Lesson #2
May 5th 2019
So with your putting stroke I noticed your posture looked a little hunched over but I don’t believe I addressed this because your eyes were still over the ball. I think once we get your elbows more in front of your chest so they can work together on the same plane as your feet, knees, shoulders, then we will see your posture not be so hunched over the ball. I also pointed out how high your putter head finishes after your stroke. All great putters finish low to the ground with a 2:1 tempo ration to ensure there is no deceleration. We can see from face on that I adjusted your shaft at address but after a practice stroke you re-adjusted back to your old setup. When the shaft leans backwards it adds loft to the putter and encourages the shoulders to “rock” rather than rotating around your spine. You can tell the shoulders are “rocking” because of the head movement, if they were rotating around the spine then the head would stay much steadier. (click on photos to enlarge)
We continued to work on a 3 foot straight putt in order to get accurate feedback and on the stroke itself. An alignment stick and some tee’s for a gate help train the path. You may also want to put a tee in front of the ball and behind the ball as reference points for the length of your stroke. Same length back and through is my preference as long as you always have a 2:1 tempo. This let’s you be able to control distance much easier. Again we see the shoulders “rocking” and the shaft leaning back. A fundamental of all Tour players putting stroke is that the putter is de-lofted at impact and the putter head is moving upwards every so slightly so contact is made on the equator of the ball to ensure the ball gets rolling forward immediately and not have any side spin. Which means, the shaft should be leaning towards the target or at least straight up and down at the moment of impact where your’s is leaning backwards. (click on photos to enlarge)
Then we worked on a variety of putts of different length and slope. The focus here is from 10 feet and in. Those are the money putts that convert birdie opportunities and clutch par saves to keep the round going. From 10-15 feet on the PGA Tour they hole out less than 50% of the time. There are so many outside factors that can influence your putt from outside a certain range. Wind, grain, mounds, ball marks, patchy grass, inconsistent greens etc. Be the best from uphill, downhill, sidehill putts from 10 feet and in, and you will be very hard to beat. When you’re not 10 feet and in switch your focus to speed control. If you’re not in range to convert the par save or birdie chance then avoid 3 putting and move on to the next hole. This is the fastest way to shave strokes of your rounds. Eliminate 3 putts and become a master of speed control.
More of the same stuff here. You can see the putter shaft change planes quite a bit on the left, from start to finish. Putter face is pointing left of the ball which tells me its closed going back because it has to be if you “rock your shoulders” which then makes you compensate by dragging the handle and pushing the face out to the right. The shoulders need to rotate around the spine to produce a natural arc seen above and the putter head needs to release through the ball with a low finish. If you don’t believe me, listen to one of the best putters of all time down below! Also a bonus clip of DJ for reference. Happy Practicing!(click on photos to enlarge)
Practice Plan:
Practice mechanics, technical drills at least 15-20 minutes everyday. This can be done at home.
Practice Task drills at least once a week (3 putts made from 3-10 feet varying slope)
Practice speed control from 20-40 feet at least once a week. (Hit 20 putts inside a 3 foot circle around the hole)