2018 August

Missing a putt by 1 inch is just as bad as missing it by a foot. If you can’t read the break near the hole, you will never make those 3 footers or those 10 footers. The best way to lower your score is to cut your number of putts as they count for almost half of your strokes on every round of golf. .

Our blog released August 20, 2018 covered the important rules for putting. We also mentions using your putter as a Plumb-Bob (PB) to determine the break for your putts. I have received so many requests to clarify PB that I decided to explain the 2 important factors for PB: Calibrate Your Putter and PB only measures the angle of the slope where your putter is hanging from your hand.

I couldn’t find an image with Justin Rose but here is Rickie Fowler Plumb Bobbing incorrectly (I suspect) from behind the his ball.

Special NOTE to Justin Rose
I often see Justin Rose and other professional golfers on TV using their putter as a plumb-bob to determine the slope of the green. They are wasting their time trying to PB from behind their ball because they are only measuring the slope where they are standing.

ONLY PLUMB-BOB A PUTT NEAR THE HOLE IF YOU REALLY CAN’T TELL THE SLOPE OF THE GREEN NEAR THE HOLE. The most break occurs as your ball slows down at the hole, so plumb-bobbing by standing on a line from behind the hole to your ball is the most important slope that you should be measuring. Of course the changing slope that you see on your putting line to the hole is also important as it will throw your ball in different directions as it roles along that path. Always check the changing slope by observing it from the low side of the slope to estimate the impact on your putt line.

This is a good shot of Kenny Perry. I hope his putter was calibrated to drop straight down when the face is pointing at the hole.

1/ Calibrate Your Putter
Every putter head is weighted differently and is attached to the shaft differently so the putter will not always hang perpendicular to the ground. If you don’t determine your correct eyeball and the correct direction to face your putter when it is perfectly perpendicular to the earth, you should NOT EVEN TRY to use your putter to plumb-bob.

Inside a building hold your putter with 2 fingers in front of you and close ONE of your eyes as you line up the straight line of ONE SIDE of the shaft of your tapered putter shaft with a door frame about 6 to 10 feet away from where you are standing. Try turning the putter and changing your open eye to determine the PERFECT MATCH to line up THE LEFT OR RIGHT SIDE of the shaft with the door frame. [In my case I use my right eye (left eye is closed) and position my putter face directly at the door and only line up with the left side of my putter shaft.] You have to remember: 1/the eye, 2/the direction of the putter face and 3/ the side if the putter shaft to use every time you PB. [Don’t include the grip as part of the putter shaft.]

Not sure who this is but it is a great idea to get close behind the hole and down low to see if your putter shaft end up left or right of the ball to find the HIGH SIDE OF THE SLOPE near the hole.

2/PB to Determine the Break at the Hole:
Make sure that the slope on your putting line behind the hole is similar to the slope at the hole. Stand about 3 to 5 feet behind the hole and visually line up the hole with your ball [without using your putter]. Then hold your putter up, to line-up with the hole at the BOTTOM of your shaft. If the top end of your shaft ends up on the left or right side of your ball then that is the high side of the slope. Your ball will curve down from that side of the green as it slows down near the hole.

Would someone please pass this blog to Justin Rose and ask him to call me if he doesn’t understand this. Don’t forget to practice putting with a flat leading wrist straight up your putting line for consistency using your GOLFSTR+ . Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

Learn to sink more putts by watching the success and failure of the pros during any tournament broadcast. Of course the cameras are not always set up to let you see the break of the green.  But we can all learn from putts that are short of the hole and putts that pass the hole.

Your ball reacts differently for putts that are across the slope, uphill, downhill and any combination of these conditions. Learn to treat each putting situation with a different respect.

Learn from the Roll of Every Ball on the Green
> Pay attention to the direction of the roll for each ball as it lands on the green.
> Balls landing with side-spin will give you a misunderstanding of the break.
> Putting strokes which swing across a ball will give you a side spin and a false impression.
> Perfect putts hit the center on your putter face with top spin up your target line.

TIGER pays attention to Rule #1, #2 & #3. He loves to sink Money Putts and you will too!

#1 Rule: “Every putt that rolls short of the hole will never go in.”
#2 Rule: Most foot traffic and putter club head impressions are near the hole” and will redirect putts as they slow down.
#3 Rule: The most break for every putt occurs within 18 inches of the hole as it loses speed.

To minimize the impact of these Three Rules, your putting goal must be to pass the hole by 12 to 18 inches to give every putt a chance to sink, minimize the impact of surface distortions and minimize the final break. If you hit the ball with enough speed to pass the hole, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PLAN FOR LESS BREAK.

Putting Across the Slope:
If the break is minor and your putt is short, eliminate the break with your firm putt (+12″ to 18”)
For putts over 3 feet with an obvious slope, you need to visualize where the ball will break and adjust accordingly.  Only the best putters can sink these putts.

Putting Uphill: Plan for less break (if there is any slope) and hit with authority to pass the hole.

