Push Basic Magic

[okie]

I was as frustrated as a one legged man in a kicking contest on the greens...UNTIL I found the push basic stroke!

Given that psychological needs must be met, I need affirmation! Help me create a list of players that utilize/d this procedure.

This is what I have thus far:

1. Jack Nicklaus
2. George Low
3. Dave Stockton?
4. Homer Kelley

Watching Nicklaus, the right elbow bending and straightening is almost imperceptable. In fact, I only noticed it when I was looking for it! Gotta love TGM!

[dcg1952]

Yoda uses it---I know, because he taught it to me in March 2005!

[Daryl]

I don't know anyone who uses it. Other than me.

[okie]

Push basic stroke alone has made all of the hours studying TGM worthwhile! I am waiting for George Low's book to arrive in the mail. I am curious to know how he taught it. Horton Smith may be another candidate for the push basic, tough to tell. It is tough to see the #1 Acc. do its thing, especially on short putts.

A question for you Daryl: Did you find speed to be an issue initially? The ball really jumps off the face. I basically steered my putts with a vertical hinge for 20 years! I went back to an old and lighter Wilson blade putter...which helped. I do a much better job using my right elbow to power the stroke. I can bend that elbow as deliberately as I want to (a great joint...the elbow!)
I am starting to scare the hole from all over the place! Closer to the hole I have to remember to straighten the elbow, though.

[Daryl]

Push basic stroke alone has made all of the hours studying TGM worthwhile! I am waiting for George Low's book to arrive in the mail. I am curious to know how he taught it. Horton Smith may be another candidate for the push basic, tough to tell. It is tough to see the #1 Acc. do its thing, especially on short putts.

A question for you Daryl: Did you find speed to be an issue initially? The ball really jumps off the face. I basically steered my putts with a vertical hinge for 20 years! I went back to an old and lighter Wilson blade putter...which helped. I do a much better job using my right elbow to power the stroke. I can bend that elbow as deliberately as I want to (a great joint...the elbow!)
I am starting to scare the hole from all over the place! Closer to the hole I have to remember to straighten the elbow, though.

It took me about 30 minutes to comprehend the mechanics of the Right Hand, ie. how the Right Wrist stays bent and motionless while the Right Elbow straightens (including followthru). The immediate and indisputable improvement was accuracy. A bad putt missed the hole by only an inch. Distance control on short and medium length putts became a no-brainier within minutes. Distance control on long putts is more difficult but no more difficult than the pendulum swing and I use the word "difficult" compared to short putts which are utterly simple.

[golfbulldog]

I had an attempt last summer with this style of stroke - got really good roll on the ball... ball tracked well and felt different on contact but I found alignment alittle hard ...

I read somewhere that Dave Stockton has some of the best putting launch monitor stats ever seen...did he use this method??

Seemed to me a more downward stroke feel when i had a go...


Any thoughts?

[spike]

It took me about 30 minutes to comprehend the mechanics of the Right Hand, ie. how the Right Wrist stays bent and motionless while the Right Elbow straightens (including followthru). The immediate and indisputable improvement was accuracy. A bad putt missed the hole by only an inch. Distance control on short and medium length putts became a no-brainier within minutes. Distance control on long putts is more difficult but no more difficult than the pendulum swing and I use the word "difficult" compared to short putts which are utterly simple.

During my practice stroke, for long putts, I hold my finish position at low point and then look at the hole. For some reason I can get a feel for how much thrust I need.

[Seanmx]

See:

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...cksputting0803

[okie]

Thanks for that. Great pictures.

I started playing golf in 1986. Why? The first nine holes of golf I ever watched on TV was Jack's final round back nine at Augusta! I rememeber the parabolic flight of his second shot into 15, like it was yesterday.

He arches his slightly rolled left wrist to keep the putter lower going back (a move that some great putters demostrated - Bobby Locke, Horton smith, Walter Hagen etc.) This obviously increases his right wrist bend...which moves back to its fix postion at impact...then he allows the left wrist to bend ever so slightly in the follow through...hence the higher club head. Not to rouse the shoulder putees out there but the key to Jack's technique is his quiet shoulders + all the other x factor intangibles that we do not have sufficient instrumentation to quantify!

I seem to remember Jack mentioning in one of his instruction books, or perhaps an article that he would change his elbow position based on one of the following negative tendencies: to punch if he was not making solid impact and push if he was not stroking it on his chosen line. I'm doing a similar thing: punch for longer putts, push for shorter putts...as long as I do not mix shoulders only with arms only!

Thanks again, Sean

[Seanmx]

Thanks for that. Great pictures.

I started playing golf in 1986. Why? The first nine holes of golf I ever watched on TV was Jack's final round back nine at Augusta! I rememeber the parabolic flight of his second shot into 15, like it was yesterday.

He arches his slightly rolled left wrist to keep the putter lower going back (a move that some great putters demostrated - Bobby Locke, Horton smith, Walter Hagen etc.) This obviously increases his right wrist bend...which moves back to its fix postion at impact...then he allows the left wrist to bend ever so slightly in the follow through...hence the higher club head. Not to rouse the shoulder putees out there but the key to Jack's technique is his quiet shoulders + all the other x factor intangibles that we do not have sufficient instrumentation to quantify!

I seem to remember Jack mentioning in one of his instruction books, or perhaps an article that he would change his elbow position based on one of the following negative tendencies: to punch if he was not making solid impact and push if he was not stroking it on his chosen line. I'm doing a similar thing: punch for longer putts, push for shorter putts...as long as I do not mix shoulders only with arms only!

Thanks again, Sean

I've always wondered why more don't copy Jack. I've started using a lot of the elements of his method and I find it much more consistant than the stuff I was doing before. In particular I find that the bent right arm stores up plenty of power to get the ball to the hole on slow greens.