Play Better Golf Blog

Dave Stockton’s Putt to Win: Secrets For Mastering the Other Game of Golf

Putting Guru, Dave Stockton, might be the new hot teacher on tour. He’s recently helped Phil Mickelson with his putting troubles, and has given lessons and advice to some of the best in the game. Stockton’s popularity has heightened with the golfing public as well, thanks to recently being featured in a Golf Digest article. The man can putt lights-out, and it appears he know how to help other players do the same.

On the GolfWRX forums, Stockton has been a popular topic. One recent post features a “Cliff’s Notes” version of one of Stockton’s books, “Putt To Win,” thanks to a GolfWRX member who goes by “Bombn.” You’d be a food to not check this out.

The original link to the forum post:
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/344495-dave-stocktons-putt-to-win/

If you aren’t familiar with Dave Stockton, check out the videos below, and then read through BombN’s notes on “Putt To Win” by Dave Stockton.

Enjoy!

Dave Stockton’s Putt To Win
Forward

• It is far more important to go to the next hole after making a good approach shot and/or a good putt for a birdie or an up-and-down par than it is to have hit the longest drive on the hole.
• If you want to be a complete golfer, you have to master every part of the game.
• If you are mentally up to being a better putter, then you will be.
• It all really begins with wanting to be a good putter.

Chapter 1 – The Power of Positive Thinking

• When you get into position to stoke the ball, there should be no thoughts at all regarding the mechanics of putting-grip, stance, length of stroke, etc.
• Having a clear image of what you want to happen before acting increases your odds for success considerably. Good putting is the result of mind before matter.
• The trouble with shots that are sometimes easier to pull off than simple ones – you are forced to see your best option. You put mind before matter.
• You must train yourself to see the putt in your mind before hitting it.
• Every putt from 12 feet or less should be considered “makeable” and anything outside that is in two-putt range.
• Paul Runyan said ” the chances of holing from 13 feet are the same as from 30 feet or 50 feet.” “Makeable” to him would now be in the 15-20 foot range because the greens are so much better. To me, all putts are makeable.
• I believe you should – MUST – think you can make every putt you look at no matter the distance.
• After every miss, on the very next putt, on the very next green I see the putt before I hit it – and see myself making it.
• You must never blame yourself for a missed putt. You don’t want to break down your self-esteem by always taking the blame for your errors.
• Develop a positive attitude by putting faith in the system you are using.
• I have found that trusting instinct and intuition is more reliable than a robotic adherence to a fixed, immutable set of physical mechanics. The best golf is played by people with imagination; who have a willingness to improvise, to fit their actions to the moment at hand and how they feel at that moment.
• You have to picture good shots before you can start hitting them.

Chapter 2 – Reading Greens

There is more than one center of the hole

• The only time I aim at the center of the hole on a put I think is straight is when the putt measures 3 feet or shorter.
• I always hope there is some break, and if I’m not sure, I just play for some.
• One short putts with only a slight break, I simply aim to keep the ball somewhere inside the hole on the side where I think it will break.
• Your ultimate target, where the ball will actually enter the hole, is not necessarily its conventional or diametric center. Most golfers shoot for the circumference that is nearest to the ball (“conventional” center). But that doesn’t take into account the contour of the ground. If a putt has break,the center of the cup is where the ball will enter if the break is played properly.
• Don’t think that you have to squeeze the ball into a corner of the hole.
• Golfers who hit the ball at the proper speed but aim for the “conventional” center of the hole on a breaking putt almost invariably miss on the low side.
• On breaking putts the center of the hole is at the point where the ball will enter after navigating the break, you will instinctively understand that you must roll the ball to circle around and come into the hole’s true front door.
• There is a tendency to let the blade of the putter follow the contour of the terrain on which the putt is being made. For instance, where putting on a slope where the ball is below your feet – a left-to-right putt – the putterhead is swung back to the outside, or away from your body, and toward the ball on the same curving path.

