The Correct Speed of the Putt

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Most golfers read the greens but don't think about how the speed of the putt affects the breaking putts. Putts with slower speed tend to break more. On the other hand, if the putt has more speed, it will break less. So you need to think about how you want to roll it in the hole.

 

Most amateurs tend to leave the putt short of the hole from 10 feet. Pros don't usually leave it short from this distance. According to Dave Pelz, the correct speed of the putt is the one that goes 17 inches past the hole if it doesn't go in.

 

Ben Crenshaw, Boby Jones and Jack Nicklaus were putting it 4 inches past the hole. Cristie Kerr who led the LPGA Tour in putts per green hit in regulation multiple times said that the putt has the best chance of dropping when it would go a foot by a cup if it doesn't go in.

 

I'm not here to discuss which method is correct. But if you are leaving it short most of the time like other amateurs, you might want to think about the speed of the putt.

The Good Drill to Lean the Pace
Here is the good drill for controlling the pace or speed of the putt.

This drill is used by Cristie Kerr and is very good drill to learn distance control.
1. Lay a club down 1 1/2 feet beyond the hole
2. Hit putts. Try to roll the ball up to the shaft without actually hitting it
 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/putting-correct-speed.htm

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Ben Crenshaw's Putting Advice

Ben Crenshaw is known as one of the best putters in the history of golf. I don't know anybody who has smoother putting stroke than Ben Crenshaw. He said 9 out of 10 golfers are gripping the putter too strong.

 

If you grip it lighter, you will start to feel the weight of the putter head. And this will let you take smooth putting stroke. The tendency under pressure is to hold it too tightly. So make consious effort to grip it softer.

 

Here are Ben's Crenshaw's two key points for putting.

 

1. Speed is more important than line

Lots of golfers worry too much about how much the putt will break and forget about the speed. If you pay attention to the speed, your putts might start to fall more often.

 

2. Don't try to look like anyone else

Havey Penick who has a Crenshaw's coach for a long time said "you never want to try to look like anyone else when putting."

 

Once you stand on the green, try to forget about all the technical stuff that you learned. Instead, try to focus on the putter face and the weight of your putter head.

 

It's important to learn techniques in putting. But on th e course, feel becomes more important in putting.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/ben-crenshaw-putting-advice.htm

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How to Hit Fast Downhill Putts

The tendency when putting downhill on fast greens is to hit it too much past the hole. There are many ways to hit this putt. One of those ways is to grip down on the putter.

 

When you grip down on the putter for long putts, you must take much bigger stroke so this won't work so well for so long and middle putts. But for short delicate putts from downhill, gripping down on the club will work well.

 

You can try to grip down a few inches or more. Try to practice it at home and see how it will work for you.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/fast-downhill-putt.htm

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The Drill to Control Distance with a Putter

Average players seem to struggle with controlling distance on the green. One of the reason is the lack of practice. Hitting a long putt over and over for practice is fine. But there is a better way to practice your distance control. First, start with a middle distance such as 7 feet or so. Next, try to putt to the hole but don't make it.

 

Stop the ball right befire you can putt the ball near the cup. The key is to start from middle distance. If you find it hard from7 feet, try 5 feet or less. As you gain confidence, move further away from the hole and try the drill. This is also good drill to work on right before you tee off.

 

How Women's Best Player Practiced Her Putting

Annika Sorenstam is known as one of the best female golfers in the history of golf. Until the 2000 season, she wasn't paying too  much attention to her putting. Like most amateurs, she said she didn't realize the importance of putting. But after watching Karrie Web win multiple majors and lots of tournaments in 1999 and 2000, Annika finally decided to devote more time practicing her putting to keep up with Karrie Web.

 

The interesting thing is that she didn't change her mechanics much. But instead, she spent lots of time working on speed and distance control. She would hit 50 to 100 putts with her right hand only. And then she would try to lag two dozen 30-footers to within a putter's length to the cup. If she missed one, she would start all over again.

 

On the next seaon, she quickly got some good results. She won 4 straight tournaments including the major. During the season, she went to earn $2,105,868. I don't say you have to practice as much as she did. But instead of trying hard to work on your mechanics, working on speed and distance control  might give you much better results. Hitting putts with your right hand only is a great putting that is used by lots of tour players including Tiger Woods.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/distance-control-putter.htm

 

 

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How to Stop Pulling Putts

Pulling putts is one of the commons mistakes you see among average players. Most of the time, players either look up to see the ball rolling or try to guide the ball toward the cup. Even the pros sometimes make this kind of mistake. Payne Stewart said he tried to keep his head down to avoid looking up during the final round of the 1999 U.S. Open. He putted so well on that day and won the tournament.

 

Lots of teachers might tell you to keep your head down. It's important to keep that in your mind. But I think it's much more important that you pay attention to the face angle through impact. The  face angle is much more important than the stroke or swing path in putting. If you can focus on the face angle through impact, you will keep your head down as a result.

