Lesson 325-Most important putting fundamental? Balance. Maintain your stability during the stroke. Balance your putter to your motion. 

Lesson 326-Do you prefer certain breaks in putts? Not always about visual preferences. How you release the putter can create favorites also. 

Lesson 327-RH blockers often prefer right to left putts. Releasers-left to right. A preferred break is a product of face to path tendencies. 

Lesson 328-Stroke or Steer-On the backswing do you try to trace the line on the putter or ball or do you allow the putter to swing naturally? 

Lesson 329-@PaulAzinger  said on the Open telecast that great players are "clubface aware". Probably the best putting tip I have ever heard. 

Lesson 330-To be "face aware" while putting, you have to associate the position of the club face to your source of motion. Not target line. 

Lesson 331- Face Aware-Understanding the proper amount of rotation for your source of motion and matching that to what is required by path. 

Lesson 332-The balance of your putter can influence your stroke. Test. Mimic your stroke with no putter, then try the same stroke with one. 

Lesson 333-Perform test from Lesson 332 motion of hands without putter is the natural stroke. How does your putter influence your hands?

Lesson 334-A putter that is too heavy increases the influence of the putter over the hands. Any manipulated hand movement is exaggerated.

Why Putting is Hard.

1. The putter shaft moves on a straight plane.
2. The putter head moves on a curved arc.
3. The putter head moves on a path independent of the shaft to which it is attached. ( in other words the arc is not determined by shaft angle)

This all happens in the same putting stroke.

Ignore one aspect of the motion and you are toast.    

The drawing below was submitted by one of my clients. It is a perfect representation of his stroke. The green line represents the direction the shaft moves and the directional FEEL of his stroke. The blue arc shows the actual path the putterhead follows along this plane of motion, due to the fixed length of the putter.

Before anyone starts to judge this stroke, I would ask you to go on youtube and watch Bobby Jones hit putts.

As long as the face is square at impact the ball is going to start on the intended line. The red elipse represents the shoulders and I would say they are aligned more left than the drawing suggests. But shaft plane and putter path are accurate.

365 Days of Putting Help. 315-324

Lesson 315-"Hit with an ascending blow?" The more you hit up, the more you need to make mechanical compensations to start the ball on line.

 

Lesson 316-I have never heard or read a putting tip that applies to every golfer. If it doesn't work for you, it just wasn't meant for you.

 

Lesson 317-Problems in your putting stroke are rarely what is visually obvious. EX. You didn't miss the putt because of the position of your feet.

 

Lesson 318-Putting problems are personal. They never are a result of not conforming to a "better method". Fixing your way is the best way.

 

Lesson 319-A combination of shoulders, arms and hands power the stroke. Hips, legs, and feet balance the moving parts. Separate but equal.

 

Lesson 320-When your body is in motion it will seek a position of balance. A key factor in putter fitting is to find a balanced posture.

 

Lesson 321-Balanced posture? Start with shoulders over toes and hips over heels. Hard to do? Bend your knees a little. Good shock absorbers.

 

Lesson 322-Consistent strikes on the toe or heel of the putter? Poor balance at setup is probably the issue. Weight shifts while in motion.

 

Lesson 323-Postures forced by teaching methods rarely work for long. Create your set up based on vision, balance and body type. #NoBestWay

 

Lesson 324-Maintaining your balance is just another reason to fit the putter to you, rather than forcing your posture to fit the putter.

Spring is here. Make more putts this season!

Lesson 305-You have to swing the putter based on the direction the ball needs to start and not where you hope it will finish.

 

Lesson 306-Precision putting comes from the preparation. Precision in stroke mechanics is a by-product of the preparation. Focus on prep.

 

Lesson 307-Best putting strokes occur when the player swings the putter with no sense of direction. Let the prep work do its job. NO STEER.

 

Lesson 308-Very few putting tips work for every putting style. Example-If you tend to hit pulls, release of the putter is not your problem.

 

Lesson 309-Putting Tips - Release the putter. For Tiger Woods this is great advice. for Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, not so good.

 

Lesson 310-Putting Tips-Eyes over the ball. Doesn't work for everyone, so don't force it. Where your eyes should be is a personal discovery.

 

Lesson 311-Putting Tips-Use a Short Back Swing and Accelerate through the Ball. Disaster for many. Even pace and tempo is easier to control.

 

Lesson 312-Putting Tip-Take the hands out of the stroke? Your hands are the only contact with the club. Learn how to use-not eliminate them.

 

Lesson 313-"Shoulders drive the stroke" Not always. Some of the best putting strokes in history have been arm driven with passive shoulders.

 

Lesson 314-"Shoulders parallel to the target line" Depends on how you release the putter. Blockers prefer open, releasers a little closed.

What moves the Putter?

The golf instruction world is full of theories on what is the best way make a putting stroke. Shoulders only, arms only, right hand only, left hand only, etc.


One of the most popular is the shoulder driven stroke with passive hands and arms.


So let me ask a question?


Which of the following players might struggle with a shoulders only stroke and why would the changes necessary to make the motion more efficient make the stroke less successful?


The most important question? Does your posture work well with a shoulder only stroke?