"15 Minutes of Body Action Drills Are More
Important Than Hitting 200 Balls"
Tom's Featured Tip: Increasing Your Swing Speed
Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
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Game of Throws Indoor Simulator
The Divot Board
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The Rypstick
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For photos and stories from the 2023 Junior Golf Camp at BCC, click here:
2023 BCC Junior Golf Camp
For details on the 2024 Junior Golf Camp at BCC, click here:
2024 BCC Junior Golf Camp The Junior Golf Camp sold out quickly in 2023, so get your junior golfer registered soon. Call BCC at (585) 343-7600
Increasing Your Swing Speed
The Best Training Aid For Indoor or Outdoor Practice
The Divot Board
This is the most useful ball striking development training aid that I own.
Increasing Your Swing Speed
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
According to a study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, golfers' swing speeds tend to decrease with age.
The study found that for every decade increase in age, there was an associated decrease in clubhead speed, which can impact distance and overall performance.
Research published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity highlights age-related declines in strength, flexibility, and balance, which can affect a golfer's ability to generate power and execute the golf swing effectively.
I mention all of the above because if you decide to embark on the swing speed training protocol advice in this newsletter and you are severely lacking in strength and flexibility, you may pull a muscle or worse.
Keeping that in mind, read on.
Here are two swing speed training protocols, and I need to say this: check with your health professional before you do either protocol to make sure that this training won't cause you any injury. I absolutely recommend starting a strength training and fitness regimen too. However, if you are absolutely not going to do that, I'll lay out a less intense program for you too, so that you minimize your chance of injury.
FOR ALL PLAYERS
- I use both the
Rypstick and
SuperSpeedGolf.com swing speed training aids for my personal training and for lessons. You may be able to find less expensive training aids by googling
"swing speed training aids". I love the quality and durability of the ones I use, and I affiliated with them for that reason.
- When you swing, start with feet wide and swing on a baseball swing plane, not a golf swing plane. Research and my
personal experience has shown that the speed obtained translates to the golf swing plane, and there's less chance for back
or neck injury swinging on a baseball swing plane.
- Turn back with no weight shift, then start your forward swing with a weight shift to your forward side and
finish with all of your weight on your forward side.
- VERY IMPORTANT - use a baseball grip. Do not tuck the thumb of your high hand into the lifeline pocket of your
lower hand
palm, you will
injure your thumb if you do. Grip the club like you would grip a baseball bat.
- 30 work swings two times per week. Anything more than that is unnecessary based on the available research.
- It is also necessary to take rest breaks of 2-3 minutes after every 10 swings. Anything less is not enough to allow your energy systems to recover and will diminish the returns on your effort. If you don't rest properly, you will fatigue quickly, negatively impacting the quality of your results, and increasing your risk of injury. I use an anti-fatigue charge bar that I bought from Ava Cooling Technology between sets to help my recovery, it's amazing! I also use ot between sets during my strength training regimen.
1. SWING SPEED TRAINING PROTOCOL FOR STRONG AND FIT PLAYERS
- Warmup Set start with the heaviest club in the set for a warmup swing set of ten gentle, low effort swings,
concentrating on full rotation
and good form.
- No rest required
- Work Set One - ten 90% effort swings with the mid weight club in the set, good form.
- Rest 2-3 minutes.
- Work Set Two - ten maximum effort swings with the lightest weight club in the set, more emphasis on speed than form.
- Rest 2-3 minutes.
- Work Set Three - ten maximum effort swings with the lightest weight club in the set, more emphasis on speed than form..
2. SWING SPEED TRAINING PROTOCOL FOR UNFIT PLAYERS
I feel a little uneasy about presenting this protocol. The only reason I'm including this section is that I KNOW some of you less fit players are going to try this anyway, so here's the best shot at doing it without getting injured. For the record, I absolutely recommend a good strength and fitness base for anyone embarking on swing speed training.
- Warmup Set start with the heaviest club in the set for a warmup swing set of ten gentle, low effort swings,
concentrating on full rotation
and good form.
- No rest required
- Work Set One - ten 60% effort swings with the mid weight club in the set, with good form.
- Rest 2-3 minutes.
- Work Set Two - ten 70% effort swings with the lightest weight club in the set, with good form.
- Rest 2-3 minutes.
- Work Set Three - start with a 75% effort swing and increase speed gradually up to the tenth rep,
with the lightest weight club in the set and good form. Make the tenth rep fall just short of maximum effort.
- This program will result in some swing speed gains, but not as much as a stronger, fitter person will realize. Do not exert yourself to the point of injury.
"A": Train twice per week for a month before your season starts, then when you start playing regularly do it once per week. Repeat this cycle every four months.
Try it, you'll like it.
My winter indoor lessons schedule is: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8am, 9am, 10am, and 11am, lesson details are here: Indoor Lesson Details - lessons by appointment only.
Email Comments: to TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, The Stack and Tilt Swing
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health, and remember that golf is a game of discovery. Dont be afraid to experiment when you practice, it's good for your golfing brain.
Tom
Golf Lessons
I am now conducting lessons at The Batavia Country Club
Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact
me - Tom Tucker - at (716) 474 3005 or email me at TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
for more information.
Outdoor Lessons Details and Rates:
Outdoor Lessons Details and Rates
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Sponsors and Affiliates
Buying a sponsored product through any of my affiliate links helps support this free newsletter, and I only affiliate with excellent products that I use myself. Thanks, Tom
Batavia Country Club (585) 343-7600 www.bataviacc.com
Great rates, the best greens in WNY.
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Tee times online or by phone in season.
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Click here to buy your Divot Board to drastically improve your ball-striking. Combine your Divot Board practice and putting practice with the included putting lesson drills, and watch your scoring improve1.
Use your club or hand to re-set the board after your strike
Click here to buy now for outstanding Ball-Striking practice feedback
BONUS: when you buy through the newsletter link above, you'll also receive free access to my Putting Lesson Videos ($60 value) which cover: The Elevated Aimline Drill, The Squareness Awareness Drill, The Aimline Accuracy Drill, The Stock Putting Stroke Drill, The Barrier Drill, The Short Putt Channel Drill, and more.
Click here to buy your Fiberbuilt Golf Flight Deck Practice Station. (Editor's note: Order through Amazon Prime instead of through the manufacturer's site and you'll save around $100)
If you are looking for the most robust portable hitting station that money can buy, the Fiberbuilt Golf Flight Deck Practice Station fits the bill.
Click here SuperSpeedGolf.com to buy this swing speed training aid and increase your distance off the tee.
SuperSpeedGolf.com Buy now and get to work on increasing your swing speed now.
Club Champion Don't waste another dollar on clubs until you've gone through a fitting at Club Champion, 1669 Pittsford Victor Rd., Suite 400, Victor NY 14564. Call Master Fitter & Builder Jeff St. John. PGA work: (585) 978-8513, cell: (585) 831-2292 to schedule your fitting today1 Mention my name and you'll get special attention.
Train with a Rypstick to improve your swing speed and gain more distance off the tee. If the versatility of three different swing weights in one club appeals to you, this is your swing speed training aid of choice.
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Click here Rypstick.com to buy now, and make sure that you enter TOMTUCKERGOLF (case sensitive) in the Discount code box when you check out to receive a 5% discount.
All the best,
Tom Tucker
Teaching Professional, Batavia Country Club
WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
IGPA Certified Golf Psychology Coach
Cell: (716) 474-3005
Email: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
http://www.TomTuckerGolf.com
"There are no substitutes in the quest for perfection1"
~ Ben Hogan