Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now!
Tom's Featured Tip: Q&A: What Part Of The Ball Should I Look At?
Tour Greens: Tour Quality Synthetic Greens
Tom's Bonus Tip: Q&A: How Much Shaft Lean
Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
Sponsors: Plum Creek Driving Range
Batavia Country Club
Tour Greens Western New York
Chestnut Hill Country Club
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.
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Junior Golf Camp Junior Golf Camp at BCC
This year I'll be conducting several weeks of Junior Golf Camp for boys and girls at the Batavia Country Club. I will be assisted by Roxanne Noeth, who has won the BCC Ladies Club Championship several times.
At the camp, junior golfers will learn the basic skills of golf, as well as golf etiquette and self discipline. There will be daily games and prizes, and all the kids have had a blast at past camps. Availability is limited to 20 kids per week, it's on a first come first served basis.
This years camp will run for five days, Monday through Friday.
Junior Golf Camp hours are as follows:
Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 11 am. Monday through Thursday will include instruction, play, and contests.
Friday - Tournament starts at 6:45 am sharp and usually takes about an hour and a half. Each player needs a caddy age 16 or over, and a brief awards presentation follows the tournament.
There will be a ten minute break half way through each session, players should bring their own beverages and snacks.
Dates and Age Groupings are as follows:
July 10 - 14 - Ages 7 - 9
July 17 - 21 - Ages 10 - 15
July 24 - 28 - Ages 10 - 15
The cost for an individual junior golfer is $99 for the week. If two siblings attend during the same week, the cost drops to $89 per junior golfer.
Players will need to bring their own equipment.
For more information or to register, please contact the Batavia Country Club (585) 343-7600 ext 10. Payment is required to reserve your spot.
Tom's Featured Tip: Q&A: What Part Of The Ball Should I Look At?
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
Q: Hi Tom,
I like to be as precise as possible with the things that I can control in my game, so I have a question: where should I be looking at on the ball at address just before I swing?
Thanks,
Al B., Rochester, NY
A: Thanks for the question Al. I think that many players don't think specifically about where they should be looking at on the ball before they swing. Personally I think it's a very important element of good ballstriking and consistent curvature.
Here's what I do for stock swings. I look at the lower rear portion of the ball, indicated by the black dot in the image below (target would be to the left).
It helps me groove an inside to inside swing path and it reminds me to take an inside attack angle at the ball on my downswing. It promotes a slight draw curvature.
If I need to hit a higher trajectory shot or a fade, I look at the rear of the ball as indicated by the black dot on the image below.
It helps me to swing the club more down the line on my downswing, and makes it easier to flight the ball higher and to produce a fade curvature.
For putting, at address my eyes are making sure that the clubface is square to the aimline I've selected and that the sweet spot of my putter is aligned with the center of the back of the ball. Any spot that you might look at on the ball is secondary to these considerations as you stroke a good putt.
If you concentrate on looking at a spot on the ball as I've described it, your ball striking and your curvature will absolutely become more consistent.
Try it, you'll like it.
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
Click on the image below for a video demonstration of how well golf shots hold on our Tour Greens synthetic putting greens.
Here's what our customers have to say about their practice greens: Testimonials
If you would like a free, no obligation quote for getting a beautiful practice area or putting green installed on your property - indoors or outdoors - give me (Tom Tucker) a call at (716) 474-3005, or email at at ttucker@rochester.rr.com
For more information please click here: TourGreensWNY.com
Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,
Tom
Tom's Bonus Tip: Q&A: How Much Shaft Lean
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
Q: Hey Tom,
You've mentioned forward shaft lean before in your newsletters, how much of it should I have for my iron shots?
Thanks,
Bill W., Amherst, NY
A: Thanks for the question Bill. Here's a sketch of Ben Hogan at impact, notice that he has quite a bit of forward shaft lean.
Ben was renowned as one of golf's best ball strikers ever, and he also had a tremendous amount of swing speed.
The answer to your question is that the appropriate amount of forward shaft lean varies from player to player, and it does require some range practice to see what works best for you.
More forward shaft lean produces a lower trajectory shot than less forward shaft lean.
Players with a very high swing speed can try for a lot of shaft lean, which will produce maximum compression, which will produce the correct trajectory with quite a bit of spin.
Players with less or declining swing speed (seniors and ladies) will need more loft at impact to hit the ball high enough, so they need less forward shaft lean. The ball won't compress as well as with more shaft lean, but it will fly with a sufficiently high trajectory.
Golf is a game of discovery, and each player needs to discover this aspect of their swing to play to their potential.
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 (585) 343-7600 www.bataviacc.com
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.
BCC RED HOT SPECIALS
Seniors 58 and older, weekdays or weekends after 1pm, $100 for a Foursome, includes cart AND lunch, must have four players!
Prepaid Golf Discounts available in shop or over the phone when secured by a credit card - up to 50% savings!
Call (585) 343-7600 or visit our website for details.
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!
Chestnut Hill Country Club (585)-547-3613 www.chestnuthillgolf.com
THE WESTERN NEW YORK LEADER IN GOLF OUTINGS!
Only minutes from Buffalo, open to the public. Tee times online or by phone in season.
All the best,
Tom Tucker
Teaching Pro, Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility
WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
IGPA Certified Golf Psychology Coach
Cell: (716) 474-3005
Email: ttucker@rochester.rr.com
http://www.TomTuckerGolf.com
"There are no substitutes in the quest for perfection!"
~ Ben Hogan