Prepare to play your best golf by doing something now!
Tour Greens: Tour Quality Synthetic Greens
Tom's Bonus Tip: Staying Down on Putts and Chips
Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
Sponsors: Plum Creek Driving Range
Batavia Country Club
Tour Greens Western New York
Chestnut Hill Country Club
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!
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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: Fundamental 3: Controlling Curvature
Based on my research and study of the swing method principles that I teach, I believe that there are 3 True Fundamentals of golf:
- The ability to hit the ground in the same place every time and forward of the ball to insure clean contact.
- The ability to create enough power or distance to enjoy and play the game.
- The ability to match the clubface to the swing path to control the curvature of the ball to keep it in play.
- The ability to create enough power or distance to enjoy and play the game.
This issue I'll address Fundamental 3 - the ability to match the clubface to the swing path to control the curvature of the ball to keep it in play.
The reason a golf ball curves to the right or to the left when it is struck (the wind is not considered here) is because the clubface was either open to the swing path at impact, creating a fade (left to right) spin axis on the ball, or the clubface was closed to the swing path at impact creating a draw (right to left) spin axis on the ball.
If you match your swing path direction with a square clubface, the ball should not curve.
The differential between the clubface position and the swing path direction at impact causes more or less curvature accordingly.
Clubface positions:
With an Inside to Inside path, during the course of your swing you are swinging downward and outward until you hit the low point of your swing. At that point you are swinging straight and flat for a very short distance, then you are swinging upward and inward.
To draw the ball, you might set up with the ball back from the low point of your swing (bottom image in the ball positions graphic) , with the clubface square to the target line (closed). That would mean that you would strike the ball at a point where your swing path was down and to the right, with a clubface that would be slightly closed to the path. That would produce a draw (with neutral hand action).
Neutral hand action means that you are not actively trying to close or open the face at impact. You are letting the hands make a natural rotation, nothing more or less. Excessive hand action can amplify either curvature and it brings an unnecessary element of timing into play, so use it sparingly.
Your body aimline may need to be adjusted to allow for curvature, but your swing path should remain consistently Inside to Inside.
If you review this information enough, you'll truly understand curvature. That will allow you to correct errant shots, and to produce curvature on purpose when you need it. It's worth a little study time and range time.
Learn 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
Click on the image below for a video of how well golf shots hold on our Tour Greens synthetic putting greens.
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: Staying Down on Putts and Chips
I'm in Florida for my usual two and a half week vacation at this time of year, and I've been to the range twice and played twice so far. I'll probably play two or three more times before I return home to beautiful Western New York.
After playing the first round, my observations were that the full swing was okay, but my putting and chipping were sub-par.
The second round was much better after a trip to the range.
Here's what I practiced to bring my putting and chipping back to normal:
- I practiced keeping my head very still until the ball was off the face of the putter, and on short putts I listened
for the ball to drop before I moved my body or my head after striking the ball. Probably no surprises there, those are pretty
standard fixes for lifting up the body too soon when you are putting.
- The next thing I experimented with might seem to be a little bit weird, but it worked out well.
For my chipping, I decided to try to hear the ball hit the green on my chips before I took a look at the chip and it worked unbelievably well. I stayed down and through on every chip that I attempted when I concentrated on that.
Did I hear every chip hit the ground? No, but I did hear some hit and I did stay down and through on every chip.
What about if your hearing is poor? Try it anyway, the process will help you stay down and through.
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. Ping Demo Day Saturday, May 27th 11am - 2pm, first come first served.
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!
Chestnut Hill Country Club (585)-547-3613 www.chestnuthillgolf.com
THE WESTERN NEW YORK LEADER IN GOLF OUTINGS!
Only minutes from Buffalo, open to the public. Tee times online or by phone in season.
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