The CSGA Links Volume 5 Issue 2 June 2017 | Page 11

Think of those par saving putts from 5 to 10-feet. You need to get them on line and you may notice that
you have a tendency to push or pull these pressure putts. It would certainly be a good idea to find out
if there is a set-up, posture, aim or mechanical reason for this. I see all kinds of reasons for the putts to
not start on line. Poor aim, a misperception of where the golfer is aimed, a stroke that is manipulated,
trying to guide the putter through the stroke, over acceleration and so on.
Once any chronic issue is resolved I would encourage you to follow the instructions in the video. Miss
a putt intentionally to the right, then to the left. Was there a feeling that stood out? Some golfers will
get a feeling in one hand or another, perhaps a forearm that feels different in order to pull or push the
ball off the line that you have chosen. Now that you can feel what putts to the left and right feel like,
your brain is very capable of finding the “middle”.
Think of it this way: A person walks onto a putting green for the first time. They have never hit a putt
in their life. The quickest way for them to figure out how to hit a putt the right distance would be to hit
a putt and adjust. If the first one goes too far, hit the second one too short. Now the new golfer has a
reference of how to hit the third putt the proper distance. A player that regularly hits the ball with an
open club face needs to feel what closed is like before he/she can find square.
Using your practice session to understand what the proper and improper putting stroke feels like. Hit
some bad shots in your practice sessions and save some more of those perfect shots for the golf course.
George Connor has been teaching and coaching golfers of all abilities since
1989. The two-time Connecticut PGA Teacher of the Year runs the Golf Channel
Academy at Farmington Woods GC in Avon, CT, and also teaches out of Keney
Park Golf Course in Hartford, CT. George’s student’s include Division 1 College
Players, Professional Players, State Amateur Champions, Club Champions as well
as beginners and intermediate players.
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CSGA Links // June, 2017 | 11