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============================================================== [ TomTuckerGolf.com Tips ] Issue 29 - Date 09/05/12 ============================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: - Tom's Featured Tip: Keep Your Head Down ... NOT - Tom's Bonus Tip: Relax and Let It Happen - Lesson Comments: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/testimonials.html - Sponsors: The Batavia Country Club, Chestnut Hill CC 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. It's set up this way to avoid spam replies, which were clogging up my mailbox. 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. 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 :-) ============================================================== Tom's Featured Tip - Keep Your Head own ... NOT ============================================================== When I give a lesson, or when I play, and I hear or see something that's perpetuating a myth, I usually write about it in this newsletter. Especially if I see or hear it twice. Strike one: while playing this past weekend - and not very well I might add - I was playing with a guy that was struggling a bit until he hit one well and said " I finally kept my head down on that one". He didn't lift his head on the bad hits, he was reverse weight shifting - but on the great strike his weight was forward at impact. I didn't comment at the time, because my opinion was not asked for, and I have learned to keep my mouth shut unless asked. Strike two: last week, I was giving a full swing lesson to a lady who was well over 50 yrs. of age, and she was really striping the ball. I say that, but there was still plenty of room for improvement because of what she was not doing with her head. She was keeping her head stationary, not even looking up to see where the ball went. She was missing feeling the full enjoyment - and missing the full distance potential - of her solid shots. Not to mention the fact that she didn't really know where the shots were going. I asked her why she wasn't looking at the result of her shots and she replied that she always thought - and was told - to keep her head down. A lot of people have heard that same advice. Keeping your head down rigidly for your whole swing will probably get you the following: 1) a lost ball 2) a very stiff neck 3) and a shot that doesn't travel as far as it should Keeping your head down rigidly limits your flexibility, as well as your body rotation back, then through the ball. This will diminish swing speed and deprive you of distance. Here's what you should allow or not allow with your head movement: 1) DO NOT allow your head to shift laterally away from the target during your backswing. 2) DO allow your head to rotate naturally during your backswing, don't inhibit it. 3) DO allow your head to rotate and follow the ball after it has been struck, but make sure it rotates, not lifts. Lifting up destroys your angle of inclination to the ground which should be maintained into the early follow through when your eyes follow the ball to see where it's going. Your head should be tilted as your eyes follow the flight of the ball. If your eyes are parallel to the ground at this point (called binocular vision), you've come up and out of the shot too soon. If that happens, just look to the right for your ball. If you allow your head to function correctly in your swing, you'll allow the best rotation and length in your swing, the best release, and you won't place undue stress on your neck. Try it, you'll like it. Enjoy your golf, Tom ============================================================== Tom's Bonus Tip - Relax and Let It Happen ============================================================== This tip applies to full shots as well as to putting. The body works well receiving subconscious commands from the mind if it is relaxed. Try to remove all sources of tension in the body by having a comfortable well balanced stance, good posture, relaxed arms, a good grip, and then just let the swing happen. This may sound odd, but it's actually worth practicing the following: a good stance, relaxed good posture, a good grip, and a relaxed mind. Practice this away from the course as a separate, stand alone, practice session. You don't have to be actually playing or hitting balls to get in good practice. Take advantage of small blocks of time to practice something like this - it will pay dividends. 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.tomtuckergolf.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 ============================================================== Sponsors ============================================================== 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 |