Putting Downhill: Figure out the direction that your putt will break. (Do this by standing below the hole and use your putter as a plumb-bob to determine the high side of the hole. After you line-up the hole to your ball, hold your putter up to line up the putter shaft with the hole and your handle end of your shaft most likely will end up on the left or right side of your ball [that’s the high side of the slope].  Your ball will break from the high side. )

In every tournament that you see on TV, during the closing holes, you will notice that most players hit putts that are short of the hole. The fame and money at stake is making them more nervous. They lose their confidence and you can too during pressure putts. Paying attention to this problem can give you the confidence to putt with enough power to pass the hole by 12 to 18 inches.

Confidence and a flat leading wrist putt directly up your target line on the dead center of your putter face will create a perfect putt every time. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to putt without breaking your wrist during your putt. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

I just returned from a tour through Europe and finished in Venice, Florence and Rome admiring an amazing number of statues. They reminded me of the importance of the finishing pose for every golf swing. It should be in balance and motionless like those statues. We all need to be aware of this critical ending for every swing and the reason why it’s so important.

If your ball has already been hit during a split second at the point of impact, why would any follow-through motion of the club have any effect on a ball that’s already piercing through the air?

1/ Power and Distance:
In order to generate more distance in every golf swing you need to maximize the club head speed at the point of impact. You can’t accomplish this if you are stopping your swing just after the point of impact. Your golf swing can’t be a chopping motion. Your club needs to continue its motion on a continuous swing plane through the ball for maximize power.

The bottom of your swing is only halfway through your swing plane. You need to accelerate to the ball and then use the follow through to decelerate as you shift all of your weight to your leading foot to enjoy your ball flight.

2/ Momentum:
The transfer of weight from your trailing foot to your leading foot allows your club to reach the lowest point of your swing in the center of your stance. The momentum of your club is pulling your arms forward. The only way to finish your swing in balance is to allow the momentum of your club to pull the weight of our body to a perfect pose on your leading foot.

Adam Scott usually finishes his swing in a perfect pose. He knows when his swing (and balance) is off and his ball heads for the trees.

If you let your body momentum take over you will have that “graceful” feeling that took over Adam Scott’s body at the 100th PGA Championship. On day 3, standing at number 76 in the world and just 2 shots behind Brooks Koepka he noticed how easy his golf swing suddenly felt. Ron Green Jr. reported in GlobalGolfPost: “Grace” was a word Scott used to describe the feeling, a perfect word for one of the most beautiful golf swings.

He must have lost that feeling on the 18th tee of day #4 when his shot landed in the rough on the next fairway. He bogied that hole and ended in third place. Guess he lost his graceful feeling.

 3/ Direction Control:
Watch any golfer who is falling back or sideways as they finish their swing and you will realize that their swing plane is choppy or out of control. Gradual acceleration from the top, release at the bottom and a balanced finish will always generate better direction control as you swing on your intended swing plane. Visualize the slow motion swings that are replayed on TV during any tournament and make sure that you use your follow through to complete your swing for better direction control.

Practice with GOLFSTR+ with a plan to finish every swing in balanced pose on your leading foot. You will be amazed at the improvement in your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

In a recent blog from Rotary Swing Golf, Chuck stated that most golfers struggle with two primary issues: Consistency and Swinging Too Hard from the Top (with the wrong body parts). I agree with his comments but he did not highlight the critical issues that prevent consistent hits. The golf swing is not a baseball swing where you bend your leading elbow and swaying back in the back swing. For consistency in golf you need a straight leading arm at the point of impact.

GOLFSTR+ is a training aid that trains you to hit consistent powerful shots with a straight leading arm.

I called this swing tip “Different Strokes for Different Folks” because some people can get away with a bent elbow in the backswing and then straighten their arm during the downswing at the point of impact. This is not easy to do and can create mishits when your emotions are out of control and you are swinging too fast.

Critical Focus for Your Backswing
For consistent hits, your backswing should include:
1/ hip and shoulder rotation (don’t sway)
2/ as you lift your straight leading arm and
3/ load with a wrist cock (creating lag) as you transfer weight to your leading foot.

Golf Digest used this image of David Leadbetter to illustrate a straight arm takeaway and a limited backswing.

Avoid a body shift and a bent leading elbow if you try to increase your backswing for more power. These moves are NOT helping the consistency of your swing. STOP your backswing when your leading arm is still straight. Most young players have the flexibility to rotate for a longer backswing. Older players lose this flexibility. Accept this FACT. Limit your backswing to the point where your leading arm is still straight.

Your down swing will naturally release through impact as long as you keep your leading arm straight. Let your club “shallow out” to swing up the inside to outside slot. It will prevent you from swinging over the top (causing a slice). [A simple trick to ensure that you are swing from inside to out is to slightly move your trailing foot back from your target line.]

Soft Hands
In baseball they refer to a light grip as “soft hands”. You also need soft hands in golf to avoid tensing up your arms. Soft hands creates power in your wrist release at the point of impact.

Brooke Henderson is a 5 foot 4 inch 20 year old who is a major money winner on the LPGA tour. When asked what she thinks during her swing, she said: “Swing as fast as I can.” She swings with a straight leading arm and her lagging wrists take her club down to a lower plane to help launch her ball. We would all like to average 270 yard drives that land in the middle of the fairway.

Learn to limit your backswing to the point where your leading arm stays straight for more consistent hits. Practice with GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com