 

Right Shoulder Moving toward the Ball

When you pull your putts, your right shoulder moves toward the ball on the downswing. If you can stop your right shoulder from moving toward the ball, you will be able to stop pulling putts.

 

Here is a good drill.

1. Set up to the ball as usual

2. Now, take your left hand off the grip and put it on your right shoulder

3. Hit putts with your right hand only

 

Make sure that your right shoulder does not move forward. By putting with your right hand only, you can't manipulate the stroke with your hands. To hit the putts consistently with your right hand only, you need to use the weight of the putter head and swing with a pendulum motion. This is really good drill to help you achieve more consistent putting stroke.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/stop-pulling-putts.htm

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Jack Nicklaus: 5 Secrets to Putting

Jack Nicklaus is known as one of the best putters in the history of golf. He seemed to make all the crucial putts to win major tournaments. His putting style is unorthodox, but I think we can learn a lot of things from him. Here are Jack's 5 keys to putting.

 

1. Open Stance

He had the open stance. His feet are open to the target. He felt that he could see the line better this way, The common mistake among average players is to aim too far to the right at address and pull the putt. To avoid this, aim your putter face first before taking your stance. If you set your body first, you will tend to aim your body to the target. So set your putter face first.

 

2. Right Shoulder

Jack's right shoulder was lower than left at address. Because we place our right lower than the left to grip the putter, the right shoulder should also be lower than the left shoulder at address. However, some teachers will tell you to keep your shoulders level with the ground for consistent putting stroke.

 

But if you do this, I think you'll pull lots of putts left of the hole. If you try to avoid pulling putts, you will leave the face open through impact and push the putt. In putting, your right shoulder should be little than your left shoulder at address.

 

3. His Eyes and Head Position

At address, he was setting his head behind the ball. He positioned his ball little forward of center. During the putting stroke, he tried to keep his head behind the ball. His eyes were directly over the target line. I think by positioning his eyes over the target line, he was seeing the line better.

 

4. The Position of His Hands

His hands were in front of his length. This is little more ahead than normal. Most tour pros have their hands more toward the inside of their left thigh. He had his shaft tilted forward. If you feel like you are pulling lots of putts, try to copy Jack's hands position. Make sure to tilt your shaft forward at address. This will help you prevent pulling putts.

 

5. Hit it on the Upswing

He hit the ball just after the lowest point of his putting stroke. This means he was hitting the ball on the upswing. I think he felt he could roll the ball much better that way. The easy way to roll the ball better is to try to hit the top half of the ball at impact. Give it a try. I think you will see the better results.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/nicklaus-putting-secrets.htm

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How to Control Distance or Pace with Your Putter

Amateurs usually struggle to control distance with their putter. The reason is obviosly lack of practice. But even if you practice long putts over and over, you might still have problems with distance  control. Today, I'd like to share some tips to help you control distance with a putter.

 

Use Your Right Hand for More Feel

Tiger Woods said for right handed player, you have better feel in that hand than you do in your left hand. Therefore, you should control the pace of a putt with your right hand. Controlling distance on the green is like rolling the ball toward the cup with your hand. So I try use my right hand for controlling distance on the grreens because I get the better sense of distance with my right hand. Lots of teachers teach their students to use their shoulders during the puttting stroke for consistency.

 

By using your shoulders and moving them back and forth to hit the putt, you will get consistent putting stroke. But when you focus on your shoulders or the movement of your shoulders too much, you will lose the sense of distance or the feel.

 

For a better sense of distance, I think you should focus more on your right hand or fingers in your right hand. When you hit a putt, try to focus on your right hand and the fingers of your right hand. Hitting putts with your right hand only is good practice to help you do that.

 

Start from a Short Distance

When you think about practicing distance control, you probably start hitting long putts. But I think you should start with a short distance instead. Start with 3 feet from the cup. Usually, you will putt the ball with good speed from this distance. But I want you to putt it so that the ball just barely drops in the hole.

 

When you become confident from 3 feet, you should try from 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet and so on. But don't move on the next until you become confident with the distance you are practicing. This is good practice before you tee off as well. Before you tee off, you should go to the practice green and hit putts from 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet and so on. This will give you much better results than hitting long putts over and over.

 

Feel the Weight of the Ball

Some teachers might tell you to control distance by changing the length of your putting stroke. For longer putts, you need to take a longer stroke. For short putts. you need much shorter stroke. With this method, you control distance by adjusting the length of your stroke. This may work for some players, but the problem with this method is that the speed of the putter head may change depending on how fast you swing your putter head. So I think that adjusting the length of your stroke to control distance with your putter is difficult for most players. Try to feel the weight of the golf ball as you strike the ball. It is more important in putting than mechanics.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/short-game/how-to-control-distance.htm

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