DRILLS
ADJUST YOUR SPEED
I have an unusual way of factoring speed on the greens.
MATCH THE FACE AND PATH
Many good putters try to hit every putt so that the ball finishes at the same distance past the hole on a miss. Not me. I treat every putt differently. On one putt, the optimal holing speed might be four feet past the cup. On another, it’s six inches. Why switch it up? I’m trying to hit each putt at a speed that is going to “lip in” if I catch an edge. I determine that by how I think the ball will react with the back of the cup. If the putt is super fast, I want the ball trickling in so that it hits the flagstick holder at the bottom of the cup ( below, top photo ). If the putt is slow, the ball should hit between the top and bottom of the cup’s liner ( bottom photo ). Varying your speed gives you more of a chance at success from putt to putt.
Before a round, I’ll do this drill to groove my stroke: We’ll find a straight uphill putt and place a special mat down (called a Wellstroke) that helps me see the arcing
path my club should travel on to roll the ball in. My path is not dead straight along my putting line. Trying to keep the putter on a straight line forces you to get your hands more involved in the stroke, and that makes it harder to square the face at impact. If you haven’t already, try switching to an arcing stroke. Work on it by setting up a gate of tees (right) that forces your putterhead to move on a slight curve. The gate should be slightly wider than the width of your putterhead, and the goal is to make a straight putt ( below ) without crashing into the tees. The amount of arc varies slightly depending on your put- ter and body type, but standard is about 12 degrees of curve on either side of the ball. The goal is to keep your putterhead square to the path at all times. This drill really improves the muscle memory for a good stroke.
68 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 69
NOVEMBER 2023
NOVEMBER 2023
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