers get a 30% discount on putting greens. Click on their catalog link, and select the green you want to purchase. After you decide on features, add it to your cart. You'll find the field for "Discount Coupon" near the bottom of the page. Enter PGApro in that field and your product cost will be discounted 30%.

Batavia Country Club   Best greens in WNY, great rates. Back by popular demand: Friday Night Golf and Dinner at BCC 18 holes of golf, cart, dinner, tax and gratuity - $35. 9 hole package - $27. Choose from 4 entrees' with side and salad bar. Dinner served from 4:30 pm - 9:15 pm. Dinner available for non-golfers also. Menu and band schedule posted at www.bataviacc.com

Chestnut Hill CC   Great rates, 20 minutes East of Buffalo, NY .

GCC Golf Management Program   click for information on GCC's degree program for anyone interested in a career in the golf industry or teaching golf.

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

"There are no substitutes in the quest for perfection!"
~ Ben Hogan