Written by Nick Clemens on Monday, 01 February 2010
We all hate missing putts. But what’s the main reason this irritating occurrence weaves its way into our rounds so regularly? Poor alignment is a sloppy mistake to make on the greens when the distance to the hole is so small but it happens frequently among amateur golfers. In this golf video tip from Today’s Golfer Elite Teaching Pro Nick Clemens,...
Written by Kiran Matharu on Monday, 07 December 2009
Do you suffer from… 1. Putts hit frequently off line. Why does this happen? You’re hitting putts off line because you have an inconsistent putting stroke. Your body is too involved and you have too much hip rotation and head movement. To combat this, your hands tend to become active to try and square the clubface. The Fix: 3 checkpoints – grip, stance and stroke. Grip...
Written by Rory McIlroy on Tuesday, 08 September 2009
I spent some time with putting coach Paul Hurrion recently and that has been very useful. We broke my stroke down to the basics and then just tightened everything up, working on my core stability. I like to set my palms square to the target line before gripping the club, so that my forearms are parallel. You don’t want one forearm...
Written by David Leadbetter on Wednesday, 02 September 2009
On short putts, amateurs tend to have too long a backstroke and then decelerate through impact. This causes inconsistency in the stroke’s rhythm and tempo and a lack of control over distance and direction. For putts of, say, six feet and closer, your general rule should be to make a short, accelerating stroke. Experiment with trying to halve the length of...
Written by Phil Mickelson on Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Although the forward press in putting is a matter of preference, it has always been my style to use one, and I recommend you give it a try. By nudging your hands toward the target a couple of inches before starting your takeaway, you'll find it easier to return at impact with your hands ahead of the ball -- a...
Written by Scott Cranfield on Friday, 26 June 2009
A common fault with golfers on the putting green is allowing their hands to do too much of the work during the putting stroke. One of the main reasons for this is bending the left wrist when striking the ball. This means your stroke isn't integrated with the rest of your body and results in inconsistency on the greens. If you suffer...
Written by Dan Frost on Thursday, 18 June 2009
If you're a player who finds it very difficult to keep your head still during the putting stroke then this is a great putting drill for you. Simply address the putt and rest the flagstick against your head. Then try to make your putting stroke back and through without the flag dropping to the green. TG Top 12 Teacher Dan Frost demonstrates...
Written by Dan Frost on Thursday, 18 June 2009
When it comes to putting, we're all looking for great new ideas to knock a few putts off our round of golf. This drill is one of the simplest, but also one of the most effective. All you need to do is set out an alignment grid using some clubs pointing at the hole on an area of flat putting green.
Written by Dan Frost on Thursday, 18 June 2009
Hands up if you've ever taken a golf lesson to improve your swing? Now hands up if you've ever taken a putting lesson... ...the chances are the majority of you have not tried the latter. Yet the putter is the one club we can save the most shots with. We use it three times as much during a round of golf...
Written by Adrian Fryer on Friday, 12 June 2009
Are you struggling for inspiration on the putting green? Do you find putting practice tedious and unproductive? An empty cardboard box offers the solution. All you need is the straight edge of the box to practice your stroke, rolling the putter straight back and through along the side of the box. TG Elite Teaching Pro Adrian Fryer demonstrates how this simple cardboard...
Written by Adrian Fryer on Thursday, 11 June 2009
If you're missing a lot of putts and not too sure whether it's your aim to blame it may be because you don't know how to align your head and eyes correctly to view the putt. Let's not forget that our eyes are designed to look straight ahead at the horizon and not look straight down as required for putting. To make sure you...
Written by David Leadbetter on Wednesday, 27 May 2009
The biggest reason amateurs miss putts, say from six feet and in, is excessive head and upper-body movement as they look anxiously to see if the ball has gone in the hole. Usually it hasn't! This extra motion on the through-stroke causes inconsistencies in speed and face position. To repeat an accelerating stroke with the putterhead traveling square down the...
Written by Adrian Fryer on Friday, 22 May 2009
The purpose of the putting stance is to provide stability, so that the upper body can rock the putter back and through with no movement from the lower half. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend over from the waist with a little knee flex and tuck your elbows into your sides. The eyes must be positioned over the ball.
Written by Adrian Fryer on Friday, 22 May 2009
Do you struggle to visualise the line of your putts? A great little tool you can use to help decide the line is the one I call a 'Putting Spider'. Just draw some spider's legs on a compact disc and position the head at the point where you think the ball will break into the hole. Then practice making putts aiming for...
Written by Adrian Fryer on Friday, 22 May 2009
The putting grip is not for power like a full shot, it's designed for control, for stability and to improve your feel. As a result the way you hold the putter is completely different from the way you grip an iron or a driver. TG Top 12 Teacher Adrian Fryer shows you how to place the putter correctly in your hands...
Written by TG Top 12 Teacher Adrian Fryer on Friday, 22 May 2009
In order to improve your aim on the putting green it is important to get your eyes positioned directly over the ball. If your head is too close or too far away from the ball this can distort your view of the putt and make green reading hard.
Written by Dan Frost on Monday, 18 May 2009
When it comes to putting instruction the common tips are to keep your head still and make a pendulum stroke. But instead of rehearsing the obvious, why not try something different and focus on a a different area of the body that has a massive impact on the putting stroke - the area around your belt buckle. TG Top 12 Teacher Dan Frost...
Written by Dan Frost on Friday, 08 May 2009
The yips occur when the right hand takes over and releases the putter uncontrollably. It's like electric in your hands. If this horror scenario sounds familiar, then listen up. There is a simple putting drill you can use to cure your affliction. It involves changing your grip. TG Top 12 Teacher Dan Frost demonstrates how using a paddle-style grip can have a massive impact on...
Written by Dan Frost on Friday, 08 May 2009
We've all been given the piece of advice to rock our shoulders with a putter in hand, but it can be pretty hard to master. To make this move easier TG Top 12 Teacher Dan Frost has a simple drill using an old golf shaft you can try. Simply place the shaft under your armpits and make your stroke. Watch this putting...
Written by Johan Edfors on Tuesday, 05 May 2009
I had a tendency to get open in the shoulders which would lead to me pulling putts. I tried cross-handed for a while and that squared them up nicely, but it never felt comfortable. My coach suggested the grip that you see here. It’s one that he had used for some time and I find it much more comfortable than the...