Reading The Speed

• If you are putting across the grain, the ball will break in the direction the blades are pointing.
• On bent grass greens, the grass appears “shiny” when the grain is running away from you.
• If one edge of the hole is razor sharp and the opposite is beaten down – jagged and rough – the beaten down edge is the low side of the hole which is the side toward which the grain is running.
• The most crucial area to read is near the hole.
• If play is moving slowly, keep in mind that grass grows during the day and the greens on the back nine are probably going to be a little slower.

Reading the Sun and the Geography

• You should begin reading a green before you ever step foot on it. You can begin to read all of them on a course in general way before you ever get to the first tee.
• Which way is west? The tips of Bermuda grass grow towards the setting sun.
• Gain also runs towards water.
• Putts generally break away from mountains.
• A general rule, on all greens that are designed correctly, or at least in the classic mode (the back higher than the front), the water will drain toward the front. That is the “master break”.

Always Read from the Low Side

• I read every putt from behind the ball, looking to the hole – down the line of the putt. I also get a read from one side of the putt – always the low side, never the high side.
• Look at the line of the putt from the high side and you don’t see as much break as there actually is. You will see a lot more break from the low side.
• Every often you will get a better picture of the putt’s curve from the low side rather than from behind the ball.
• In certain situations I do read the line from the hole back to the ball, and especially when I have a downhill putt. But for the most part, I get my read from behind the ball and from the low side of the slope.
• Break Putts Into Thirds. I think it is worth doing on every putt of 10 feet or longer.
• I like to break down putts into thirds. A 30 footer is made up of three 10-foot segments. Each segment gets its own read. Your main consideration with the first third is the speed of the surface; the break is not very consequential, because the ball is moving at its fastest and contour will not have much effect on it. Contour is more important on the second third, because the ball is beginning to slow down. But the last third is where is really counts most. I give about 85-90 percent of my attention to the last third or a putt and particularly the last two or three feet.

Getting the Read in Adverse or Unusual Conditions

• On hard, fast greens, speed is crucial to success.
• On fast greens I try to keep the putter very low to the ground during the stroke, even letting it ride on the grass a touch going back. I won’t forward press quite as much as normal, if at all, because I don’t want to take a chance of popping the ball, having it jump off the face. When a downhiller is really slick, I won’t forward press at all, using the loft of my putter to produce a softer roll.
• In wind widen your stance a little.
• Golfers tend to rush their putting stokes when the wind is blowing.

Reading the Dew Line

• If there is dew on the greens, I notice faint marks made by a ball putted earlier on the same line.
• A great way to get that sense of the real curve of a putt is to practice on dwey greens. You will be surprised by how much you underestimate the amount of the break.

Speed Reading

• Every putt is a speed putt!
• Where speed and direction to be rated on a scale from 1 to 10, the speed gets a 9. Direction gets a 1.
• There is a school of thought that says on shorts putts with some break you want to hit the ball firmly so the break is effectively taken out of play. That is simply bad thinking. For a putt of one or two feet, I may sometimes put a bit of more pace on the ball, but from three feet and more I want a soft roll.

Chapter 3 – Grip, Stance, & Getting Into the Address Position
The Grip – Its in the Fingers

• The putter should be held in the fingers of each hand, and with as many fingers as possible.
• I believe in cocking the wrists slightly in the backswing.
• I believe you should use the small muscles in putting. The handle of the putter should run on a slight angle across the callus line of the last three fingers of your left hand, crossing the lowest pad of the forefinger. The club is held entirely in the lower part of the fingers of the right hand. Each thumb is positioned down the center of the handle and flush to it.
• The back of the left hand is flat and facing the target, the back of the right hand is facing directly away from the target. It is oaky to turn the left hand under into the “weak” position if the right matches it and is “strong”. I perfer the neutral grip because it is so uncomplicated and reduces the margin for error.

