Brian Manzella
Administrator
Rolling the rock.
When I give putting lessons-which golfers take far too few of-it amazes me how little golfers know about what the putter should do during the putting stroke. Regardless of how you grip it, or how you stand to it, the putter should do five very important things.
Solid contact is the most important element. The middle of the putter face should contact the middle of the ball (or slightly above the middle). 99.9% of all putters on the market today are what are called 'low-profile' putters. What this means is that the putter face height is lower than the height of the ball. By a lot.
(PIC 1)
That means that for the middle of the putter face to contact the middle of the ball, the putter head MUST be raised at impact.
There are two options for this to occur. You either have to pull inward with your arms or elbows during the stroke or you can start with the putter at the proper height. As radical as the latter seems, it is employed by two current Champions Tour players who had some outstanding success as golfers (and putters): Jay Sigel and Don Pooley.
A good way to practice this is to place four quarters on the ground behind the ball.
(PIC 2)
Either address the ball by hovering the putter slightly above the quarters or by placing the putter on the ground behind the quarters. Then make your stroke, hitting the ball without contacting the quarters.
Getting the putter the right height at impact is all for naught if the putter shaft is not leaning slightly forward at impact. If you have the shaft vertical at impact you had better have a putter with next to no loft on it to get the solid strike we are seeking. If the putter shaft is leaning backward and the putter head is on the 'upswing' at impact, the middle of the face will miss the middle of the ball by a lot.
(PIC 3)
The proper application is slight forward lean of the shaft at impact (PIC 2).
These first two important elements-forward leaning shaft and center or above contact on the ball-are interestingly nearly always present on the most nonchalant of putting strokes: the 'rake-in.' You know, when you have missed your putt slightly wide and long and you reach the putter out (usually with one arm) and rake/stroke the ball in the hole. It always amazed me how many of these 'putts' go in as compared to the 'knuckle-down' two to three footer that meant something. But it is obvious why this is in the context of what we have just discussed on ideal contact.
The 'rake-in' impact
(PIC 4)
contacts the ball above center with forward lean where the 'knuckle-down' putt that is 'yipped' and missed is often contacted below center with the clubshaft 'laying back' (PIC 3).
The third must is for the 'path' of the stroke to be 'on-plane.' There are two camps of putting paths these days. Camp one lead by Dave Pelz believes the putter head should travel straight back and straight through during the stroke. Pelz and others have been the dominant 'authorities' with this methodology for nearly 20 years. The other camp teaches that the putter should make a curved path that swings back to the inside, returns to the ball and then swings through to the inside. This camp is led by new putting 'guru' Stan Utley. I have long known that this is the most effective stroke, because the shaft is on an incline at address and it should swing back and through on this incline just like any other golf stroke chip to full drive.
There are many new devices that are on the market to assist you in making a curved stroke with your putter, but a simple understanding of why the putter head curves to the starting line of the putt will allow you to construct a homemade training aid for this type of stroke in a few seconds.
If the putter (or any other club) rests on an imaginary inclined plane, like a roof, and the ball is in the gutter, the putter will swing back --up the roof--- to the inside of the gutter-line. As it returns to the ball it will get back on that line and through the ball again swing up the roof and inside the gutter.
So an overhead view of this 'path' would show the putter making a curved path.
To practice this on-plane motion, simply find a flat board and rest the putter head against the board at address. Place the ball opposite the 'sweetspot' of the putter. This sweetspot is the small area on the face that if the ball is struck on the face will not twist. You can test for this spot by holding the putter in the air at the grip with two fingers and tapping the putter head with your finger until the 'no-twist- spot is found.
(PIC 5)
Hitting the ball on this no-twist area is the fourth key element to great putting.
The on-plane stroke is made by lightly scraping the heel of the putter against the 'plane board.'
(PIC 6)
Your putter will make the perfect curved path every time. Practice makes permanent.
The final must is to have the face of the putter perpendicular to the plane at all times during the stroke. If your puter has a 'square' heel area, make sure this stays completely on the board (PIC 6). This will assure that when the ball leaves the putter (when the shaft is vertical) the ball will travel perfectly on the intended line.
