Golf Tips » February 2005: To become a better putter, “hit and hold”!

I play most of my golf with friends, students or members of Pawleys Plantation, and the most common cause I see for missed putts is movement. Golfers (including myself sometimes) are too keen to see where the ball is going and thus we “come out” of our original posture. Picture #1 clearly demonstrates what I see every week while taping students during the putting class. They are unaware and amazed at how much they move during putting. As you can see by my shoulder position this “coming out” or “straightening up” makes the shoulders open up too soon causing the putter head path to move to the left and resulting in a closed clubface. Most putts are missed on the left.

Go to the practice green and consciously be aware of your posture position as you line up your putt.

After you have struck your putt “hold” the follow through for at least 6 seconds to give you time to check the following factors:

1. Is your body still in its original address position?
2. Is the putter head path still on line to the target?
3. Is the putter face still square to your target?

If any of these three things are not present you are losing shots due to missed putts. Work on my “push drill” until you can keep the putter working correctly. This “hit and hold” position will help you check if all is well with your putting stroke. Remember: NO MOVEMENT!

P.S. Next time you are watching golf on TV watch the Pros to see what I am talking about.