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TomTuckerGolf.com |
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Golf Tips Newsletter - Issue 256 - July 31st, 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: The Long Chip - Tom's Bonus Tip: Take The Drop? No Way Dude! - Student Spotlight: Noteworthy Accomplishments - 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 Subscribe - http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/signup.html If you like this newsletter, please do me a favor and forward it to your friends so that they may subscribe, thanks! The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter. Tom's Featured Tip: The Long Chip 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! I have heard this comment between player and caddy about club selection during PGA Tournaments about three times in the past month or so. One instance in particular applied to a 190 yard shot into the wind, the caddy told the player "It's either a full 6 iron or a chip 5". This conversation described a shot that I personally love, and have been using for a long time - The Long Chip. Here's how I use this shot on a regular basis. I often at the Batavia CC for several reasons - I like the course, my family has had a membership there for as long as I can remember, the course plays long enough to use all the clubs in your bag, they have the best greens in WNY, and I like the owners. Hole number 2 is a 472 yard par 5 with OB on the left, and a pond right in front of the green. Your second shot needs to be all carry if you go for it, and the normal prevailing wind is against. When the wind is neutral or with me, I can usually get there if I put the ball in the fairway off the tee. If the wind is against, I can't usually get there so I use the long chip to get me in short birdie range. I play my second shot to between 100 and 80 yards, then I use a chipping technique shot with an 8 iron to keep it low and skip it close to the hole. It's a very safe shot to execute, and it bores right through the wind - as opposed to using a very lofted club that might get caught up in the wind. Much safer and easier to judge the distance. It's not only for 100 yards and in, I also like to use it for 150 to 160 yard shots into the wind with the approproiate iron - for me, a smooth 5 iron long chip shot. Here's how to pull it off:
Try this shot on for size and I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with it after you nail down your distances. Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing, Tom Tom's Bonus Tip: Take The Drop? No Way Dude! 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! Last Saturday, I was a part of two foursomes that travelled to a reciprocal course for a round of golf. We usually play at Batavia CC, but they had a big tournament scheduled so we made tee times for 8:00 am and 8:10 am at Silver Lake CC. That time is a little late for us, we usually play at around 6:45 am in the summer, but when we arrived it was perfect weather for golf. Sunny and clear, a little on the nippy side at first, but no one ahead of us, a great day. I was even par going into the 6th hole when I drove it into a hazard. I got to the spot and saw that I had a precarious lie, but I thought I could advance it - so I decided to take the shot. That was mistake number one. I took my stance balanced (literally) between a rock and a hard place - and water. During my backswing I slipped, and as I fell I tried to break my fall with my left hand. I ended up with a thick layer of mud on my light khaki pants, as well as on my shirt and hands. In fact, the only clothing item that escaped the mud was my new hat, for which I'm grateful. My left wrist also was twinging, but my embarrassment and adrenaline overtook my reaction to any pain. Mistake number two - since I never got to my downswing, I figured why not give it another go. So I set up carefully, and this time as I was taking the club away my front foot slipped and I stepped in water just above my ankle for a refreshing hot foot. Three strikes and I'm in. On my third attempt, with a throbbing wrist and waterlogged left shoe, I got the ball out, pitched it to the green, then missed a 6 footer for par. :-( I played the round out with pain in my left wrist and a waterlogged left shoe - that could probably be called mistake number three. We went to lunch afterwards at a nice restaurant, where I'm sure the other patrons wondered why these other nice clean golfers were hanging out with a mud covered slob like me, then I drove home. At around 3 pm I went to the ER to have my wrist x-rayed. I was sure it was broken - although I have had numerous breaks and sprains during my life, and can recall some sprains being more painful initially than some fractures. Here's the happy ending. I had no fractures, and only have to do some meds, ice, compression, and elevation for a couple of days and brace it for five days or so. As I awaited the x-ray results I promised myself that if I'm in the same situation again, I'll take the drop and the penalty. But that was yesterday when I wasn't thinking clearly. We've all heard the saying "Too soon old and too late smart". Since I'm 66, can someone tell me when the "too late smart" part kicks in? :-) Love your practice, enjoy your golf, own your swing, Tom Student Spotlight: Noteworthy Accomplishments 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! Congratulations to student Casey Luttrell, who had his 2nd lifetime hole in one, a 105 yard sand wedge. Even better, he did it while playing with his young son, Chase! Congrats Casey! Chris Carroll, a professional player that I work with on occasion, had to withdraw from a Canadian PGA Tournament (not the Canadian Open) that he qualified for last Friday, due to a family medical emergency. On Sunday, however, he tied the course record at Ironwood GC in Cowelsville, NY with a 66. He was 7 under through 16 holes but gave one back before finishing. This is a true story, but I'm not naming names. I had a student recently that has played for a long time but never took lessons. He was like a duck to water, after four lessons he really started striking the ball well. Maybe too well too soon if that's possible. He recently shot a net 25 in his league, which raised quite a few eyebrows. I'll let you all know when the tar and feathering is taking place. 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. 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 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 |
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