Making the Connection

• I like to spread my fingers slightly, just as they would be when you throw a ball underhanded. Spreading the fingers allows your hands to cover more of the handle and gives you more control of the club, enhancing the feel. I’m more interested in controlling the grip end of the putter than I am the club-head. When I have hit the ball and continued the stroke past that point, I want the grip of the club (and my hands) to remain vertical. With most golfers, the butt end of the putter (and their hands) are pointing back towards their belly button in the follow-through. Anything you can do to keep the putter going low through impact is good, and a slight spreading of the fingers on the handle is one way of promoting this.
• I recommend a reverse overlap – the forefinger of the left hand atop the little finger of the right (not in the crease between the forefinger and the middle finger).
• When the right hand dominates the putting stroke the left hand (or wrist) breaks down as the ball is struck. The head of the putter comes up instead of staying low to the ground through impact. I sometimes have students put their right hands in their pockets and putt solely with their left hands.
• I don’t recommend overlapping multiple fingers in the grip because you lose feel and it introduces tension, which must be avoided at all costs.

Using the Whole Club

• It is important that your entire left hand holds the club. The entire heel pad should be on the handle with none of it overriding the butt of the club.
• Its the left hand that works the stroke, furnishing the direction of the stroke and controlling its flow. The right hand provides stability, but basically it just goes along for the ride.
• Its not a bad idea to choke down a little on the handle without bending any lower from the waist.

Grip Pressure

• There should be no feeling of pressure or tension when you hold the club. The putter must be held only as tightly as you would hold a small bird; firmly enough so it cant fly away but not so hard that you will hurt it. Someone should be able to pull the putter out of your hand fairly easily.
• I use a relatively light putter because I want to the feeling that I am swinging the putter rather than it swinging me. I use a slightly heavier putter on slower, Bermuda-grass greens, but I put lead tape under the grip to counter balance the head weight and maintain a feeling of lightness.
• Tightness in the grip means loss of feel.
• The right hand should have lighter grip pressure on the handle than the left, although both should be relatively soft.
• Relax and tighten your hands, without changing your hand positions. You will feel the difference between light and tight and find the degree of pressure that is right for you.
• You want to strive for a sense of lightness.

The Stance – Be a Rock

• The stance has one purpose: to prevent moving during the stroke. This is absolutely vital to putting well as movement is the bane of bad putters.
• The left knee must remain absolutely still throughout the stroke.
• Head movement is another serious problem, Even a little movement can hurt your stoke and your chance of success.
• You MUST wait until the ball is well on its way before looking at it.
• Force yourself to listen for the ball going in the cup.
• Not only must your head remain still, so MUST your eyes. Only willpower will keep your head and eyes still until the ball leaves the clubface.
• 60% of your weight should be on your lead side – left side for right handers.
• Weight should be on the balls of your feet rather on the heels.

Riding a Horse

• A way to enhance proper weight distribution is to bow your legs slightly at address. The feeling is that of sitting on a horse. I bow my legs such that the outer rim of each of my shoes is on its edge.

Eyes Over the Ball

• Eyes directly over the ball at adress. Drop a ball from underneth your dominate eye and the ball should land on the ball you are about to hit.

Open at Address…But Just a bit

• You aim with your eyes and the clubface.
• I like to open my stance slightly by pulling my left foot an inch or so back from the target line. But don’t take too open a stance.
• By keeping you shoulders, hips and knees square to the target line, you’ll be able to keep your left hand guiding the club, and your squared knees will promote the sight line to trace your stroke along your line of putt.
• You want the putter to move all the way through the ball, staying low through impact.

Knee Flex

• Knees should be evenly flexed.
• The bend for everyone should be at the waist with the back as straight as possible. Don’t slump your shoulders.

Width Stance and Where to Play the Ball

• The stance should be reasonably wide – the heels 10- 14 inches apart for short putts.
• I will narrow my stance for longer putts, to around for to six inches apart at the heels, so I can stand taller and make the longer stroke that usually is required. Standing taller also allows you to see the line better.
• I think that the ball should always be positioned inside your left foot and as far back as the middle of your stance. It is better to have your ball closer to the center, because you want to catch it early in your stroke to help keep the clubhead low and moving along the line.
• Once you have settled on your ball position, do not change it, weather the put is uphill or downhill or breaks sharply. Contacting the ball at the same point in the stroke makes for greater consistency.

