A letter to Ernie Els.

Dear Mr. Els,
I watched, with the rest of the golf world, your troubles on the putting green on Thursday.  I want you to know I am sympathetic to your issues, but before you jump on the fear of impact, putt with your eyes closed, it is all in your head, rhetoric flying around, please consider another line of thought.
For as long as I have watched you play, I have always thought the source and sequence of your putting stroke started with your right hand. At Oakmont, it was obvious to me (yes I was in the gallery) and from a closer view, at the practice round I watched you play at the Field Club.
So I believe Thursday, on that first putt, you simply tried to hit it with your right hand, like you have done millions of times before, but your left hand got in the way. I would suggest that for as long as you putt left hand low, you might have to remind yourself that your stroke is now left side dominant instead of right.
I have had some success with nervous strokes by identifying the motion sequence and asking the player to repeat it before they try and hit a putt. With a left hand low set up, it might be left shoulder back, left hand past the ball.  The words don't matter as long as they remind your brain what you are trying to do.
I hope you will accept this with the sincerity it is offered, I don't think you have the yips, I think you just forgot how to make your stroke. Huge difference.
With sincere best wishes from a big fan,
Bruce


P.S. If you want to remember what your old stroke felt like, put your left hand on your right shoulder, let the putter swing inside then release down the line. Trying to take the putter straight back with your right hand is problematic at best.

Thoughts on Golf Specific Technology

I learned how to hit a golf ball as a young man. Now 50 years later, I will tell you that even though I can hit a golf ball, I am still trying to learn to play golf. For too long a time I believed if I could hit optimal golf shots, I could shoot lower scores. I spent too much time trying to hit my clubs farther or “better”, rather than working on my ability to hit them the distance I needed for the shot required.  I didn’t figure out until it was too late that I could be a great striker of the ball and shoot lousy scores. Most golf instruction today speaks to the concept of hitting the ball. Most golf measurement technology is created to define hitting the ball. Valuable information, but it does not teach you how to navigate the ball around the golf course.

With the advent of ball flight measurement and video technology, we now have the feedback required to build a swing that achieves the optimal numbers for each club. Every time I visit the indoor center where my colleagues teach, someone asks me what the optimal numbers are for a certain club in their bag. I try to tell them they will find that optimal ball flight does not always produce optimal results on the golf course. Also that you can hit a solid golf shot and not get the required results. Most of the shots you face on the golf course will require something in-between the optimal results. So as a player you have to ask yourself. Are you building a swing for optimal situations or one that can handle all situations?

What separates the skilled players from the optimal ball strikers is the ability to play those “tweeners”, the shots in between the optimal results. The great players of the generation prior to mine never worried about optimal results. Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino, would be two examples of players with golf swings that would not produce optimal numbers on a launch monitor, but produce wonderful results on the golf course.  As a former employee of Mr. Palmer, I often wonder how he would have utilized the technology available today. After many hours of watching him practice, I think it would be an educated guess to say if he executed the shot he wanted, like one he liked to hit I call a punch 9 iron, he would then turn to me and say, “How far did I hit that shot”. Then he would try to repeat the results, building a feel for the swing that produced that shot and that distance.  

Winter is the time when many avid players spend time indoors, utilizing launch monitors or simulators. Don’t make my mistake, looking for better numbers.  Spend your time like AP would, developing consistency, and predictability in your golf swing, building something of value to be used on the golf course and not as a goal to be achieved.

Using Ball Flight Technology

I learned how to hit a golf ball as a young man. That said, I am still learning to play the game of golf. If you wish to shoot lower scores it is important to realize the difference between the two. It has become a common practice to include ball flight and video technology in all club fitting and golf instruction. Ball flight and video technology measure how you "hit" the golf ball. They do not teach you how to navigate the golf course.


Many instructors and players use ball flight technology to identify the optimal ball flight for each club. In my opinion this is the wrong plan. The search for optimal ball flight is an inefficient goal in your endeavor to become a better player. The problem is that optimal ball flight doesn't always produce optimal results on the golf course.  There is only one optimal shot per golf club. With the exception of maybe your driver, it is unlikely you can go an entire round and have every shot require the optimal results for the club you have chosen.


