A Few Putting Tips

"Drive for Show, Putt for Dough"

Here are a few tips and some insight from former Division 1 college golfer Patrick Stephenson that can help high-handicap golfers improve their game and lower scores.

As the saying goes, "drive for show, putt for dough." If you want to beat your buddies and become a feared weekend warrior on the course, you need to have excellent putting skills. But fear not, we're here to provide you with putting tips that will help you become a better player. 

Fundamentals are something you hear about a lot in golf and it can be very cliche.  However, we hope this blog brings you some value and gives you a better understanding of the putting grip, putting stance, and putting stroke!

1. The Grip

The first fundamental of putting is the grip. A good grip will ensure that the putter face stays square to the target, and you'll be able to control the speed and direction of your putts. When you grip the putter, make sure your grip pressure is light but still in control, and the grip is running diagonally across the base of your fingers. 

As you can see when you watch professional golf, there are many ways that you can grip the putter.

Examples Include:

-Traditional

-Cross Handed

-Claw

-Pencil

-Armlock

When choosing a grip, the only things that truly matter are that the grip feels comfortable and that you grip the putter the same way every time as consistency in putting is absolutely key. If the grip is not comfortable to you, it is almost impossible to grip the club the same way on every putt. As well as helping with consistency, choosing a comfortable grip can give you a lot of confidence; if you think the way you are gripping the putter makes you putt better, then it definitely does!

If you are unsure of how to grip the putter in a certain way, ask your club professional as they all have a ton of experience with all of these options.

1. Stance

The second fundamental is stance. You should stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your weight should be distributed 60% on your front foot and 40% on your back foot. Your eyes should be directly over the ball, your elbows should be tucked into your rib-cage, and your shoulders should be parallel to your target line.

Once again, just like grip, consistency is by far the most important thing when it comes to stance.  There are many ways that good putters set up to the ball but the one thing they all have in common is that they set up the exact same way every time. 

The easiest way to get a correct setup everyone for a beginning golfer is the following process:

1. Stand up straight with the putter.

2. Extend your arms and putter straight out in front of you.

3. Keeping the putter straight out in front of you, pull your elbows in so that they are lightly touching your rib cage. 

4. Now, without moving your arms, hinge at the hips until the putter is flush with the ground. 

5. Congratulations, you have achieved the textbook setup!!

1. Stroke

The third fundamental is stroke. Your stroke should be smooth and pendulum-like, with your arms and shoulders working together to create a consistent and athletic motion. The putter should stay low to the ground, and you should follow through to ensure that the ball rolls smoothly and at the right speed.  We have reviewed many of history's greatest putters and they all have the following six things in common:

1. Lower body is extremely stable- In putting, to create a consistent roll, you want to have the fewest moving parts possible.  Your hips, knees, and legs should not move in your stoke.

2. Elbow angle does not change- In analyzing the best putters of all time we noticed that their elbow angle at address stayed exactly the same throughout their stroke.

3. Head stays still- None of the great putters that we analyzed moved their heads until the ball was gone for at least two seconds.  An easy way to do this is to count to two after each putt before looking up.  Push back against the temptation to see where that ball is going!

4. Butt of the club points at nothing but the navel- the butt of the club should point at your navel throughout the entire stroke, just like a true pendulum would.

5. Timing- this one is a little hard to measure without the appropriate technology but every great putter we studied had a backstroke of 0.6 seconds and a forward stroke of 0.3. This surprisingly was the same whether they were hitting a 3-footer or 40-footer. If you want to see where you currently are at, the Blast golf system is a very good and cost-effective option.

6. Path- every putter we analyzed stroked the putter on a small arc.  They took the putter slightly inside in the backstroke and returned it to slightly inside on the through stroke. A great training aid for this is the Putting Arc.

Practice is essential when it comes to improving your putting skills. Spend time on the practice green, experimenting with different grips, stances, and stroke techniques. Make sure you practice both long and short putts, as well as uphill and downhill putts.  Be athletic and even though these fundamentals are important, it is vital to remember that this is still a sport and you need to use some athleticism and feel.

Remember, putting is a skill that takes time and effort to develop, but with practice and the right fundamentals, you can lower your handicap and beat your buddies on the course. If you need more putting help, contact your local pro as they could help you create a plan for success!