Any Putting Style Works

Why are there so many styles of putters and so many different ways to improve your putting? We are all made up with different body structures, minds and strengths. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another.  Some methods work better than others and stubborn golfers find it hard to change.  As it turns out there are only 3 consistent skills that you need to master for putting success.

You need to understand that every method of putting CAN BE successful. Every different style of putter and putting stoke has won the US Open and The Open (British). You can be successful by swinging your wrists or rocking your shoulders and swing in a straight line or arc. You can also jab at the ball or swing with the consistency of a pendulum or accelerate through the ball. Only you can determine what works best for your physical limitations and ability.

Phil Kenyon training Rory McIlroy (who has a wonderful putting stroke).  He locks his wrists, rocks his shoulders and swings straight up his target line.

I recently read an article by Phil Kenyon, who is now the director and principal owner of Harold Swash Putting in the UK. He has trained many of the top professional golfers and recent winners to the US Open and The Open  to help them hone their personal putting styles. He believes that they must achieve three key outcomes to have success.

The 3 Key Skills:
1/ Control the starting direction of the ball,
2/ Control the speed of your ball.
3/ Predict the break of your ball.

Kenyon stated: “So regardless of the technique you may use, which ever style of green reading, which ever style of technique to start the ball on line, you have to master those three skills. So for any player that I work with, it would be around developing that skill set and then finding the appropriate techniques to help them develop that.”

Suggestions for YOU to Apply the 3 Putting Skills:
How to Control the Direction: You have no choice but to impact the ball on the balanced center of your putter face to make the ball roll with topspin and no side spin. That means that your putter face must impact the ball exactly in the direction of your target line and on the upswing. Do whatever is required with your arms and body to make a straight impact. Before every round of golf test your skill at sinking straight 3 foot, 5 foot and 10 foot putts on the practice green.

How to Control the Speed: This is a combination of understanding the speed of the greens and the slope of the greens that you are playing on. Practice will help you improve your appreciation for every situation. Before every putt that you attempt, make the practice swing that you know will reach or pass the hole by up to 2 feet. Short putts never go in the hole.

How to Predict the Break: You can only learn your feel for the break by trial and error in every condition. We still recommend that you learn to putt with GOLFSTR+ using a flat wrist to eliminate extra angles in your putting stroke. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #15: No matter how badly you are playing, it’s always possible to play worse.