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TomTuckerGolf.com |
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Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 394 - Wed. March 23rd, 2016
To View In Your Browser Click Here USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional WGTF "Top 100" Teacher IGPA Certified Golf Psychology Coach |
Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now! Tour Greens: Tour Quality Synthetic Greens Tom's Bonus Tip: Positive Expectations 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, Batavia, NY, Open All Year Simulator Course Play Specials: BataviaGolf.com Call 585-993-0930 or Email Mark to reserve 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. Subscribe - http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/signup.html If you like this newsletter, please do me a favor and forward it to your friends so that they may subscribe, thanks! The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. Tom's Featured Tip: Is This Type of Putter Trending? For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective. I don't want to spend all my time talking about putters, but when I see any equipment being developed and sold that can truly help your game I feel obligated to talk about it. Many manufacturers claim that their drivers will add magical yards to your drives, or that their wedges will knock 6 strokes off your handicap. Those claims are 99% hogwash. However, putter styles like the Odyssey "Toe Up" and "Positive Balanced" putters can truly help your putting. The reason is that they are balanced to keep the putterhead square to your stroke path, as opposed to transmitting torque to the shaft during your stroke like 99.9% of the putters on the market currently do. In Issue 389 I talked about putters that are positively balanced, meaning that they hold their face square to your putting stroke throughout the stroke. In other words, this type of face balancing helps you to execute a "square strike" on the ball, which is all important in putting. The article also mentioned that putters sold as face balanced are not really face balanced when the putter is actually put to use. Then I expounded upon a "Toe Up" putter being made by Odyssey that you should see for sale in golf stores around April 15th. Frankly speaking, I truly think this type of balancing in a putter is revolutionary. The knock on most putters that had this feature up until now was that they were either center shafted (too much head deflection on off center hits), or they were too weird to look down at. Well, I must not be the only one thinking that this type of putter will catch on, because I just saw a new putter brand that just hit the market called the Directed Force putter. It offers the same benefits of a positive balanced putter, but it uses different terminology. For example, they call their putter "lie balanced", which simply means that when you actually execute a putt it holds it's square face orientation without any torque pressuring the face to open on the downswing. In other words, it stays square when the stroke is executed with the lie angle you are using during your stroke. That's the number one selling point of these types of putters, that really works. Although with this particular putter, I feel that the center shaft entry into the head is a negative for reasons discussed in the other referenced issue. They also have developed a grip that integrates a forward lean on the shaft automatically. According to their literature, "this feature is called integrated forward press technology. The putter shaft travels through the grip’s elliptical shape off-axis by 3 degrees, not through the center of the grip as found on most putters. This unique shaft alignment creates the forward lean players are looking for to hit up through impact without increasing the loft of the putter. With every stroke, the ball rolls top over more easily and the player is rewarded with a consistent feel." It's interesting to me that you have the option to buy their forward press grip or a conventional grip, which means that the efficiency of the putter design does not rely on the grip, only on the angle at impact. When I teach putting, I have my students employ some forward shaft lean in their setup and stroke. I personally don't like it when that aspect of setup and stroke is done for the player automatically. The reason is that I prefer the student to set up with their wrists pre-set in an impact position to prevent any wrist breakdown during the stroke. If you use a putting grip that pre-sets that angle for you, I feel that a student with inclinations to let their wrists breakdown during the stroke will still have a tendency to do so. The angle of the Direct Force forward press grip may mitigate the result to a degree, but I'd rather have the student understand what's happening at impact with their putter, then learn to stroke the putt with correct wrist angles without any gimmicks doing the work for them. They do offer a demo where the inventor, Bill Presse, uses a "putting jig" to demonstrate how "face balanced" putters are influenced by torque during the putting stroke. It's definitely worth viewing: "Directed Force Putters" You can be the judge on the eye appeal of this putter, it's definitely unconventional. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and different isn't necessarily bad. It is pricey at $399.95. I'm pretty sure that the Odyssey model will come in quite a bit lower, but if it fits your eye and you can afford it, it looks like it should do the job very well. I imagine that when a professional wins a tournament with a positive balanced putter, we will see more manufacturers developing putters along these lines. 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: Positive Expectations For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective. Your belief system can create great performances on the golf course. Francis Bacon once wrote, "the instruments of the mind are as important as the instruments in the hand." Your swing will work much more effectively if you believe in your ability to make it work. If you want to make an important putt, believing you can make it will greatly increase your chances of holing it. When you believe you are going to make the putt, you will stroke the putter with more authority and confidence. As we all know the ball must get to the hole if it is to drop into the hole. If you are presented with a tough shot over the water, you must first believe that you can accomplish the shot before it will happen. Positive expectations will keep your swing relaxed and fluid, giving you the power needed to clear the hazard. False confidence, however, is sheer folly. The formula for high expectations from true confidence is:
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. Great membership discounts are still available until April 1st. The earlier you pay the larger the discount. Check website for specific rates then call or stop in to purchase your 2016 membership. Some openings are still availabe on some leagues, check out our events section on our website for more info . www.bataviacc.com (585) 343-7600 We are now accepting reservations for our Easter Brunch Buffet, click here for more details: www.thelodgeatbataviacc.com 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 |
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