PUTTING OLD FUNDAMENTAL: Accelerate into the ball NEW FUNDAMENTAL: Think only about the target Ever miss a crucial putt and then, without thinking, try again and knock it in dead centre? That second guy is a great putter, right? With my tour clients, I frequently use technology and neural feedback to teach putting. What sci- ence has proven is that an overactive brain hurts you on the greens. If you’re thinking about grip pres- sure, backstroke length, rocking your shoulders, whatever, it detracts from your natural ability to see a target and hit it. I’m going to teach you about something called “object permanence” and its role in successful putting. I’ve got a few drills to refocus your brain on what matters most – putting it in the hole.
STROKE: NAIL IT IN So what is object perma- nence? Psychologist Jean Piaget recognised that a skill we acquire early – after the peek-a-boo phase – is understanding things ex- ist even when we can’t see them. In golf, you can’t see the hole on most putts, but you know it’s there. The more you focus on that picture, instead of worry- ing about your stroke, the better your putting will become. Here I can see the hole in my mind and point at it without peeking ( left ). I’ve got a drill to help get you thinking solely about your target. It’s inspired by your mind-set when you hammer a nail. You’re not worried about how to hammer it; you’re just focused on striking it. In my “hammer the nail” drill, find a straight, short putt and stick a tee in the back of the cup on your line. Stare at the tee (the nail) until that’s all you see. Then hit the ball (the hammer) try- ing to strike the nail ( left ). Next, stare at the tee, then close your eyes and don’t hit the putt until you clearly see it in your mind. Finally, stare at the tee and then look down at the ball with the image of the tee still in your mind. Your eyes are open but the picture you see is the target. You’ll be surprised how much this frees up your stroke. Work on this and the other new fundamentals, and I bet you get up and down a lot more often.
100 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2024
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