TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 249 - June 12th, 2013

 

Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now!

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


In This Issue  

- Tom's Featured Tip: Hitting It Lower
- Tom's Bonus Tip: Putting - Flip The Switch
- Equipment Review: Book - "How To Make Every Putt"
- 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 
GCC Golf Management Program
  Provoto Putting Systems


PLUM CREEK DRIVING RANGE IN BATAVIA, NY, IS OPEN ALL YEAR Outdoors in season; Indoors - simulator available for play or practice. Call 585-993-0930 or email Mark at plumcreek4@rochester.rr.com to reserve your simulator time! Great money saving monthly specials, check them out here: http://www.plumcreekdrivingrange.com

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.

Indoor or Outdoor Driver Fitting Get the most bang for your buck when you buy a new driver by getting professionally fitted first. Click for details:
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/indoor.html

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Tom's Featured Tip:
Hitting It Lower

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!

Trajectory Control

Many players watch the pros launch their irons with low, penetrating trajectory and think that being able to do that is due to some sort of inherent talent.

Talent may have something to do with it, but launchng it low is a technique that definitely can be learned.

Your ball flight trajectory has a direct correlation to your forward shaft lean at impact.

If you have no forward shaft lean at impact - if your shaft is vertical or leaning back - you will launch the ball with a high, weak trajectory.

Good forward shaft lean at impact equals a low, boring trajectory.

Here's how you can adjust your ball flight trajectory.
  • To hit any club higher intentionally, set up with minimal forward shaft lean. You will need a more forward ball position for this setup.

  • To hit any club lower, set up with maximum forward shaft lean. You will need a more centered or slightly rearward ball position for this setup, and you"ll need to practice driving your body laterally forward (towards the target) during your downswing. This will give you enough forward shaft lean at the strike to lower your launch angle.
Note that I said drive forward laterally, not turn through the ball. The average PGA Tour Pro is still driving laterally through and just past the ball at impact, before significant body turn commences. Some drive forward even further after impact, some turn sooner, but on average, they are moving laterally through impact.

Practice to see where your minimum and maximum forward shaft lean positions are at setup, and practice driving your hips laterally through impact. A lower, more penetrating ball flight will result.

After you've practiced the extremes, settle on what flight you want for your stock swing, and work on that movement through impact until you own it.

You could also start opening or closing the clubface to adjust your shot trajectory, but when you do that too much supination and pronation makes it's way into your swing.

Supination and pronation
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/drillwristpositions.html#ANCHOR5
need to be practiced a lot before you put them into play because of the timing involved.

The hip movement described above, coupled with the resulting forward shaft lean and an "angled" hinging action, is the safest way to transport the clubhead through the ball for a low trajectory, because it relies less on timing.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf,

Tom


Tom's Bonus Tip:
Putting - Flip The Switch


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!

Count me as one of those guys that is chatting it up on the green every now and then, but don't count me as one of those guys that can't flip the focus switch to "on" when it needs to happen.

When you are settling into your pre-shot routine on the green, flip the focus swith to "on" and become totally immersed in that putt. Get a comfortable grip on your putter, feel the putt, visualize it tracking towards the hole, and hear it drop.

Then step in and put a smooth, rhythmic stroke on the ball.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf,

Tom


Product Review - Book:
"How To Make Every Putt" by Dr. Joseph Parent


Here in Batavia, NY, it's that time of season when I get in some intense personal practice on my putting. Just about every year at this time I read a new book or two on the subject, then log in about eight hours straight of putting stroke practice.

This year it's going to be three days straight of uninterrupted three hour sessions, and the book I decided to read was "How To Make Every Putt", by Dr. Joseph Parent.

It was a great choice.

I was planning on skimming through the book over a two or three day period, but I ended up reading it from cover to cover in one night. It's one of those rarities that's not only very informative, but also an easy read.

I'm not saying that the information is totally revolutionary for any student of the game, but I am saying that it is a great read for preparing your mind for a full season of putting. I'm also saying that even if you are well read on the subject, you'll find a new idea or two in this book that will help you improve.

Here's an excerpt: "Keep track of the length of each putt as you play. Review your percentages and see if there are particular putts you struggle with more than others. Then spend some time practicing putts of those lengths, and you'll see your overall putting results improve."

Simple concept, but how many of us are doing that? Not too many I would suspect.

I give this book two thumbs up; you can find it at Amazon.com for around $17 - buy it you'll like it.

I own most of the other golf products Dr. Parent has at his website : Zen Golf, and they're all great, check them out.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf,

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!

Provoto Putting Systems   readers get a 30% discount on putting greens. Click on their catalog link, and select the green you want to purchase. After you decide on features, add it to your cart. You'll find the field for "Discount Coupon" near the bottom of the page. Enter PGApro in that field and your product cost will be discounted 30%.

Batavia Country Club   Best greens in WNY, great rates. Back by popular demand: Friday Night Golf and Dinner at BCC 18 holes of golf, cart, dinner, tax and gratuity - $35. 9 hole package - $27. Choose from 4 entrees' with side and salad bar. Dinner served from 4:30 pm - 9:15 pm. Dinner available for non-golfers also. Menu and band schedule posted at www.bataviacc.com

Huge PUMA Apparel Sale at the BCC Pro Shop. Mens, womens, kids clothing, mostly smaller sizes. Stop by our Pro Shop and take advantage of some great deals!

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

GCC Golf Management Program   click for information on GCC's degree program for anyone interested in a career in the golf industry or 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