Dan's Papers - August 15, 2008

If you were to test a hundred random people at the local mall, a large percentage have the ability make a 10-foot putt. Putting is very personal and there are many different ways to get the ball in the hole. Over the years I have encountered hundreds of different grips, stances, and putters. Regardless of the style, the ball goes in the hole because all great putters have a few fundamentals in common. Here is how they putt.

Proper posture is essential to allow your arms to swing the putter back and through. Most amateurs have a putter that is too long. This forces them to hold the putter at the end of the grip in a position in which their posture is too upright. Great putters bend from the waist and then grip the putter. In some cases this might not be the end of the putter grip.

I am a great putter. I will make every putt. My stroke is fundamentally sound. This affirmation is how great putters think. If you think you can't, then you won't. Jack Nicklaus who was one of the greatest pressure putters of all time never missed a putt in his mind. I often ask my students how many putts they think they can make in a row from three feet. The most common answer is five. The correct answer should be all of them. If you think you can, you will.

Great putters control how far the golf ball travels. This is accomplished a few ways. True roll is when a golf ball leaves the putter face and immediately rolls. If a putter hits a golf ball with any loft, the ball will become airborne starting with backspin as opposed to topspin. The top of the ball needs to be hit with the top of the putter face, not the opposite. This is accomplished by hitting the ball with the shaft of the putter, leaning toward the target.

Great putters strike the golf ball as the putter travels up. If the putter is swinging properly, the putter should start the upswing as the putter passes the middle of your body. This is the spot where you should position your golf ball.

Determining how much a putt will break is essential in good putting. Determining break requires a great amount of experience in controlling the distance a golf ball rolls. The harder a ball is hit, the less it will take the slope of the green. If you cannot control how hard a putt is hit, you will have difficulty as a great green reader.

Setting the putter face in the right direction is one of the most under-rated, but one of the most important aspects to putting. If the face angle is off by the smallest degree, a short putt can be missed. Great putters take the time to aim their putter correctly. Most putts within 10 feet are missed because of bad alignment, not bad strokes.

Regardless of your skill level or style, you can become a great putter. Keep these basic ideas in mind the next time you putt. Mall patrons might not be able to hit a three iron properly, but many have the ability to make a 10-foot putt.

If you have any questions please send them to tenmindoctor@aol.com.