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 Back
in the '80s when I was on the LPGA Tour, I constantly worked
on my putting. I made thousands of putts every week and as
a result was a very good putter. I was so confident in my
putting skills that my mantra was "if I've got a putter in
my hand, I can make it."
Now, over
10 years later, I still live by the same mantra. But as a
full time teaching pro and a person with an otherwise very
active life, I almost NEVER practice my putting. Yet I am
still a great putter in spite of the lack of time spent on
the practice green. My secret to remaining a good putter?
The answer lies in two parts. First, I never have general targets on the
putting green; they are always very specific. Second, I never stand over
the ball on a long putt and think to myself, "just get it close." To me
that is the kiss of death, a negative thought in disguise that reveals a
fear of missing short putts. 99 times out of 100, I will go for it.
Those
are mental thoughts you say. What about mechanics? I rarely
work on them now because it isn't necessary. Here's my secret
to putting. When you combine the following with being target
focused, you have a practically no-fail solution to just about
any putting woe.
It's all
very simple. Keep the face of the putter moving towards the
target at impact and the first six inches or so after impact.
Common sense you say? Yes, but no one ever thinks of it. They
spend their time worrying about their back swing/stroke and
all the tedious little details of putting mechanics: triangles
and pendulums and firm wrists.
None of
that really matters if you are focused on taking the face
of the putter towards the target at impact and the first few
inches after. And by "towards the target" I mean two things.
First, the putter must be moving straight down the target
line. (Fig. 1) Not left or right of the target line, (Fig.
2) but straight towards the target.
Second,
the face of the putter must be "looking" at the target. That
means it is moving perpendicular to the target line. This
part is very important because it is possible to keep the
putter moving straight towards the target but the face can
be up in the air. (Fig. 3) That will cause a weak hit. Think
that there is an eye on the face of your putter and at the
moment of impact, it must be looking directly at the target.
That means the putter is low to the ground and the face is
perpendicular to the target line.
And that's
it. Too good to be true you say? No, not really. Think about
the practical aspects of this kind of approach. Number one,
you are target focused. By being so specific with your target,
you are sending a very clear signal to your brain as to what
you intend to do. Second, the brain loves to have something
very specific to swing/stroke towards. And since the brain
wants symmetry in the swing, it will figure out the easiest
and most efficient way to take the putter back in order to
follow through directly towards your target.
That eliminates worrying about swing path on the backstroke.
Next,
if you are concentrating on following through towards your
target, keeping the face of the putter low and perpendicular
to the target line, you will not be able to break or twist
your wrists. (Figs. 4 & 5) This will automatically perform
your follow through mechanics for you. The amazing thing is,
you weren't even thinking about them. Instead, you were thinking
about making the putt.
It's so
easy it is almost scary.
 A
couple of cautions. Remember that your target is not necessarily
the hole. The target is where you are aiming in order to allow
the putt to break into the hole. If it’s a straight putt,
a specific target will lead to more accurate alignment as
well as a more efficient through stroke. Also, once you have
picked your target, do remember to take the time to visualize
your ball starting towards the target, then curving towards
the hole, and dropping over the lip.
Second,
to ensure acceleration, your follow through should be a little
longer than the length of your back stroke. So do not try
to follow through straight down your target line for more
than about six inches after contact with the ball. This will
cause you to move your body drastically, which will cause
a variety of errors. (Fig.6) After a few inches, depending
on the
length of the putt, the putter will move inside the target
line as well as lift up into the air. So please don't take
me too literally on the through stroke part.
So that's
it, my secret to great putting. Be target focused, and follow
through where you are aiming. It's that simple. You can practice
this on the putting green first, however this is an easy one
to take to the course. I'll warn you though; you'd better
be prepared to stop whining about all those missed putts.
And you might as well get ready to watch your handicap drop,
because My Secret to Putting will definitely help to make
that a reality.
Good luck
and have fun making all those putts!
©
Melissa Whitmire Happiness in Golf
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