The putting stroke is a part of the golf game that causes many golfers to under perform -
Set Up
The stance you should adopt for
my technique is almost identical to the stance required
for the full golf swing except that the left shoulder is the same height as the right shoulder and the body is arched
over the ball, so that the eyes look directly down
on the target line, but with the left eye positioned
directly over the ball.
The feet should be placed slightly
closer together than the full golf swing stance and
the weight of the body balanced
about 90 % over the left leg throughout the putting movement.
However it is the set up of the
upper body that is the key to being able to putt well.
The triangular shape to the upper body is
maintained throughout the putting stroke by keeping
the arms in a slightly bent condition and with the arm muscles in a taut condition and the left wrist locked in the fully cupped position so that as the shoulders rotate back and forth, the arms and the putter move as single solid unit, but importantly, the left wrist must remain locked its position throughout the complete putting stroke in order to hold the putter square to the target line.
In order to feel comfortable with the left wrist held in a locked position, you will need to bend both of your arms slightly and push you hands together so that the upper body unit becomes a solid unit as it rocks back and forth.
So do not forget, it is the rotating movement of the upper body unit whilst held together as a very compact unit that moves the putter, so do not fall into the trap of simply using the movement of the arms to make a back swing.
Whilst the upper body rocks back and forth the lower part of the body must remain in a totally static position.
Once you have decided the line of your put, completely focus on making the correct putting stroke and distance.
Ball Position.
The ball position should be just
left of centre of the stance, but with the left eye
directly over the line of the putt and directly over
the centre of the ball so that you can see the line of the putt in the periphery of your eyesight at the address position, but importantly, once this
position is set, it is vital that the position of
your head is held firmly in place until well after the ball has been
struck.
Gripping the Putter.
The position of the hands is also
conventional, for example, overlap grip with the right
hand lower than the left hand.
Both hands grip the putter very
lightly but the left wrist is locked into the fully cupped position and by that I mean is that the left hand is forced backwards causing the wrist and the left arm to adopt an angle of about 70 degrees.
Therefore whilst carrying out the
putting stroke it is very important that the upper body unit remain compact as the upper body movement pushes the
putter head back and forth.
This is where the practice strokes
are important, they mentally prepare yourself for
the actual process of putting.
Head Position.
To check whether the head position
is correct at the address position, if you drop an
imaginary plumb line from your left eye down to the
ground, two things will indicate the correct position:-
1) The centre of the plumb line
weight should be hovering directly over the target
line.
2) The plumb line weight should
hover over a position over the centre of the ball.
Practice strokes.
Adopt a habit of holding the putter head square to the target line at all times especially as the ball is struck --- but always use the rotational movement of the shoulders to move the putter back and forth.
This practice routine of ensuring that the putter face is always square to the target line does two
things for your putting action, first of all it will program your body with the correct movement, but importantly
it allows you to concentrate solely on the length
of the back swing that is required to hit the ball the required distance.
Putting Action.
I hold the upper body unit firmly together as a very solid one piece unit so that as the shoulders rock back and forth the arms and the putter automatically move. Do not allow the arms to move independently of the shoulders at any point in the putting stroke.
When it comes to the role of the hands in the putting action, both hands hold the putter firmly so that the putter face is held square to the target line during the back swing movement but importantly the left wrist is locked and must remain in this position throughout the complete putting action.
Then as the shoulders rotate into the down swing movement, at impact the putter head will return to the ball square to the target line, but do not allow the arms to move independently of the shoulders whilst the putter head strikes the ball.
In order to keep the putter head square to the target line from the moment the putter strikes the ball I slightly roll the right wrist in a clockwise motion, it is hardly noticeable but nevertheless it keeps the club head square for the milli-second after the ball has been struck.
Make a few practice swings whilst ensuring that the putter face remains square to the target line before it strikes the ball and after the ball has been struck, when you are happy with the practice stroke try and repeat the movement.
I watch the back of the ball intensely when making an actual stroke, but in the periphery of my line of site I am also concentrating very hard on maintaining the alignment of the putter face so that it remains square to the target line throughout the complete stroke.
At the precise moment the putter head strikes the ball, you must continue to hold the shoulders and the arms very firmly together whilst you hold the putter head square to the target line with the locked left wrist for that extra milli-second after ball has been struck whilst the shoulders continue to rock, ie the right shoulder continues to drop whilst the left shoulder continues to rise. ( Very similar to the full swing but obviously not as extreme.)
This requires the maximum concentration and this method is
only way to ensure that the ball consistently travels along the intended line of the putt.
As the putting action is performed
you must keep the upper body unit in a very compact condition and above all, you must concentrate so that you actually see the putter head make contact with the ball.
An important aspect of the putting
stroke is that once you have decided the line of the
putt, you must rely on the mechanical movement of
the putting stroke and perform the complete putting
stroke whilst your head is held firmly in the fixed frontal position.
Most golfers allow the eyes to
follow the movement of the ball as it rolls towards
towards the target point.
However if you wish to dramatically
improve your putting technique, it is absolutely vital
that you totally concentrate your focus on making sure the putter head is square to the target line at the precise moment the putter makes contact with the ball, but also do not allow your eyes to track to ball, keep looking at the spot the ball was resting before you struck it.
GOLF TIP.
Whilst on the green, if your fellow competitor asks
you to move the ball marker, and when it is agreed the position
where the ball marker should be placed, if your ball marker
has a motif on one side and a shiny surface on the
other side, when you place the marker down in the
new position, ensure that you place the ball marker on
the green with the shiny side up.
When it is your turn to putt, seeing the ball marker
turned upside down will remind you that the ball marker
needs to be replaced in the correct position before
taking your putt.
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