TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 381 - Wed. December 23rd, 2015
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Prepare to play your best golf
by doing something now!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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

In This Issue


Tom's Featured Tip: Q&A Winter Practice
Tour Greens: Tour Quality Synthetic Greens
Tom's Bonus Tip: Indomitable Spirit
Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
 Sponsors: Plum Creek Driving Range 
Batavia Country Club
Tour Greens Western New York 
Genesee Community College Golf Management Program 


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
Check out Plum Creek's 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: Q&A Winter Practice

For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.

Q: Hi Tom, I've never really worked on my golf game before in the off season, but this year I've decided to practice over the winter.

Can you recommend a few things that would be good for winter practice indoors?

Thanks, Lou V., Orchard Park, NY.

A: Thanks for your question Lou. It couldn't have been more timely because I'm developing a product for putting practice and a lesson for calibrating wedge swings. I'll make information available on those items in a future issue, for now here are some ideas that you should be able to put to use now.

Here are three essential areas of your game that you can refine indoors over the winter.
  1. Putting
  2. Wedge Swing Consistency
  3. Swing Sequence
In this issue and the next two issues I'll give you ideas on how to practice each of these skills.
  • PUTTING

    It's helpful to have an area where you can either stroke putts on a carpet or an inexpensive putting ramp. Then practice these putting skills in the sequence laid out below.

    Alignment - practice your personal setup and nail down your foot positions, weight distribution, your proximity to the ball, and where your eyesight aligns over the ball. An elevated string line works well for this, and a straight line or mark on the ball is also helpful.

    Stroke - simply practice your own personal putting stroke mechanics. Don't worry about where the ball ends up, just practice putting a good stroke on the ball. An elevated string line works well for this drill also. It helps you to monitor your desired swing path and putterface squareness through impact.

    Direction - stroke medium power putts through some sort of a gate, such as a couple of glasses turned upside down and spaced about 2" apart, or closer together as you get better. Stroke the putts from 16" to 24" away, listening - not watching for the result. You want the ball to get through the space between the glasses without striking either glass.

    Squareness of Strike - simply make gentle strokes into the back of a 2x4 laid flat on the ground. Make sure that your putter starts flush and square to the end of the board and is perfectly square to the board at impact. This drill builds a square putterface at impact.

    Core Stroke Length - develop your Core Putting Stroke by making core stroke length putting strokes with a barrier behind your putter to restrict your backswing to your desired backswing length. Make each stroke with the same level of power, and as you get proficient at not striking the barrier on your backswing remove it. When you "own" and understand your core putting stroke next year, you will chop strokes off your handicap because you will three putt less frequently.

    Short Putt Stroke Path - simply get two 24" 2x4's, set up a parallel channel with them by placing them along your aimline with the one closest to your feet flat on the ground, and the outer one on it's edge. Make the channel between the boards just wider than the length of your putterface (toe to heel), then practice stroking putts making sure that your putter swings straight back and straight through down the target line without touching the sides of the boards. Place an upside down glass or mug on the floor about four feet away in front of the boards as a target, and listen for the sound of the ball gently striking the glass (or mug). Do not follow the ball with your eyes, keep your head perfectly still and wait to hear the sound of the ball striking the target.

    This drill will make you deadly on those short putts that you face every round.

    Even if your natural stroke is not straight back - straight through, train yourself to use a straight back and straight through swing path for short putts, and I'll guarantee that your make percentage on short putts will go up.
Next Issue: Wedge Swing Consistency Practice

Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com

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

Tom




Tour Greens: Tour Quality Synthetic Greens For Superb Short Game Practice

Would you like to be able to practice with purpose in your own back yard?

Would you like your short game to progress from bad to good, or from good to great?

Would you like to get the ball up & down with more frequency?

Would you like to have a short game practice area in the privacy of your yard for practice and for friendly competition with your kids, your wife, and your friends?

Click here TourGreensWNY.com  for photo galleries and more information.

If the thought of having a beautiful tour quality practice green in your yard appeals to you, you're in luck.

In addition to my golf instruction business, I am also the exclusive Western New York sales associate for Tour Greens Western New York.

With Tour Greens you can experience the ultimate home short game practice solution.

Click here to read what Tour Pro's Fred Couples, Rich Beem, Boo Weekly, Blake Adams, and Chris DiMarco  have to say about their Tour Greens.

You all know me well enough to know that I don't affiliate with any product that I don't have a passionate belief in. These greens are the real deal. They are extremely durable - and they LOVE Western New York weather!

For more information please click here: TourGreensWNY.com, or feel free to call, text, or email me to discuss your needs.

Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com

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

Tom




Tom's Bonus Tip: Indomitable Spirit

For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.

I received a Merry Christmas email from a past student who said this:

"I want to thank you for taking the time to educate, instruct and taking the time to write a weekly newsletter for your students and fellow golfers. Thanks for sharing the passion that you have for golf with me. It inspires me to play better and reflect and refine my goals to improve my golf game."

Of course I appreciated his gracious comments, but more than that it inspired me to continue to work at becoming a better teacher and communicator, and here's why.

This senior golfer, who I'm not naming because I don't want to embarrass him, has over the past few years had prostate cancer and beat it, had a hernia repaired, and rehabilitated a shoulder injury.

After all of that, he still sets new golf goals and pursues them.

So ... I inspire him?

He got that wrong, he's an inspiration to me and hopefully to anyone else that's reading this and dealing with health or personal problems.

He has what's called "indomitable spirit" and we can all take a lesson from that.

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:
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!

Batavia Country Club   Great rates, the best greens in WNY. Golf Digest Four Star rating for public courses to play in New York State. Tee times online or by phone in season. www.bataviacc.com  (585) 343-7600
Course Still Open & Taking Tee (weather permitting).

Tour Greens Western New York  Practice with purpose in your own back yard on your own synthetic practice green. Our greens LOVE Western New York weather!

Genesee Community College Golf Management Program   Click on link for more information if you or anyone you know is interested in a dynamic career in the golf industry, or in 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