Hole more Putts

Dear fellow golfers and coaches,

I was going to focus on both putting and woods in this blog but after writing about putting I didn't want to make the blog too long. Instead I decided purely to focus on putting.

The key aim for this weeks blog is to get you holing more putts and shooting lower scores.

Hole more Putts

During his prime Tiger Woods' uncanny ability to hole putts at the most important time was unbelievable. From a bumpy 12' at the 2008 US Open to get into an 18-hole playoff (which he won after holing a 4' on 18 to get into a sudden death playoff) to a 25' in the dark at Bay Hill to win. But what makes Tiger such a good putter? Firstly lets take a look at it from a technical standpoint and then from a mental point of view.

SETUP/DO

Balanced platform for consistency

Tiger's weight is evenly distributed both left-right and front-back which provides a great platform for the rest of the stroke. His left shoulder is slightly higher than the right promoting a slight upward arc through impact. Tiger's head is positioned with his left eye directly over the ball and his arms are slightly bent and relaxed.

BACKSWING/DO

Shoulders swing the arms which moves the club

Tiger's shoulders have started the backswing here which keeps the triangle formed with his arms throughout the backswing and then into the through-swing.  This togetherness is great for consistency of impact.

THROUGH-SWING/DO

His head doesn't move.......an inch

A lot is made of the head movement in Tiger's full swing but here it doesn't move...not even a tiny bit. When he reaches the very end of his through swing you can see his hat just starts to move as he turns to see the putt but before then he keeps his eyes fixated first on the dimple he wishes to hit and then keeps his focused down where the ball was until he has finished the stroke. Another big key here, which is something I don't see happen a lot, is his hands/arms have kept swinging through after impact. A lot of people stop the arms swinging and bends the rest to keep the club moving. Swing through to a finish!

MENTAL/DO'S

Watch your putt go in on your brain's tv channel

One thing that I see the majority of amateurs do when putting is focus too much on their putting stroke out on the course. The idea of putting (and golf in general) is to get the ball in the hole......so focus on the hole when putting! Forget about your putting stroke or swinging like a pendulum (reserve this for the practice green) and instead focus solely on your target - try and visualise your ball going in the hole.....the way I imagine it is if I'm watching a tv replay in my mind of the ball going in the hole and then I pull the trigger when my practice strokes match the image.

MENTAL/DONT'S

Don't "think" pace
Don't think about hitting the ball harder uphill or softer downhill! This isn't a clear enough instruction for your brain and it will end up "making sure" it carries out your instruction by hitting it way past or way short. Instead focus your mind on the back of the hole putting up hill and the front of the hole putting downhill.

WORK ON IMPACT
Through the gate
One drill that I like doing is to place two tees slightly wider than my clubhead apart and practice hitting putts through the "gate" to work on the consistency of my stroke without needing any conscious thought. Instead I get great feedback if I hit one of the tees.

Until next week,

Happy Golfing

Ed 

Coaching educational book I am currently reading: The Gold Mine Effect by Rasmus Ankersen

General book I am reading: QI: The Book of General Ignorance by Stephen Fry et al

Next on my list: The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters (British Cycling Performance Coach)

Next week................Tiger Woods vs. Rory McIlroy: An Analysis of their Golf Swings

Ed Chapman is a Class AA British PGA Golf Professional @ Al Badia Golf Club by InterContinental, Dubai Festival City

PGA Certificate in Golf Psychology Coaching - May 2012
UKCC PGA Certificate in Golf Coaching Level 2 - October 2007

Bibliography

Golf Digest USA - photos