Get you hands Centered … and Up

• Do not have your hands at address ahead of the ball nor the shaft at an angle in which the butt end is ahead of the ball.
• I believe you should forward press, so at address you must have your hands and the shaft centered, that is, on a line with the middle of your chest or your belt buckle.
• Your hands should be “high” at address, this is an important element in my technique.
• At address set your hands as vertically as you comfortably can as this helps to produce a pendulum-like stroke, and the putterhead stays low to the ground.

The Shoulders – As Level as Can Be

• Your shoulders should feel level at address.
• The more level your shoulders are at address, the more level your stroke will be. The idea is to keep from rising up during the stroke, which a high left shoulder encourages.
• Why Cross-handed Putting Works
• Probably the best way to guarantee that your shoulders are level – and that the left hand dominates the stroke – is to putt cross-handed.

Moving into the Setup – Keep your Eyes on Your Goal

• The idea is of seeing the ball going into the hole before you even get into your address is also part of setting up to the ball.
• During almost all of the setup moves you should not take your eyes off the line of your putt. You will glance at your ball during the setup, if only to make sure you don’t accidentally bump it and incur a penalty. But your eyes and mind should be on the line of your putt and the hole.
• Most important is that you always should walk to the ball from almost directly behind it, while looking down your line of putt.
• Approach your ball from behind it, actually just slightly to the players side of the ball. Keep your eyes on your target. At the ball, set your right foot at about where it will be when the address is complete. Your left foot is still close behind the right foot. As you set your right foot, place the clubhead behind the ball,. The face will be aligned to your target. Then, while looking at the hole, place your left foot in position to the left of the ball. When your left foot is in position you are in your final setup. (The left foot determines where you play the ball in your stance.) Now you do look at the ball and take a quick survey of your various positions. Take one – and only one – more look at the line of putt. Then forward press and roll the ball.
• The last thing you want is the putter to be all but frozen on the ground before you begin the stroke. I suggest you raise the putterhead slightly a few times to keep you loose and to prevent the blade from sticking on the ground.

No practice Stroke Needed, Thank You

• There doesn’t have to be a practice stroke.

Chapter 4 – The Stroke (and a Bonus Section on Chipping)

• I never hit putts – I always roll them.
• Golfers who hit their putts accelerate the clubhead in the impact zone. If the ball misses the hole it usually goes well past it. Then they get tentative with their first putts and decelerate the club-head before impact causing the ball to come up short.
• Putting a good roll on the ball means that the speed at which the ball is moving always gives it a chance of going in.
• A putt that is rolling softly will always have a chance, even if a bit off line.
• A soft roll is the product of the stroke having the same speed from backswing to impact to follow-through. On longer putts you don’t stroke faster and harder, you just make a longer stroke.
• On putts longer than 3 feet, you want to see the ball dying into the front of the hole on the intended line. On longer putts stroke so that putts that miss never go more than 16 inches past the hole.

• The Backstroke – It Begins with a Forward Press
  • I recommend you use a putter with at least four or five degrees of loft.
  • The loft on the putter reminds me to forward press.
  • My stroke actually begins with a combination of the forward press and the application of a slight amount of pressure with the overlapping index finger on my left hand. I like to feel they both happen simultaneously, although I believe the the finger pressure sets the forward press in motion.
  • Make sure the forward press – imaginary or not – is part of your stroke.
  • At address you should be able to see most of the face. Now, press forward until the face disappears from view.
  • The correct forward press will take a putter with six degrees of loft, down to one or two degrees. However, it should not have negative loft.
  • There is no danger of opening or shutting the blade if the forward press is made directly toward the target line.
  • I think of the forward press is enough of a waggle.
  • Think of the forward press as the start of the backstroke.
  • Backstroke Path – Its not an Issue
  • The backstroke is the least important part of putting in terms of stroke path.
  • You can take the blade back a little outside or inside the line, as long as your forward stroke moves down the target line with the face square to the ball.
  • I like to have a slight hook spin on the ball, not enough to take it off line, but enough to make it hug the ground – it doesn’t bounce as much.

