TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 272 - November 20th, 2013
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Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now!

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In This Issue  

- Tom's Featured Tip: Golf Specific Fitness Training - Reality or Myth
- Tom's Bonus Tip: Your State of Mind
- 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


Click here:  INDOOR GOLF LESSONS  for details on how to improve your game over the winter.

PLUM CREEK DRIVING RANGE IN BATAVIA, NY, IS OPEN ALL YEAR
NEW Equipment & Apparel Sale, Simulator Course Play Specials: http://www.plumcreekdrivingrange.com Call 585-993-0930 or email Mark at plumcreek4@rochester.rr.com to reserve your simulator time!

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:
Golf Specific Fitness Training - Reality or Myth

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!

There has been a whole cottage industry that has surfaced and is thriving around the concept of golf fitness. Is pure "Golf Fitness" a requirement to play better golf, or would "Life Fitness" be just as good?

Before I state my point of view, let me present a few of my credentials.
  • In the '70's I was the head Physical Education Instructor at the New York State Police Academy (for those that don't know I had a 22 year career with the NYSP from 1970 - 1992). The curriciulum I designed was accredited with 3 college level credit hours by SUNY.

  • I taught fitness classes at the YMCA for several years in the '80's.

  • I designed the conditioning program for my GCC Golf Team for the two years (2010, 2011) that I coached college golf, and it was instrumental in the teams 4th place finish at Nationals in 2011, with two players making individual NJCAA All American placement.

  • I became an authorized TLS Weight Loss Coach in September of this year.

  • I am an ongoing student of health and fitness trends and methods, and I workout regularly myself.
I mentioned these credentials because I have given considerable thought to what I am about to say next, and I want it to be taken seriously.

I don't think anyone at any level needs to embark on any "golf specific" form of fitness training. I think that industry is simply taking advantage of the fact that many of the younger successful pros are fitness advocates.

Am I saying that "golf specific" training is bad - NO not at all. I'm simply saying that a well thought out and executed "life fitness" plan is more than adequare for high level golf performance .... and you can take the time saved and work on your golf game!

Any good life fitness routine combined with a reasonable diet and good supplements is good enough for any player at any level to be ready for golf swing training and playing the game of golf.

I am in the process of developing a "Health, Fitness, and Wellness" section on my website - I'll announce when it's done - but in the meantime here are a few "Life Fitness" guidelines.
  • If you train purely for strength - and I am a huge proponent of progressive resistance training - you won't get much cardio fitness benefit.

  • If you train purely for cardio, you won't get much strength benefit.

  • If you have the time and energy to train specifically for maximum strength and maximum cardio, more power to you. It takes an extremely fit person to do this, and it almost becomes a lifestyle in itself. That's really wonderful if you are wired that way, but most of the population wants to enjoy a life in addition to being fit.

  • If you train properly for some strength and some cardio at the same time, you will make strength gains and cardio gains. It won't be maximal gains from either, but unless you are training specifically for a Mr. America Contest or intend to run a Marathon, it's the most sensible and least time consuming way to get very strong and very fit for life, including golf.

  • The buzzword given to this type of training is metabolic loading or metabolic circuit training. It essentially combines weight training with medium weight (less than would be used for pure strength training), medium to high reps, and short rest periods. Since the rest periods are short, you can't handle the same weight that you could with a pure strength training regimen, but the short rest periods bring cardio endurance benefits into play. That's how you get the best of both worlds, strength and cardio benefit - with an added fat loss benefit.

  • The idea is to work the exercise - either with body weight, resistance bands, or weights depending on your current level of fitness - for a certain amount of time, then rest for a certain amount of time, then repeating the cycle for a certain number of sets.

  • The key is to keep upping the intensity to make gains. That happens by adding reps, or adding resistance, or decreasing your rest time between sets.

  • I've personally gravitated to a program allows for both strength and cardio training combined in a 30 minute or less workout, so that I can have time for other things in my life. It's a pretty intense 30 minutes - intensity is a key factor - but it's still only 30 minutes or less, five or six days per week.
Stay tuned for my website update which will contain more specifics. By the way, don't embark on any strenuous exercise program unless your physician OK's it first.

The bottom line is that any good fitness program that address strength, endurance, and flexibility will be good enough for golf. Don't get sucked into the sometimes expensive vortex of "Golf Specific Fitness Training" it's just not necessary.

Your "Life Fitness" program should be more than enough to accomodate "Golf Fitness" as long as you set it up correctly.

I will add one thought - it's still important to make fast swings during your golf method training to increase swing speed. I've mentioned that in past issues and that still stands.

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

Tom


Tom's Bonus Tip:
Your State of Mind

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!

My outdoor lesson season is done until next spring, but that doesn't mean that you can't improve any and all aspects of your swing - including putting - between now and then. You can keep moving forward with indoor lessons.

The ideal state of mind for action prior to your swing is being confident and focused.

That means forgetting the birdie or bogey on the last hole, and getting your brain and your body synched into the present.

The only thought process should be visualizing a great swing and a great result for the shot you are about to execute, and letting it happen.

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:
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/testimonials.html


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. 2014 Season Pass Discounts available until December 31, 2013. Click here for information: 2014 Season Pass Discounts Annual memberships - pay for 2014 now and get the rest of 2013 for free. Details 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