INSTRUCTION
My home country, Australia, produces a lot of great putters. category. Chalmers did it twice. Another, Cam Smith, was top 10 twice. You can learn quite a bit from our methods – like how Badds is all wrapped up in the putt, not his stroke. I also like how Jason is so deliberate in his process. Me? I’m not very me- chanical. I practice in a way that makes my stroke as free as possible when I play. That’s my first “secret” to share with you. Don’t think on the greens so much. Try to hit every putt with an empty mind. That will put more flow in your stroke. If you want to putt like an Aussie, keep reading. —WITH DAVE ALLEN M My theory is that the greens back home are not as mani- cured and smooth as they are in the United States, so we have to get very good at rolling the ball on less- than-perfect sur[1]faces. When we come here, it’s like putting in a video game. Since the strokes gained/ putting stat was in[1]tro- duced in 2011, four Aussies – Greg Chalmers, Aaron Baddeley, Jason Day and yours truly – have ranked No 1 on the PGA Tour in that
LEVEL OUT YOUR PATH
Several years ago, I was having trouble keeping my left arm straight through impact. I was lifting my lead
elbow and the putterhead and getting too “hitty” with the stroke. It was the one thing I had in common with many amateur golfers. To create some top- spin and get the ball rolling on line, you might feel like you have to hit up on the ball. Actually, you need a much more level strike. To correct my stroke, I started practising left-hand low, meaning I reversed the positions of my hands on the handle ( right ). I putted so well that way that it became my full-time grip. Left-hand low makes it easier to keep the back of my left wrist and elbow down. Subsequently, the putter stays low and releases properly ( below ). People rarely think about what hap- pens after impact, but the face needs to stay down and continue to move around the arc, square to the path.
MAKE A STROKE, NOT A STRIKE
I spend five minutes a day working on the mechanics of my stroke so that when I’m on the course, I don’t have to think about it. The proper motion is already ingrained. That way, my mind is free, and all I’m picturing is the ball going into the hole at the ideal angle and speed. If there’s a feel that I have for the stroke, it’s that I’m pouring putts into the hole much like you would pour milk into a bowl. You probably wouldn’t tip the milk carton straight over and pour really fast. It’s a smoother delivery. When putting, I want the putterhead to collect the ball. There’s no abrupt strike, and I don’t feel like I’m accelerating or decelerating. I’m just letting the momentum of the club move the ball on my intended line ( above ). If you need a visual, my putter moves like the pendulum on an old grandfather clock.
LUCAS HERBERT has won four times on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour combined. He led the PGA Tour in seven putting categories in 2021-22.
66 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 67
NOVEMBER 2023
NOVEMBER 2023
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