• Hooding it

• • In the backstroke, I recommend that you “hood” the blade a little. Hooding means the entire clubhead is tilted forward so the entire clubface is angled toward the ground. Or, the top line of the face tilts toward the target, while the bottom edge tilts away from it.
• On the Yips
  • The yips are solely created by jumpy nerves, which can be exaggerated by “hitting” the ball instead of stroking it.
• The forward Stroke – Low, Through and the Hole
  • Keeping the putter low to the ground for the entire stroke and to do it by making the left hand dominate.
  • In the forward stroke, the head of the putter is kept low to the ground to and through impact, and the wrists definitely do not unhinge.
  • Throughout the forward stroke, the back of the left hand continues directly down the target line.
  • The idea was to get the left hand going toward the hole without varying the height of my hands from address position through to the finish of the forward stroke.
• Hit The Spot
  • Spot putting is something I do almost exclusively on shorter putts, from 12 feet and closer. It is evrey effective because it keeps you from moving.
  • I pick a spot an inch or two in front of my ball and on my line of putt, with the intention of seeing the ball roll over that spot. Furthermore, I look at a spot and not at the ball when I make the stroke. That’s right, I do not look at the ball when I stroke it.
  • I am not saying you should never look at the ball when you stroke it.
  • On long putts I do look at the ball, but I don’t always see it as a sharply outlined object exclusively of everything else. I look at it in a passing way. I notice it and acknowledge its presence.
  • My spot putting technique is not meant to assure getting the ball on a line, although it does. The main purpose is to make a smooth and complete stroke without any movement of my head and body. Nor do I spot putt all the time.
  • If I miss one or two from in close, then I’ll go to spot putting for a few holes to get back on track.
  • Length of Stroke
  • The important thing is that the distance the club goes back is the same in the follow-through.
  • I don’t favor a short backstroke and a longer follow-through.
• On Tempo
  • Move the putter at the same speed back and through.
  • You swing the putter back and through as though there was no ball, and the ball that is there just happens to get in the way.
  • Everything I do regarding putting is with a sense of calm.
• Evaluating Results and Making Adjustments
  • I constantly monitor how I’m missing shots and making notes-mental or otherwise. If I’m missing putts to the left I will get my hands more vertical at address.
  • If I’m missing to the right or if the ball is bouncing as it comes off the clubface, my forward pressis probably too excessive or I’m opening the clubface by pressing it off line.
  • The more you widen your stance, the tenser you become.
  • Don’t over-analyze and over-correct your putting.

• Low Chips: Chipping: its Putting of a Different Kind

• • On low chips I play the ball very close to my toes – around 8 to 10 inches.
  • The club is set on its toe, the heel slightly off the ground.
  • I almost always chip with the heel raised off the ground and usually I make contact close to the toe.
  • Do not choke down on the club at address.
  • You might want to use your putting grip for these chips. Hold the club full length so you can be sure of standing tall at the ball. You’ll also see the line better and are less likely to rise up at impact.
  • At least 65% of your weight should be on your left side.
  • Aim the clubface square to the target but align your feet and body to the left of it. When you open your stance your left hand does the work and it stops the body from moving. The angle of your right foot is especially important, because it prevents movement to the right as the swing begins.
  • The stroke is low going back and low going through with only your hands and arms moving, just as in putting. There is no breakdown of the wrists, just a slight hinging going back that is held to and through impact.
  • You should feel as though you are pushing and pulling the club back and through, from low to low, with the left hand.
  • Make sure you contact the ball first and keep the handle of the club and your hands as vertical at the finish of the stroke as they were at address – just as in putting.

