LETTER FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
The 2nd Ingredient for “ Making the Putt Pie ”: Direction Last month we discussed the first ingredient for “ making the putt pie ” where we laid the foundation for better putting with getting into setup fundamentals . Once a solid and fundamentally sound setup is obtained the next step is to be able to get the ball in the hole from short range . In order to be able to make a short putt the face of the putter must be able to be properly aimed , and the ball must roll on a line end over end .
Well that sounds easy in theory , but for every ½ inch the putter face is open or closed from 10 feet , the ball will miss the hole by 6 inches . So to make sure the putter is hitting the ball square , the easiest way is to start with your putter faced square to the intended target . Well this where a putting mirror is a great tool , not only will it give you feedback on your set up , where your eyes are in relation to the ball , but it also has a helpful horizontal line to make sure putter face starts square . Once the putter is square to the target and the face is properly aimed to the hole , now it time to make the ball roll end over end toward the hole . Again sounds easy in theory , but often overlooked . With our square putter face it ’ s now time to roll some balls . So we ’ ll start with the easiest way possible to focus outward towards the target , and not on the ball . The ball is the equipment used to play the game . The old saying “ the ball gets in the way of the swing ” is one of the truest sayings in the game of golf , and simply means that the swing motion is more important than the ball .
So now our setup is sound , putter face is square , and we ’ re focused on getting putter face through the ball not at the ball , it ’ s time to roll some short 3-foot putts and see if the putts are on line and rolling . Once the putter goes into motion we are going to keep the putter face square to the arc .
That sounds complicated but it busts a common myth , putters don ’ t necessarily go “ straight back and straight through the stroke is on a slight arc . Some mallet putters are face balanced to promote less arc , where to balanced blade putters promote more arc in the stroke . But once you own your putting stroke then picking the right putter will become more important . It will be important later , but while practicing focus left arm pulling putter back , and right hand pushing and dominating the putting stroke . This will promote your natural arc , everyone ’ s stroke will be different , but you should dominate your follow through with dominent hand and you should feel as if dominant hand is accelerating putter . A great drill to improve setting up the putter face square and making it roll is setting up two balls touching each other about 3 feet from the hole , and making sure the putter is striking the ball square , thus building a better feel of keeping putter face square to the arc .
Well with a sound setup , start putter face square and get the ball rolling down the line , we only have one more ingredient to cover to pick more balls up out of the bottom of the cup . Putting is a skill that every golfer can improve upon , and is essential for reducing scores , which is every golfers goal !
Ben Johnson
PGA , Teaching Professional
NOVEMBER eaglebrooke newsletter 5