"There Is More To Putting Than Meets The Eye!"
This is a 550 page book from a 5-year study on what the best players in the world do when the putt. It was written by Lanny L. Johnson, M.D., and Howard Twitty, a PGA Tour Pro. So far I have read about 450 pages of this excellent study. The good news - maybe? - is that the Tour Players struggle with their putting like we mere mortals do. Understanding some of their struggles can help us improve.
The data used for this study was collected using the Science and Motion (SAM) PuttLab - the SAM collects 28 key parameters of the putting stroke, and is the ultimate putting analysis and training system. Here is some information that can help you improve your putting:
35 Feet! This is the average distance from the hole that PGA tour pros hit their shots when they hit the green. Seems surprising - the TV guys only show the close shots! But since we do not perform as well as they do, it suggests we should concentrate a LOT on speed control for long putts.
Aim - Aim - Aim. The SAM data collected for Tour players showed that most of them do not aim their putter well at address. Aim was discussed over and over in the book as a critical element of all good putting strokes.
PreShot Routine and Aim. In the book, Dr. Johnson suggests that focus on your preshot routine can help you improve your aim. Picking a target from behind the line of the putt and concentrating on that target, aiming the putter first before taking your stance, and tucking your chin so that your eyes and chin are on the same level during your stroke are parts of the routine he recommends. Target focus!
Low to Up. Data shows that most good putters swing the putter low to the ground in their backswing and hit up on the ball some at impact. Few good putters hit down on the ball at impact. This means then that most good putters hit the golf ball a little below the center of the face (as a result of having some rise in their stroke).
Your Putting Personality. Howard Twitty notes his belief that your putting stroke should not be different than your personality. So if you move fast you should expect to have a quicker stroke, and vice versa. The point is that we all have our own Putting Signature, and what we want to do is to use that to make more putts!
Practicing for SUCCESS. To make the most out of your putting practice, and also out of your pre-round putting warmups, the authors suggest that you treat each putt separately. Do not stand in the same place and hit putts over and over, but take the time to put your full effort into each putt.
Dave Pelz Teacher Putting Clips. A number of times in the book, the authors noted that these are great tools to help you practice getting center-face impact with your putts. There are three different clips that you can put on your putter - with different levels of difficulty in terms of your ability to hit the sweet spot on your putter. Here is a link to these - Pelz Teacher Putting Clips.
Aim and Consistency. There is that Aim word again. Howard Twitty notes in a later chapter of the book that all good putters have a consistent reliable stroke. The bedrock of such a stroke is being able to aim the putter at the target at address. There is a case study presented in pages 426 - 436 for a PGA tour pro who had a very inconsistent stroke - but he used the data from the SAM PuttLab to identify what he needed to change. Once he was able to develop a truly consistent stroke, he was able to get his PGA Tour card back for the 2010 season.
With the right knowledge, the right putter, and work on the right fundamentals, the information in this book shows that we all have the potential to be great putters.