• High Chips

• • The high chip is played much like a sand shot. The ball is positioned forward in your stance; how far forward depends on how much height you need. Your weight at address should be on your left side, but not as quite as much as for low chips.
  • Stand a bit farther back from the ball than for low chips, but still rest the club on its toe. Your hands will not be quite as vertical; in fact, the left wrist will have a bit of an inward cup because you want the left hand to basically stop right after impact.
  • There is more wrist hinge going back, and the right hand is more active in the forward stroke.
  • Don’t be afraid to catch the ball slightly toward the toe of the clubface.

Chapter 5 – Choosing Your Weapon

• Light is Right
  • A good putter is not too heavy, has a head (face) that produces a soft feel and is well balanced.
  • I’m convinced that a relatively light putter is best.
  • Flat Grip
  • With the fingers wrapped around the handle there should be a slight gap between the tips of the fingers and the pads of the hands. If there is too much space, the grip is too thick.
  • A grip that is even a touch too wide reduces feel. If you err in grip diameter, err on the thin side.

• Grip Material

• • Put a new grip on your putter every six months or so, depending on how much you play.
  • The grip will get hard and slippery, so much so that you have to squeeze it to get a firm hold, and that means tension and loss of feel.

• Lie Angle – Get a Rocker Sole

• • The hands and club should be close to vertical during the stroke, so make sure the lie angle is correct.
  • Because you cant change the lie angle of your putter for every round, or shot, and because the adjustment will never be drastic, your best best is to use a putter with a “rocker” sole, one that is not perfectly flat. A rounded sole allows you to alter the angle just enough to suit your feel and still stroke the ball properly.

• Putter Length

• • The length of your putter depends not on how tall you are, but on how long your arms are.
  • The correct length allows you to keep your arms as straight as possible at address (with your left hand completely on the handle).

• Mallet or Blade – Sometimes a Change is a very Good Thing

• • It is a good idea to change putters every so often.
  • Only thing that should remain the same for your putters is the lie angle.
  • When you go back to your regular putter it looks and feels much better.
  • On slow greens, use a slightly heavier putter.
• No putter should be shiny as glare will affect your eyesight when you look up from your putter to look at the line of the target.

Chapter 6 – Practice and Practice Drills

• • If you decide to incorporate any of my suggestions on grip, stance, stroke, etc. be patient. It will take some 21 days before each idea transfers from a conscious effort to where you can perform it more or less subconsciously.
  • You should NOT be thinking about mechanics on the gold course. Any change you should make to your technique should be worked out on the practice green.

• Practice Sessions: Short in Duration, Long on Intensity

• • Practice sessions should be fairly short.
  • Always practice putting with the same type of ball you play with.
  • Never practice with more than two balls.
  • Thoughtless strokes are poor strokes.
  • Change the putt after each pair of strokes – two left-to-right breakers from 12 feet, a couple of right-to-left putts from 16 feet, and so on. You never have the same putt twice on a golf course, so you should simulate that in practice.
  • The only time I putt from the same place over and over again is when I’m trying out a new putter.
  • Take more time with each putt. We are talking 15 to 20 seconds between putts, Stroke a putt, then count to 20 before you stroke the next one.
  • Enhance practice pace by letting the putter sit on the ground after each putt, which also encourages the feeling of keeping the putter low through impact. After stroking a putt and letting the putterhead rest on the ground, watch the ball to the hole.
  • After every shot I hit on the range, I hold my club up in the follow-through as I watch the flight of the ball, and as the ball begins to descend, I lower the club. I put it back on the ground only after the ball has landed.

