TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 267 - October 16, 2013
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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: Q&A: Square Shoulders
- Tom's Bonus Tip: Putt To Nowhere
- 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:
Q&A: Square Shoulders

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!

Q: Tom P. emailed me this question after the newsletter tip about square shoulders:

Hi Tom, I read your tip about square shoulders, and I was definitely settin up wrong. The problem I have is that even when I try to get the feel for square shoulders at setup like you described with an extension pole, I still can't quite feel what's right. Is there anything else I can do to get the feeling for square shoulders during my setup.

By the way, I moved from WNY to the West Coast, but I still enjoy your newsletters, please keep them coming.

Sincerely, Tom P.


A: Thanks for the comment and the question Tom. So - let's get the open shoulders issue squared away once and for all (sorry, I couldn't resist that).

This is a problem that's important enough to talk about one more time: having the feet, knees, hips, and shoulders all square to (parallel to) your intended aimline at address. I recommended three ways to check your alignment in Issue 265 , and here's another way that I thought of that may make it easier for some to master their square setup. I guess it holds true that necessity is the mother of invention, thanks for making me think Tom!

  • Stand parallel to, and facing a wall, about 12 inches away.

  • Get into comfortable golf posture with your arms folded and your hands on your shoulders.

  • Now move forward until your head just touches the wall if it's not already doing so.

  • Your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders should all be aligned parallel to the wall. Check to make sure this is the case.

  • Now let your arms drop and position your hands in a praying position pointing directly at the floor.

  • As you do the next two steps, make certain that your shoulder and hip alignments do not change.

  • Now point your fingers towards your rear foot.

  • Next, slide your right hand down and simulate an interlocking grip on a golf club.

  • This movement usually causes the left shoulder to open a little from square as the right shoulder lowers a little to accomodate gripping the club. This is the point in the setup that is critical, you must know the feeling of allowing the right shoulder to tilt a very small amount without opening your shoulders (or hips). When you can do this against a wall several times while keeping your shoulders perfectly square but slightly tilted, try to get the same feeling doing it freestyle, away from the wall.

  • Practice this for as many reps as it takes for it to become your perfect setup positon
When you master this setup feeling, you've mastered an intricate part of a perfect setup and your ball flight will become very consistent.

Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing,

Tom


Tom's Bonus Tip:
Putt To Nowhere


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!

Anyone who has taken lessons from me can attest to the fact that I like to start any type of practice session by practicing pure stroke mechanics, and one of the all time great players agreed with this philosophy.

Bobby Jones recommended that "there is no finer practice for developing a reliable putting stroke than putting without a hole - just dropping a number of balls on a green or carpet and stroking them back and forth." In practice and when warming up for a round of golf, always start by putting to nowhere.

Even better - get double bang for your buck by nailing down the length and weight of your "Core" putting stroke while you "putt to nowhere".

Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing,

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. Fall Rates begin September 23rd - 18 Holes with cart, $15 Weekdays, $20 Weekends . Annual memberships - pay for 2014 now and get the rest of 2013 for free. Details at www.bataviacc.com

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