What separates the really skilled players from the hitters, is the ability to play the shots in between the optimal numbers for each club. Ball flight and video technology can be quite valuable in learning these shots as well. You have to have knowledge of what measureable parameters a particular shot requires and what combination of club and technique produces the proper "math". In other words the true optimal numbers are determined by the shot shape and distance required, not by the maximum effort with each club.


As an old guy, I am concerned we are taking the information provided by technology too far. I got on the tech bandwagon pretty early. The thing I have learned is that feedback is a great thing, but  it doesn't define the result and more importantly it doesn't define the technique. The target is the goal, and the important numbers are the ones that get you there.

Why Iron Archie does not hit up on a Putt.

In 2006, I saw quite a few PuttLab reports for Tiger Woods.

His stroke was exactly on line at impact, the putter shaft was straight up and down, and he struck the ball exactly at the bottom of the arc of his stroke. His goal was for a vertical shaft angle and 3.5 degrees of loft at impact. He was robotic in his ability to do that and his stroke was remarkably similar to the one produced by the Iron Archie Robot.


On a daily basis I hear about how the "right" way to strike a putt is to hit the ball with little, none or negative loft at impact, with the putter on the upswing, past the apex of the path. There was a time when many TV instructors were suggesting Tiger hit up on the ball in excess of 4 degrees. Part of these recommendations were based on the fact that he had gone from 3.5 degrees loft on his old putter to less than 2 with his Nike Method.


Another reason for the change is the commonly held thought that hitting up on the ball when you putt, gives you "top spin" which means a better roll, so you will make more putts, and then you will win the lottery….. and all the other promises marketers make to sell putters. Hitting up is a very difficult way to putt and the following is why I believe that to be true.


The following is a PuttLab report of Iron Archie displaying a perfect, mechanically generated arc.  While it isn't an exact duplicate of Tiger's stroke, it is very close and will help show the issues of trying to hit up on a putt. It especially shows the issues of trying to hit up on a putt while using conventional training aids.







The diagram shows the side view of the robots arc. The black dots stacked over each other are the ball position. The single black square to the left would be the ball position required to hit up on the ball 4 degrees! The bottom picture shows the measurements of shaft lean and rise angle at impact. So impact in this example was at the bottom of the arc and shaft position is vertical, just as Tiger was looking for in 2006.





This picture shows the players view of the path that corresponds with the picture above. This is the classic arc many try to achieve and the most common path shape based on our Puttlab data compiled over the past 7 years. The black spot on the left notes the impact point required to achieve a 4 degree rise angle. So hitting up requires a dramatic mechanical change and the idea of a zero path from this setup is not possible unless you have a big spine tilt to the right. So if you ever hear a suggestion of level shoulders in combination with an ascending blow to the ball, all the while with a parallel path to the target, you can dismiss that right away.


Note the direction of the path at the impact point 4 degrees up. One characteristic of the robot is that the putter always swings square to the path. Square to the path at 4 degrees up is almost 4 degrees left and 4 degrees closed! So in order for the putter face to be square to the target line at impact you must either hold the putter open to the path the same amount it is moving left (what most players do) or adjust the path direction so path matches target line at impact. In Tiger’s case when he switched from Cameron to Nike his natural stroke was to release the putter, with the face closed to the path on the follow through. So with this stroke he is really fighting the pull. It is my opinion that an attempt to block the pull was the beginning of his yippy putting stroke! If you watch on television you see an undercut or block release of the putter with many players. This manipulated move is extremely timing dependent and in the opposite direction of the movement of the stroke.


So based trying to swing the putter online at impact or at least close, here is the adjustment to the path required to strike the ball as the putter swings 4 degrees up. You have to tilt the arc to suit impact. In Iron Archie’s case it would require the robot to be positioned 4 degrees right of the target line.





I know some players with paths of this pattern who are great putters. But they have used it forever and they understand the issues and requirements. For those of you trying to swing the putter "online and onplane" I hope this helps explain some of the difficulties you might encounter as you try to follow all the instruction your read.

 

Final 10 Daily Lessons

Lesson 356-Test - Swing a number of putters with different face balance. Do you feel your grip pressure change as you change putters?

 

Lesson 357-Is there a similarity between how you release the putter in your putting stroke and how you release the club in your full swing?

 

Lesson 358-Examine your putting misses and look to your full swing for the answers. Path and release will provide some insight to your miss.

