TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 315 - Wed. September 17th, 2014
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In This Issue  


- Tom's Featured Tip: How To Initiate Your Downswing
- Health, Wellness, Fitness: Q&A: Short Workout Routine
- Tom's Bonus Tip: Goals
- 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 


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

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Tom's Featured Tip: How To Initiate Your Downswing

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!

Two issues that comes up constantly for me during my lessons are weight pressure, and direction of the slide - or bump - to initiate the downswing sequence. Below is the absolute best drill that I know to make the move a habit. You can find it on my website in the drills section for future reference.

THE CHAIR DRILL
  1. Get into golf posture with your arms folded across your chest and your hands on your shoulders. You can also do this drill with a club in your hands, and you can even hit balls as long as the chair back is short enough. For indoor practice, just use the folded arms version.

  2. I prefer to see the weight feathered a bit forward - 52% on your forward (target side) leg, 48% on your rear leg, or 50% - 50% if you prefer a centered pivot over a forward sided pivot.

  3. Position a folding chair - like a card table chair, or a banquet chair, so that the chair is facing the target and that the upper center of the back of the chair is lightly touching your left hip.

  4. Then execute a centered pivot backswing, and while you do make sure that:
    • The chair does not lift up off its rear legs - your hip should maintain light contact with the chair and brush the chair lightly as you turn back.
    • Your head should not move laterally at all. Rotation is OK, lateral movement is not.

  5. After your backswing is completed, the initial motion is to pressure down on your left foot, then make a deliberate lateral shift (hip bump or hip slide) in the direction your hips are pointing, moving the chair off it's back legs. The big mistake I see here is that the student thinks they should bump or slide their hips towards the target, but if they have turned back freely, their hips are pointing right of the target at the top of their backswing. If the student has the thought to slide or bump towards the target, their hips open as they slide, which causes a power leak as well as an incorrect angle of attack. The correct motion sequence is bump or slide first in the direction that the hips are pointing, androtate second.

  6. After the bump or slide is completed, let your swing unfold as you rotate through impact into your follow through. Straighten your left leg through impact and into your follow through as you rotate, and generate a slight hip thrust forward into your follow through. If you are flexible enough, you should have a "Reverse C" finish, if you are not very flexible, your finish will be tall. Either way, no weight should be leaning towards the target at the finish.

  7. Each move should be very deliberate when you practice. They will blend together seamlessly when you actually swing after you have practiced them deliberately for enough repetitions.

    Here are the moves:

    • Turn back with a stationary head
    • Pressure down on your left foot
    • Bump or slide your hips laterally forward in the direction they are pointing
    • Then rotate and swing through to the finish as you straighten your left leg
    • Make sure that side tilt is maintained during all phases of your swing, including your finish
It takes less than ten minutes to do 100 continuous repetitions of this daily. Make the time to do it and watch your downswing technique, tempo, and rhythm improve dramatically.

Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com




Health, Wellness, Fitness: Q&A: Short Workout Routine

Q: Hi Tom, on your website in the golf strength and fitness section (Editors note: it's here: golf strength and fitness) you mentioned "burst" training, and gave one workout. Can you give another workout? I like the one on the site, and want to try another for variety.

Thanks, Jim W. Grand Island NY

A: Thanks for the question Jim, and thanks for reading the the strength and fitness section of my site. If you follow the themes in the site I have no doubt that your fitness level will improve for golf.

"Burst" training essentially replaces long cardio sessions as a better way to lose fat, because of the intensity and because there is more muscle participation recruited. The intensity revs up your metabolism for a period of time that extends beyond the duration of the exercise period.

I like to have these burst sessions last between 15 and 20 minutes maximum, and it's also important to rest as necessary within that time frame. You can increase the intensity by either trying to crank out more reps during your repetition portion of the exercise, or decrease the rest period times. You could do these types of routines every other day or three times per week, and if you are not huffing and puffing after the routine you didn't work intensely enough.

Here's a great 20 minute workout. If you are not familiar with the exercises mentioned, just go to YouTube and search for the exercise for a video of how to perform it.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT PERFORM ANY OF THE EXERCISES LISTED BELOW WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR.

Do five rounds of these exercises. Use your iPhone or a timer and do the reps for 45 seconds then rest for 10 to 15 seconds during transition.
  1. pull up (or assisted variation); if you can't do one, try using a chair to get yourself in the top position and just do the negative portion until you can work your way to full pull ups.
  2. leg move (squat/reverse lunge/box jump/box step up/swing lunge)
  3. push up/core variation (get ups/close push up/spiderman push up/mountain climber/atomic push up)
  4. jump rope (double unders/high knees etc), or just jump and simulate the rope if you don't have the ceiling space to swing the rope; I hold/swing 2 lb. dumbbells because I can't swing a jump rope in my basement, and it works well.
Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com

Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,

Tom




Tom's Bonus Tip: Goals

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!

This is a short but sweet tip on improving your golf swing (or anything else for that matter)

GOALS CAUSE PROGRESS

That means if you don't have any goals, your progress gets stifled. Set some goals for your practice, as well as your play, you'll like the results.

Perhaps your goal might to be actually schedule some practice.

In any event, set some goals if you are serious about improvement and you'll see some.

Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com

Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,

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:
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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!

Batavia Country Club   Great Rates & The Best Greens in WNY- bar none! Memberships will be the same price for 2015. New members paying for the 2015 season beginning September 15th will also receive playing priveledges for the rest of 2014! www.bataviacc.com

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

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