"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: What Works Better - Swing Thoughts or Swing Feelings?
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What Works Better - Swing Thoughts or Swing Feelings?
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The Divot Board
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What Works Better - Swing Thoughts or Swing Feelings?
My ball striking had been substandard this year, here's what I discovered that brought it back to an acceptable level.
I surmised that a little sway had crept into my backswing. In order to correct it, I first tried these thoughts prior to initiating my backswing:
- still head
- keep my right leg flat, and firmly planted
So next I tried this thought - feel combination in my backswing:
- Thought: keep my head still in my backswing
- Feel: feel my right foot flat and nailed into the ground. At the end of my backswing, feel my right leg maintaining the correct angle, totally straight, no knee flex. FYI, that's how the right leg and knee knee are supposed to be positioned with the swing method I prefer. I realize that other methods prefer a flexed right knee at the end of the backswing. Point being that it was the feeling, not just the thought.
Now my job is to repeat that process with enough frequent block practice to make it my automatic default backswing.
I recently read the following article that somewhat reinforced what I had discovered through my trial and error.
One of the biggest challenges in improving a golf swing isn’t access to information. It’s what we do with it. Most golfers are overloaded with swing thoughts, verbal cues, and mechanical instructions that make sense intellectually but fall apart under speed and pressure. The brain is great at analysis, but the golf swing happens too fast to be run through a list of thoughts. When players try to consciously guide the motion, they often end up tense or disconnected from the club. That’s why progress can feel temporary. What works on the range with deliberate focus disappears the moment the swing needs to be athletic.
Feel-based training works differently. Instead of relying on constant verbal instruction, it gives the body a clear reference and allows movement to organize naturally. By creating clear, repeatable sensations like how the wrists feel, how the body rotates, how your feet plant, or how the club moves through space, players build an internal reference they can trust. Over time, those sensations become reliable under pressure. On the course, improvement shows up not through mechanical thinking, but through familiar feelings. That is how golfers perform more consistently and play more freely when it matters most.
I wouldn't discard thoughts (mechanical thinking) entirely. In fact, I believe that mechanical thinking is almost a prerequisite to developing swing feelings.
Experiment. Try practicing both ways, then try a combination like I did to see what works best for you.
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. Don't be afraid to experiment when you practice, it's good for your golfing brain.
Tom
Golf Lessons
I conduct lessons at The Batavia Country Club
Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact
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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
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
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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