"Everybody can get better on 15 minutes per day."
"You can even get better on 5 minutes per day."
Tom Tucker, Unrenowned Golf Coach 😄
Tom's Featured Tip: Happy New Year! - Likely New Years Resolution Tip
Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
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Likely New Years Resolution Tip
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.
Likely New Years Resolution Tip
I'm sure that many of you have already made a New Years Resolution to hit the ball further in 2025. So as you all know there are quite a few elements to that, but two of the most critical are:
- Increasing Your Swing Speed
- Building Strength to Improve and Support Increased Swing Speed
Here's a link to my newsletter article with specific details on developing swing speed: Increasing Your Swing Speed
2. Building Strength to Improve and Support Increased Swing Speed
I put the horse ahead of the cart in the sequencing of these two tips, because that's how most golfers sequence them in their mind. The truth of the matter is that you should embark on a strength training regimen before - or at the very least in conjunction with - swing speed training.
You need strength to avoid injury when you practice swing speed training intensely, which is the only way that you get results.
So .... here's a specific and relatively simple strength training routine that will help you get strong enough to build and support swing speed.
Caveats
- I see many routines that promote the use of bodyweight exercises and or rubber bands for developing strength.
That really won't cut the mustard. You need weight in the form of barbells or dumbbells to get the muscle fiber adaptations you need for developing strength.
Bands won't work for that because there isn't consistent resistance on the eccentric portion of any exercise. For example, during a bench press, when you push the weight up - the concentric portion of the exercise, you have a consistent amount of weight that you are pushing. When you lower the weight, the eccentric part of the exercise, there is consistent downward pressure from the weight on the bar or dumbbell. If you are doing this exercise with rubber bands, the downward pressure decreases as the band shortens. Losing the benefit of the eccentric portion of the exercise is a big deal.
- Bodyweight is a bit different, but the problem with bodyweight is that you eventually can perform too many reps to adequately stimulate the necessary fast twitch
muscle fiber adaptations. They need to be stimulated with a relatively heavy weight with fewer repetitions than you will be able to do with bodyweight exercises.
- Increasing the size of your fast twitch muscle fibers is done by straining against challenging weights.
- Research clearly shows that similar gains in muscle size can be achieved with a variety of rep ranges, provided the sets are done with the same proximity to failure.
Proximity to failure means getting to a point in your last set where you feel like you only have one or two reps left before total failure.
- You do not need to change up your exercises frequently to "stimulate" muscle growth, that's a myth.
Here are the exercises with description links. You can do most of them with barbells or dumbbells. If you don't like a particular exercise, don't do it - search for an alternative exercise that you like for the same muscle group instead.
- Squat or Leg press - 3 sets, 5-7 reps (do a warmup set of 8 reps with 65% of your working weight)
- Romanian deadlift - 3 sets, 8-10 reps
- Overhead Press - 3 sets, 8-10 reps
- Bench Press - note, the narrower grip is better for swing speed - 3 sets, 5-7 reps (do a warmup set of 8 reps with 65% of your working weight)
- Pullup or Lat Pulldown - 3 sets, 5-7 reps (do a warmup set of 8 reps with 65% of your working weight)
Getting better at anything requires work and sacrifice. If you're serious, plan the work and work the plan.
Try it - you'll like it!
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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Indoor Lessons Details and Rates
Testimonials:
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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. Discounted 2025 Memberships Availabe now, includes the rest of 2024, call (585) 343-5699 ext 5 for details.
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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. And make sure to check out their new turf mats, I think they copied what I did - but in a better way!
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