vj: My putting is dreadful . I average 36 putts per round . I am a better than average long putter and make more 15 to 20 ft putts than I ought to but I can not make should make 4 ft putts or might make 8 ft putts. Hitting mainly pulls but blocks also. I am happy to start from scratch . Can you go into your thoughts on putting from stroke to posture . I know many here would be more than interested in your insights. I left this post on the Manzella forum
Equipment matters, vision matters, and mechanics matter. I know that doesn't say a whole lot but those are the things I look at when working on my stroke or anyone elses.
TGM has been my only true influence in teaching and playing. I have 100 other books I have bought over the years spanning from vision training, biomechanics, to Swing the Handle. Everything confused me before TGM. Being a good player I wanted answers and everybody just had feelings. That was my attraction to TGM.
Page 39 "AS LONG AS THE CLUBSHAFT HOLDS A STRAIGHT LINE RELATIONSHIP TO A STRAIGHT LINE-POINTING AT A STRAIGHT LINE." This changed the way I thought of putting. Obviously I feel one of the more important components of putting is keeping a straight plane line.
The next step is to decide what plane angle you are utilizing. Is it a plane angle which runs through your thorasic vertebrate, up the clubshaft, up the elbow, etc. The reason is because the 3 dimensional plane will project a 2 dimensional arc on the ground. The arc of attack vs the angle of attack.
From there the face of your putter must hold its relationship to the arc, hinge action. YOU SHOULDN'T CONFUSE THE SIZE OF THE ARC AND THE ROTATION OF THE FACE. Understand your plane, its projection on the ground, and your hinge.
vj; Thanks for getting back to me. What are your thoughts on ball position relative to the sternum and hitting down or up on the putt? a friend of mine gave me the Harold Swash video " The best kept secret in golf Putting " to look at. He suggests playing the ball two inches forward of your sternum so that you hit the ball on the upstroke. With all the garbage I have read on hitting up on the ball with the driver I take a lot of pop golf advice with a pinch of salt. What are your thoughts on his advice/ How close are Stan Utley's ideas on putting to yours and what are the differences? Thanks.
I don't feel the swing center is the thorasic vertebrate for the golf swing. The center is the left shoulder. This brings up interesting topics. For one, Mr. Kelley called it the left shoulder plane angle and was a X classification. Look to page 154. This plane angle runs through the thorasic region of the spine. Using X ray, the rotation of the shoulders will move the thorasic vertebrate only, if the pivot is zeroed out, and this is why the putting arc projects this arc on the ground.
My feeling on ball position is simple. Get it as close to the middle of the stance as possible. Dead middle is best, but a couple of inches in front is ok too. DO NOT HIT UP ON A PUTT. Putts are hit just as shots on a miniture scale. Of the countless video I have at the moment of impact the better the putter the lower they hit on the ball. Bad putters usually have two things, a lie angle which is too upright and at impact they hit very high on the ball.
Swash is an interesting fellow. I can't say anymore.
Utley is a great short game teaher. His concepts and the putting arc are related but I have worked with some guys that he works with and there are differences at times. I think Utley wants some players to swing on an elbow plane and others to swing on a left shoulder plane. Don't take this to the bank, that is just what I see in different players.
vj: Thanks for your advice. I think Swash did a good job inventing the CGroove but I was not too impressed with his teaching in the video. Harington's stance looks too weird to me and I know Swash teaches him so I already had my doubts about him. I will take your advice on ball position and will not hit up on putts any more. What are your thoughts on getting a good putting posture ? I know putter fitting comes into this. From what I have seen Utley likes to line up the forarms with the shaft plane. Are you big on this? Are you into releasing the putter head through the stroke or are you more of a a keep the triangle guy?
Proper fitting plays a pivotal role. I do believe in getting the forearms on the same plane as the clubshaft, just as in the full swing witht the right forearm, so the arms and putter shaft are moving in the same plane. It is a mechanical disadvantage to not have the forearms in plane with the putter shaft because of the arms and putter moving in different planes.
I don't know if you would call it a "release" of the putter face. I feel the angled hinge suits putting well and I attempt to explain it by "allowing the toe to always move further than the heel." You can use any of the hinges putting, but I prefer to have the face stay square to the arc of the stroke. THis will result in an angled hinge.
The term "release" should not be thought of as a wrist throw or breakdown. Often I see players that throw the putter with their wrist during the downstroke but I can assure you they are not very good putters.
Proper fitting plays a pivotal role. I do believe in getting the forearms on the same plane as the clubshaft, just as in the full swing witht the right forearm, so the arms and putter shaft are moving in the same plane. It is a mechanical disadvantage to not have the forearms in plane with the putter shaft because of the arms and putter moving in different planes.
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vj: Can you go into uour set up ? do you like a lot of bend from the waist? Do you like to have the ball directly below the eye line ? What putter length IYO is right for most people?
VJ, I have been using a belly putter for several years and am much better for it, but I was never a good putter. I also do not look at the ball, once I set up I look at the place I'm trying to roll the ball to. Do you know of any others that do this. I feel it helps me keep my head still and feel the distance better. I average 32 putts and would like to improve, so anything you can say will be greatly appreciated, Thanks Rick
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