 

Lesson 359-Remember that shaft lag in a putting stroke is a bad thing. You can't change the shaft angle while in motion. Watch transition.

 

Lesson360-You use your dominant eye to aim. Either looking down the line or from side on. Moving your ball position will influence your aim.

 

Lesson 361-Final 5 Lessons. 1. Your eyes tell you where to stand. Don't fight your vision. Build your stroke based on where you see it best.

 

Lesson 362-Final 5-Your posture and distance from the ball determine the path shape and rotational requirements of your stroke.

 

Lesson 363-Final 5 3.Match putter balance to the rotational requirements of your path! Don't use a putter that fights your natural rotation.

 

Lesson 364-Final 5. 4. Chose a consistent source and sequence in your putting motion and never change it. There is no better way.

 

Lesson 365-No one was born a great putter! Knowledge of your stroke is power. Never trade what you know for what someone thinks they know.

Putting Lessons 344-355

Lesson 344-Too quick at takeaway or transition? Try changing the putter shaft to a heavier model with a softer flex. 

Lesson 345-"Slow down" is a stock putting recommendation. You might be better with lighter putters, using stiffer shafts and a faster tempo.

Lesson 346-When evaluating a putting training aid, be sure it matches the stroke plane of your stroke and putter is balanced to that shape. 

Lesson 347- How well does your putter balance to your practice aids? No amount of practice will over come faulty feedback from the putter. 

Lesson 348-A common putting tip is to have a light grip on the putter with no tension. Hard to do with a putter not balanced to your stroke. 

Lesson 349 - Grip pressure? Try to eliminate tension without losing control. It helps analyze grip pressure based on your source of motion. 

Lesson 350-Grip Pressure=Control. Do you have a dominant arm in your stroke? Focus on pressure of the dominant side and relax the other. 

Lesson 351-Grip Pressure-With a shoulder driven stroke you need equal pressure in both hands and firm enough to keep both wrists stable. 

Lesson 352-Arms around the spine with passive shoulders requires the lightest grip pressure of all sources of motion. Ultimate feel stroke. 

Lesson 353-If a robot swings Putter A, we see a vibration in the robot. Change to Putter B and no vibration. Problem with robot or putter? 

Lesson 354-The measurable vibration we see in a robot is why some putters don't feel "right". No amount of practice will change that feel. 

Lesson 355-A putter not balanced to the plane of the stroke will create inconsistent rotation along the plane and inconsistent results.

A Letter to a Client

When I started with PuttLab, the most common stroke pattern we saw was a small to moderate arc tilted left. Visually, to many tour players this looks like straight back and straight through. Although it is really straight back and straight to impact, and then the putter swings inside to follow the plane or the arc defined by the plane.

The common release was the hold or not to let the toe catch the heel of the putter through impact. Because they couldn't measure the exact position of the face relative to the path, what they called square was really a little open to the path. It was hard to explain to them, as feel is real to the tour player and many didn't like the idea or thought of a cut stroke. Even though it is not really a cut stroke because of the elliptical nature of the path. The visual appearance of an arc happens when the putter is no where near the proximity of the golf ball. So if you judge path by the follow through you think 1 or 2 degrees is huge. Look at this diagram. While the face is square to the target line it is open to the path of the putter at impact (blue circle). But try telling that to a successful tour player.

For me the proof came when we started to look at a number of putters built by one famous builder. Many of the grips coming out of his studio were placed so if the flat spot was on top, the face was slightly open 1 or 2 degrees. So if you can picture the putter coming off the bottom of your arc and starting to swing left as it comes into the ball you can picture how an open setting of the grip would help hold the face square to the target. If the putter is moving 2 degrees left of the target at impact, then the putter face should be 2 degrees open to the path to be square to the target. Picture the grip of the putter parallel to the red line. If it was installed "open" the face would be in this position.

When I started to point this out in my travels, there was a bit of a commotion. Not from the players, they were aware and liked the idea of making a left miss more difficult. The commotion came from the perfectionist instructors and players who thought the perfect stroke would make you better.

My recommendation for right now is to develop a complete understanding of your stroke without the pressure of results. Use your outline and try to get a picture of your stroke and release pattern. You will find when the new putter comes there will be some adjustment, that is why I would rather you set results aside and just judge the movement. Think, "What pattern of putting stroke is best suited to my new putter?" The new putter will help you take care of the rest.

Bruce