Lessons from SAM PuttLab Day
On October 11 at the Centennial Golf Academy, we had 14 golfers who had their putting strokes tested and analyzed using the Science and Motion Sports SAM PuttLab (SAM PuttLab). The SAM measures 28 key elements of the putting stroke. Glen Coombe - "The Putting Doctor" and the Eastern USA SAM representative (Putting Doctor), came to Oak Ridge to conduct this Testing and Training Day.
This was an outstanding day of putting improvement learning. For everyone tested I think that they learned things that they did not know about their putting strokes. Each golfer hit 5 putts to a hole 10 feet away, and the SAM recorded their putting data. Glen then provided instruction on how each of the golfers could improve their putting.
Here are some highlights of things you might consider related to improving your personal putting strokes:
Aim Focus. Many of the folfers tested could aim their putters fairly well at a 10-foot target, some aimed their putters as much as 2 degrees or more off of the target - see one example below:
Focus on aim through out the process of setting up for a putt is a critical skill. If your aim is off 1 degree for a 10-foot putt you will miss the hole! Being fit for a putter that a golfer can aim well is an important first step.
There were a number of golfers who liked to use an Aim Line to help them aim their putters. Glen showed them a simple way to set their aim lines better - hold the golf ball in hand, position your elbow at your side, and then aim the line and put the ball on the ground.
Stroke Path. I personally tend to have an in-to-out putting stroke, as noted below:
Glen noted that I was standing to far away from the ball, my eyes were inside of the golf ball at address.
For a number of the golfers tested, Glen had them putt using a device called Perfect Stroke, which helps to get the feel of what a true square putting stroke should feel like. Here is a link to a video about this training aid:
Perfect Stroke YouTube Video
Stroke Rise, Putter Loft, and "Rolling the Rock." I tend to flip my wrists through impact when I putt, adding loft to my putts and causing them to skid. Here are my SAM results for my stroke at impact:
To get top spin in a putting stroke, the rise angle needs to be greater than the effective putter loft.
The folklore about putter loft has been that putters should normally have 4 degrees of loft. The SAM folks - and this has been the result in my Edel putter fittings - have found, though, that most often the best putter loft is about 2 degrees.
To help me get the feel of not "flipping my wrists" Glen had me use the Putting T-Bar. This is - in my view - a training device that everyone should experience. It definitely helps a golfer to feel a stroke that is Shoulder dominated with little wrist motion. Here is a link to information about the Putting T-Bar:
Putting T-Bar
Stroke Length. Some of the golfers tested had forward strokes that were sometimes too long relative to their backstrokes. See the example below:
Glen suggested that the appropriate ratio of length of backstroke to forward stroke is 2 to 3. He had golfers work with the Perfect Stroke to get this feel. He also suggested that these golfers work on a stroke that has these characteristics - Putt, Hold, Look at Face, Look at Outcome.
What a great day of putting learning!
