Letter to Tiger Woods

Dear Mr. Woods,

I know it has been awhile since you have heard from me. Sorry as I have been pretty busy and to tell you the truth I lost interest as you went through your phase of changing putter styles to the heel shafted model.

As you have started to play again using a model similar to the one you have always used, I have watched your stroke with interest. In particular, your comments on how some days you can get the putter to swing and on others you can't. The most recent of these comments came after your round at Pebble Beach on Sunday. The solution is pretty obvious if you will give me a minute to explain.

You always putted best when you soled your Cameron on the heel side of the tri-plane grind of the Newport sole. I have hundreds of pictures of you with the toe up a little at address. Much of the time using the Nike Method, the putter soles directly in the center of the putter. I would assume this has something to do with the way the sole is ground, without the definite flat spots to have the putter sit as the Cameron had. If, and I am assuming, that the specs of the Cameron and the specs of length, lie and loft of the Method are exactly the same, in order to do get the Method to set flat you have to play the ball closer.

When you move the ball closer your first move off the ball is heel first and the putter shuts. It is obvious on TV. It is a mechanical reaction to the ball being closer to you without a change in posture. When the toe is up and the ball is farther away, the putter swings square to the path away from the ball. This gives you room to open the blade a little in the backswing, as you have always done, and then release the putter through the ball, allowing you to feel the release. When you shut the putter coming off the ball you have nowhere to go. If you get on your PuttLab and experiment with where you sole the putter you will see it clearly. Remember to check the rotation in the first two or three inches from the ball. My suggestion would be to find the placement where the putter doesn’t shut on the backswing mark it on the sole and send it back to David at Nike and have him grind the putter flat on that spot, so you set it down the same each time.

Welcome back, fun to be able to watch you play again and good luck to you in your future events,

Bruce