Putting is a pretty fickle thing…
Some days you really are putting for dough…
The next you are throwing tantrums like a 3 year old…
Putting can make you crazy.
One time, Rich came up from Florida to visit and we headed out to my country club. We played 9 holes of drawback and I absolutely schooled him.
I even made a one-putt on one of those little tiny holes they cut to help your aim. So, he suggested we take a break and grab a drink.
If you know me, you know I can’t hold my liquor… of any amount.
We come back out and play 9 more holes… and it was as if I had never putted in my life… and I only had a few sips!
Anyway… this article is about fine-tuning your putting so you have more good days than bad days on the green.
Once you develop a semi-grooved swing and putting stroke, you can then use your results… to improve.
Let me ask you an important question…
What’s your consistent miss on putting?
Long or short?
Right or left?
You should have two answers there… for me, I miss short and to the right.
In our No More 3 Putts Challenge (NM3P), we work pretty hard on distance control and have quite a few drills to fix short putts.
As for missing to the right or left, that requires a bit more digging… and a mirror.
Misses are usually 99% of the time caused by your setup position.
If you have a poor setup, you need to hit the NM3P and use our GTG techniques to build a good setup.
/—— BEGIN RANT ——/
When fixing problems, i am a big fan of the Claude and Butch Harmon school of thought. Let’s start at the very beginning and work our way through… any other way is just a band-aid approach. If any chain at the beginning is off, it will throw the entire remaining sequence out of sorts.
That’s why I hate “tip of the day” shows… for one, they use the band-aid approach… and second, they are doing golfers a big disservice. Go ahead, fix the chain in the wrong sequence… and you’ll keep doing what you’ve been doing since you started watching those shows.
/—— END RANT ——/
The thing I am most proud about with my students is their ability to fix their own game. With some simple guidance and checks, I’ve given them the tools they need to self correct “on the fly”.
This is huge… during a tournament, a big money round, or when you are shooting the round of your life – you need to be able to self-correct any issues that pop up.
If you don’t know your consistent miss, head to the putting green and play 36 holes. Take notes and be brutally honest with yourself. Now, let’s get to work…
PUTTING MISS CHECKLIST
Check #1: Your Grip
I know there are a ton of new grips out there like the “claw” and many others. I’m going to assume you are putting using a conventional grip.
Your palms must face each other with your thumbs riding down the top of the putter grip in a neutral position.
Missing to the right?
If your hands are on the left side of the grip, you will tend to push putts out to the right. Basically a slice grip.
Missing to the left?
Make sure your hands aren’t too far on the right side of the grip, think of this as a hook grip. Your putter-face simply closes and creates a mini-hook.
Further, make sure one hand is not more dominant or weaker than the other. We are looking for a good marriage here.
Check #2: Position From The Ball
Missing to the right?
Too far away from the ball and your stroke will be in to out (miss right).
Missing to the left?
Too close to the ball and your stroke will be out to in (miss left).
For me, I’m tall… so I like to get my eyes directly over the ball and a little behind. You can check this position by dropping a ball from your eyes down… from there, I just let my arms hang down.
This works for me on giving me the proper distance from the ball. We could get into studying tour pro’s and such… but unless your body is built like a tour pro, there’s no point in that. Jack Nicklaus has some good instructional on finding this position too.
Check #3: Ball Position
This one is pretty obvious… and it will affect your stroke just as much as Check #2 will.
You have a perfect place for your ball. It’s unique to you… and you need to experiment to find it. In our chipping modules, we call this our “GOLO” point. For putting, I haven’t come up with any catchy names yet… so hit reply if you think of one.
Missing to the right?
Your ball position may be too far back. The putter face is open when striking the ball.
Missing to the left?
Your ball position may be too close to the hole. This will result in a closed face.
Fortunately, this one is easy to check. Just have a buddy stand behind you as you line up a 5′ or 8′ putt. Now, put a ball down where it feels comfortable to you and take your stance.
Ask your buddy if you are aimed at the hole or to the right or left. If your aim is off here, Try adjust the ball position until you are taking dead aim.
I’m told that a 1″ issue here equates to misses of 3″ from 10′.
Check #4: Pre-Putt Routine
If you’ve listened to our tamed golf pro, you know this is a big deal… a BIG DEAL. You need to take notes and plan out a routine that you do every single time you putt. This will help ensure you stay square at setup. It will also build confidence.
If you haven’t created a PPR (Pre-Putt Routine), make sure you do that and stick with it. You can practice a PPR in your living room floor. There is no excuse.
Bonus: Increase Your Grip Size
A larger grip helps minimize the wrist action of putting. I improved almost immediately by increasing the size of my putter grip. It gave me a good base so I could get Check #1 solid every single time.
I have a few putter grips, but I really like the mid-size SuperStroke.
Talk soon,
Chris “caught putting at night with the Dean’s daughter” Henning
P.S. If you more instruction like this, click here to check out our No More 3 Putts Challenge. There’s no better time of the year than right now to start working on your putting.
I’ve cut the price from $97 to $37, but after this weekend, it’s going to $197… you read that right. So grab it now before the price goes up for good.
You’ll get expert instruction from Rich and I and can ask us all the questions you want… even send us video’s of your putting and we’ll critique.
You can slash 3 putts dramatically here.
