TomTuckerGolf.com

Golf Tips Newsletter
Issue 889 - Wednesday October 8, 2025
Website     Newsletters Archive

 
USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
WGTF "Top 100" Teacher
IGPA Certified Golf Psychology Coach


 

Master The Motion Before You Master The Shot.

"Everybody can get better on 15 minutes per day."
Peter Cowen, Renowned Golf Coach
"You can even get better on 5 minutes per day."
Tom Tucker, Unrenowned Golf Coach 😄

Tom's Featured Tip: Consistent Ball Position

Lesson Comments: What Students Have To Say
Sponsors & Affiliates:

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Click here for sale rates: BCC Membership - Discounted Rates

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  • All membership priveleges below for the rest of 2025, as well as 2026
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  • Free Range Balls
  • 5 Guest Passes
  • 22 Reciprocal Golf Courses
  • Member Event Access (Presidents Cup, Club, Championship, Interclub)
  • After 3:00PM members only privileges
  • 3 free cart days on the Summer Holidays
  • Offer expires 12/31/25 - don't wait, take full advantage now!
The Divot Board Check out their new turf mats, I think they copied what I did - but in a better way!
Fiberbuilt Golf Flight Deck Practice Station
The Rypstick
SuperSpeedGolf.com
Club Champion




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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Outdoor Golf lessons are available at The Batavia Country Club. Please call me (Tom Tucker) at 716 474 3005, email me at TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com, or visit my website at   http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/lessonrates.html   for details.

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Consistent Ball Position




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.
Don't have one yet? What's holding you back
Click here to buy your Divot Board for outstanding Ball-Striking practice. and check out their new turf mats, I think they copied what I did - but in a better way!




Consistent Ball Position

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


You've probably heard it said that your golf ball position should change depending on the club you're using. For shorter irons, many people contend that the ball should be played in the middle of the stance, but hitting longer clubs requires the ball position to be more forward. Their reasoning: Shafts vary in length, so you need to adjust because each club will bottom out in a different place.

The problem with changing your ball position for every club is that it becomes guesswork as to where the ball should be played to hit it solidly and to a consistent distance. For example, you might hit your 9-iron 130 yards on one swing, but then hit it 140 on the next because your ball position changed a little.

A far more reliable way to ensure you control your distance is to play the ball in the same spot - no matter what club you're using. Then, to adjust your address position to match the club's length, simply change the width of your stance by moving your rear foot away from your front foot. The longer the club, the wider the stance. You'll notice that your right shoulder tilts slightly lower than your left as your stance widens. The visual perspective is that the ball position changed, and it did - but not by moving the ball, just by widening your stance.



So where exactly should you play the ball? If you drew an imaginary line from your left shoulder joint, at address, to the ground, this would represent the low point of your swing. Because you want to make ball-first contact and then have the iron bottom out just in front of the ball, you should play it about three inches inside your shoulder joint - just under your left pectoral muscle. The width of your stance will become second nature once you continue to keep the ball in the same spot.

I often hear people say you need to sweep a fairway wood off the turf to hit it well. Trust me, if you're trying to get the ball airborne, you want to hit down on the ball. Vertical launch comes from the club's loft at impact and how much backspin is on the ball. It's that second part of the equation many people forget. Say you have a 15-degree 3-wood. If you strike the ball on a slightly downward angle of attack, you're hitting the ball with less loft, but the descending blow imparts more spin, which helps the ball take off on a higher trajectory. So don't be afraid to hit down on woods, slightly.

Try it, you'll really like it!




Email Comments: to TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com

"Clear Intentions Simplify Execution"
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. Don't 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


Testimonials:
http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/testimonials.html


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.
Golf Digest Four Star rating for public courses to play in New York State.
Tee times online or by phone in season.




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.

It comes with a 300,000 shot guarantee, most other mats are usually in the 50,000 range. I use one at all of my range lessons and am more than happy with it. If you are serious about home practice, get one, you won't regret it.




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.


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