Combined with the perfect contact of the middle of the putter face contact the middle (or slightly higher) of the ball with a forward leaning shaft on the sweetspot, and you will 'roll-the-rock' with the best of them.[8D]
When I give putting lessons-which golfers take far too few of-it amazes me how little golfers know about what the putter should do during the putting stroke. Regardless of how you grip it, or how you stand to it, the putter should do five very important things.
Solid contact is the most important element. The middle of the putter face should contact the middle of the ball (or slightly above the middle). 99.9% of all putters on the market today are what are called 'low-profile' putters. What this means is that the putter face height is lower than the height of the ball. By a lot.
(PIC 1)
That means that for the middle of the putter face to contact the middle of the ball, the putter head MUST be raised at impact.
There are two options for this to occur. You either have to pull inward with your arms or elbows during the stroke or you can start with the putter at the proper height. As radical as the latter seems, it is employed by two current Champions Tour players who had some outstanding success as golfers (and putters): Jay Sigel and Don Pooley.
A good way to practice this is to place four quarters on the ground behind the ball.
(PIC 2)
Either address the ball by hovering the putter slightly above the quarters or by placing the putter on the ground behind the quarters. Then make your stroke, hitting the ball without contacting the quarters.
Getting the putter the right height at impact is all for naught if the putter shaft is not leaning slightly forward at impact. If you have the shaft vertical at impact you had better have a putter with next to no loft on it to get the solid strike we are seeking. If the putter shaft is leaning backward and the putter head is on the 'upswing' at impact, the middle of the face will miss the middle of the ball by a lot.
(PIC 3)
The proper application is slight forward lean of the shaft at impact (PIC 2).
These first two important elements-forward leaning shaft and center or above contact on the ball-are interestingly nearly always present on the most nonchalant of putting strokes: the 'rake-in.' You know, when you have missed your putt slightly wide and long and you reach the putter out (usually with one arm) and rake/stroke the ball in the hole. It always amazed me how many of these 'putts' go in as compared to the 'knuckle-down' two to three footer that meant something. But it is obvious why this is in the context of what we have just discussed on ideal contact.
The 'rake-in' impact
(PIC 4)
contacts the ball above center with forward lean where the 'knuckle-down' putt that is 'yipped' and missed is often contacted below center with the clubshaft 'laying back' (PIC 3).
The third must is for the 'path' of the stroke to be 'on-plane.' There are two camps of putting paths these days. Camp one lead by Dave Pelz believes the putter head should travel straight back and straight through during the stroke. Pelz and others have been the dominant 'authorities' with this methodology for nearly 20 years. The other camp teaches that the putter should make a curved path that swings back to the inside, returns to the ball and then swings through to the inside. This camp is led by new putting 'guru' Stan Utley. I have long known that this is the most effective stroke, because the shaft is on an incline at address and it should swing back and through on this incline just like any other golf stroke chip to full drive.
There are many new devices that are on the market to assist you in making a curved stroke with your putter, but a simple understanding of why the putter head curves to the starting line of the putt will allow you to construct a homemade training aid for this type of stroke in a few seconds.
If the putter (or any other club) rests on an imaginary inclined plane, like a roof, and the ball is in the gutter, the putter will swing back --up the roof--- to the inside of the gutter-line. As it returns to the ball it will get back on that line and through the ball again swing up the roof and inside the gutter.
So an overhead view of this 'path' would show the putter making a curved path.
To practice this on-plane motion, simply find a flat board and rest the putter head against the board at address. Place the ball opposite the 'sweetspot' of the putter. This sweetspot is the small area on the face that if the ball is struck on the face will not twist. You can test for this spot by holding the putter in the air at the grip with two fingers and tapping the putter head with your finger until the 'no-twist- spot is found.
(PIC 5)
Hitting the ball on this no-twist area is the fourth key element to great putting.
The on-plane stroke is made by lightly scraping the heel of the putter against the 'plane board.'
(PIC 6)
Your putter will make the perfect curved path every time. Practice makes permanent.
The final must is to have the face of the putter perpendicular to the plane at all times during the stroke. If your puter has a 'square' heel area, make sure this stays completely on the board (PIC 6). This will assure that when the ball leaves the putter (when the shaft is vertical) the ball will travel perfectly on the intended line.
Combined with the perfect contact of the middle of the putter face contact the middle (or slightly higher) of the ball with a forward leaning shaft on the sweetspot, and you will 'roll-the-rock' with the best of them.[8D]
