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1 Clubface angle accounts for 90 percent of the start line. That means you need to deliver your putterface square at impact. A big myth is that to do this, you need a stroke with no face rotation and a path that goes straight back and straight through. That’s not true. The putter shaft is at an angle. We stand to the side of the ball, and all the joints of our body are designed to rotate. Creating a straight- back stroke with zero rotation actually requires a complex set of movements. All putting strokes move on an arc. How bent over you are at setup, your hand and arm positions, and how you
MY THREE PRINCIPLES FOR BETTER PUTTING By Phil Kenyon
DIAL IN YOUR START LINE
move different segments of your body all change your putting stroke’s plane and radius, which changes the severity of the arc. Your goal is to find the arc that matches your tendencies. One of Justin Rose’s favourite ways to practice his arcing stroke at home is by using a laser and a gate for the ball to pass through ( above, left ). You can also do it by drawing a line or placing tape on the ground. The alignment mark on your putterhead should move inside the line on the way back and through, but be square with your line at impact. If it is, the ball will roll directly down it and through the gate.
When it comes to performance on the greens, there are three skills to develop: (1) Your ability to start your ball on your intended line; (2) your ability to control speed; (3) your ability to read greens. Just as important as developing them is to make sure they match up. For example, reading more break into a putt requires hitting the ball at a softer speed. If you have a push or a pull miss, that factors in, too. When golfers are struggling, it’s because there is a mismatch in at least one of these areas. The good news is that there are lots of different techniques players use to improve these principles.
94 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2026
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