• Preround Warmup

• • There are two kinds of putting practice – preround and postround.
  • At the driving range hitting a lot of full shots one after another will leave your hands a little numb, so always conclude this phase of your preround warmup by hitting soft pitch ad chip shots. This will begin to restore the necessary feel to your fingers.
  • Preround putting should not get involved with any mechanics, apart from hitting a few “spot putts”.
  • Spot putts are so effective you should do them as much as possible.
  • Never try a shot on a golf course that you haven’t practices beforehand.
  • The main purpose of the preround warmup is to get a feel for the speed of the greens and for conditions you will face on the course.
  • If its windy that day, stroke some putts with a little wider stance and with more weight on your left side.
  • If the greens have a lot of undulations, practice a number of putts over and along the sides of the hills.
  • On flat small greens practice mostly shorter putts from 12 feet or closer.
  • End every session by making a few two- and three- footers.
  • Preround putting warmup should last no longer than 10 minutes, and of course use only two balls.

• Postround Putting Practice and Drills

• • When you are playing golf, even on causal rounds, you should work on playing the game – the mental process required to make a score. This is no time to think about mechanics. Always shot for a score.
  • The time to work on technique is just after a round or on a day when you don’t plan to play.
  • Work on the type of putts you missed on the course.
  • Postround practice putting should last no more than 20 to 30 minutes.
  • If you’ve found some answers to the problems you had on the course, be satisfied and stop.
  • Never dwell on your putting away from the course. Once off the course, let it be.

• Putting Drills

• • Chalk-Line Drill
  • Chalk a line on the practice green, from six to eight feet long.
  • Start from the middle and work your way back to one end.
  • Teaches you to set your head correctly. Most golfers unwittingly look to the right of the line at address. The chalk line gets you into the habit of looking down the true line.
  • Using Tees to Train your Eye and Touch
  • Put a tee into the ground 16 inches behind the hole and make a point of never hitting the ball past it.
  • Use this drill for all types of putts – downhillers, uphillers, sidehillers and flat ones.
  • Find a putt with no break. Put a tee in the ground about a quarter-inch in front of the hole. Then try to make six-footers with the ball going in on the side of the tee. A hole is about three balls wide, so there is room on each side. This drill helps you learn to putt at the corners of the hole, which is what you do on all breaking putts, but especially the short ones.
  • On a breaking put a tee in the ground at the very edge of the cup at the point where you expect the ball to enter, then try to hit it with your putt.
  • Keeping the Blade Low
  • It is so important that the putterhead is kept as low as possible during the entire stroke, a drill I often use is to stroke the ball then put the clubhead on the ground after finishing the stroke. Just set it down there, with the club in your hands still in a vertical position.
  • A Drill for Left-Hand Dominance
  • Stroke only with your left hand on the club, You dont even have to hit balls.
  • Choke down on the grip with your left hand, while keeping the rest of the handle up against your forearm when you stroke. If the handle comes off the forearm, it is because you raised the putter up, or flipped it.

Chapter 7 – Questions and Answers About Putting

• • Q – Do you push the club into the ball or do you pull the club to impact with the left hand? A. Neither, I roll the ball.
  • Q – What is the best way to approach a breaking putt? A – Concentrate on the speed of the putt and always err on the high side, a putt not hit high enough, no matter its speed, has no chance. If you must err, overred to the high side, but roll the ball softly.
  • Q – Do you always play short putts inside the hole? A – Yes, I play almost ever short putt inside the hole, but I very seldom play a putt straight into the hole.
  • Q – Which part of the ball itself do you envision going in on short putts? A - I envision the whole ball, not just part of it, going over the edge of the hole. Reading the line and seeing the ball go in is where good putting starts
  • Q – How do you find the best ball position in your stance? A – On a fast green you should position the ball a little farther back, because you want to take a relatively short backstroke. On slower greens it should ne farther forward, because you will be making a longer stroke.
  • Q – On breaking putts, do you aim for the apex of the break, the point where you expect the ball to begin changing direction? Is it a straight putt to that point? A – The total curvature of the putt all the way to the hole, is the only thing in my mind.
  • Q – What is one myth about putting? A – Constantly going well past the hole is far worse than coming up a few inches short every now and then.

• Afterword
  • Putting is primarily about feel and visualization.
  • What I feel is at the heart of good putting: feel.
  • Good putting is a matter of having a sound, positive image of every putt before you hit it.