"It is not the will to win that matters, everyone has that.
It is the will to prepare to win that matters." - Paul "Bear" Bryant
Tom's Featured Tip: Productive Chipping Practice
Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
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Productive Chipping Practice
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
Two Great Training Aids For Indoor or Outdoor Practice
The Divot Board
This is the most useful ball striking development training aid that I own.
Click here ImpactSnap.com to buy now. Start using the ImpactSnap training aid indoors or outdoors to make you instantly aware of proper hand action, which is second only to low point awareness for great ball striking.
Productive Chipping Practice
If you are dead serious about improving your chipping, use this two part practice method that I give my students and I'll guarantee that you'll get better.
Part 1 - Technique Practice
When working on technique, use a combination of block practice and random practice.
When I'm giving the lesson I teach a beginner golfer a very basic chipping technique, a checking chip.
With initiated players, I teach them four chip shots:
- A medium trajectory checking chip
- A medium trajectory running chip
- A high, soft landing, checking chip
- A bounce chip
During each ten minute time frame, I may have the student make minor adjustments to ball position and weight distribution to show them what effect it has on the shot. But they hit the same basic technique shot for each ten minute time frame.
This can be done around a putting green, but the mechanics of each stroke can also be practiced effectively indoors or outdoors hitting balls into a net or even onto a range under the watchful eye of an instructor. It works well either way.
Part 2 Simulated Playing Practice
This is done around a putting green - if they allow chipping practice, or at a chipping practice green.
The LEAST EFFECTIVE way to practice around a green is to drop a bunch of balls and start chipping them at one hole. I see this all the time. It's not a total waste of time - you do get some technique work, but it's not optimal for simulating what happens when you play.
The MOST EFFECTIVE way to practice around a green is to take one ball, and pull one wedge and your putter from your bag and take them to the practice area. Toss (don't place it - toss it) the ball somewhere in the rough just off the green, take you chip shot, then try to one putt.
That's what you do when you play, so practice that way.
Keep repeating the process from different locations and different texture rough areas.
Make sure that you give yourself different lies and try different technique shots.
Do this for 45 minutes to an hour, and keep track of your up and down (one putt) percentage during the session.
Make a game of it. Set a goal of what you want to score for 9 holes of up and down to put yourself under PRESSURE. We all need to spend more time practicing under pressure to simulate actual playing conditions, and this is a great way to do that.
I found this stat on the iternet regarding greenside chipping up and dowm percentages:
Skill level
- Best professionals - 85%
- Scratch (0) - 77%
- 10 handicap - 46%
- 20 handicap - 17%
They were pretty talented. But regardless of whether you have a high degree of talent or not, if you use the practice method I described above, I'm 100% certain that you will become a much better than average chipper.
Try it you'll like it.
Comments: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,
Tom
Golf Lessons
I am now conducting lessons at The Batavia Country Club
Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact
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for more information.
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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
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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.
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Use your club or hand to re-set the board after your strike
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BONUS: when you buy through the newsletter link above, you'll also receive free access to my Putting Lesson Videos ($50 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.
Train with the Impact Snap training aid to improve your hand and wrist coordination for a powerful strike. A Golf Digest 2021 Editors Choice Training Aid
Click here ImpactSnap.com to buy now and start using a great training aid that can be used indoors or outdoors.
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.
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: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
http://www.TomTuckerGolf.com
"There are no substitutes in the quest for perfection1"
~ Ben Hogan