TomTuckerGolf.com
 
Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 421 - Wed. September 28th, 2016
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USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
WGTF "Top 100" Teacher
IGPA Certified Golf Psychology Coach


 


Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now!

Tom's Featured Tip: Correcting Golf Complacency
Tour Greens: Tour Quality Synthetic Greens
Tom's Bonus Tip: The King Is Dead
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.

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Tom's Featured Tip: Correcting Golf Complacency

For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.


"Golf complacency: a pure lack of focus and concentration."   You probably won't find this definition in the dictionary because it's my own term.

In the past several years, I've played about 90% of my golf at my home course for the last 30 years, the Batavia Country Club.

This year, I've played about 45% of my rounds at other courses, and I've noticed that I seem to concentrate more on courses that I don't play regularly.

Complacency seems to set in at my home course because I'm so familiar with it.

For example. I'm playing in a fall league for the first time in many years. Monday night I had short birdie putts on the first two holes and didn't come close because I took the break for granted. My complacency cost me at least one stroke, maybe two.

Having identified this weakness in my game, I'm going to work on some more specific mental processing when I play to keep my brain in the right frame of mind.

Here are seven things I'm going to do to keep my brain in the game, my guess is that they may help you too.
  1. Alignment
    • Perhaps the most common victim of a complacent mind is alignment. Make it precise for every swing. This thought alone will help you shoot better scores.

  2. Club Selection
    • Add more precision to the club selection process for approach shots and par 3's - wind, ambient temperature, lay of the land, etc. Make it less automatic and more thoughtful.

  3. Most Common Miss
      Ask yourself where your most common miss is on approach shots and do something different to get the ball closer to the hole in good position. More or less club, a different aimline, changing the shape of the shot, changing the type of shot.

  4. More Strategy Off The Tee
    • Ball placement on the tee as it relates to your intended curvature. Concentrating more on consistent curvature rather than pure distance. This may mean swinging at 90% rather than 100% some of the time (maybe all of the time :-)).

  5. Chip Shots - Break
    • Most players concentrate more on the speed than the break. Add more concentration on the break - consider it as you would for a putt.

  6. Lie Analysis
      Scrutinize your lie and determine the shot that it will allow, not necessarily the shot you prefer. Make your club selection and shot type fit the lie, don't force it.

  7. Your Last Thought
      Keep it positive. Regardless of whether trouble lies left, right, short or long - make your target the last thing you look at, nothing else. Your brain will tend to steer your body and the ball towards the last thing you look at before you swing, so make it the target.

      Stare the target down, then swing within 1.5 seconds of your last look at the target.
If the shoe fits, wear it. These thought processes are what I'm considering for my game. Pick out what you need and add it to yours and I believe you'll score better.

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

Do you want one of these in your own back yard?



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: The King Is Dead

For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.

Today, instead of a tip I wanted to use this space to pay homage to the greatest ambassador the game of golf has ever had - Arnold Palmer, "The King".

As I'm sure you've heard, Arnold passed away September 25, 2016 at the age of 87.

I'm not sure there are many finer individuals on or off the course. He was as genuine, tough, honest, and generous of a person that you'll ever find. He'll be sorely missed.

Here are a few of my favorite Arnie quotes:
  • Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated.
  • What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive.
  • Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.
  • The secret of concentration is the secret of self-discovery. You reach inside yourself to discover your personal resources, and what it takes to match them to the challenge.
  • The road to success is always under construction.
  • I have a tip that can take five strokes off anyone's golf game: it's called an eraser.
Farewell Arnie, you had a life well lived!

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.

2017 Memberships On Sale Now! Pay now and play the rest of 2016!
Call (585) 343-7600 for pricing.


Beginning September 19th - 18 holes riding Mon - Fri $19
Sat - Sun $25 before 11 am, $20 after 11 am

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
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