COMING UP SHORT ON LONG PUTTS? FLIP YOUR STROKE
A common mix-up is that the putterhead should be ac-
celerating as it meets the ball. Why is this flawed? If the putter is gathering mo- mentum and accelerating into the ball, the energy of the collision makes distance control difficult to regulate. When analysing the strokes of the best putters, there is little or no acceleration at impact. The putter is actu- ally moving its fastest in the transition from backstroke to through-stroke. This notion of speeding up through the ball causes many golfers to make a short backswing and a long follow-through – especially on those big lag putts. I’ve already mentioned what this does for distance control, but a jerky stroke like that also can cause an off-line putt, because it’s harder to keep the face square to your intended path. Instead, you want to make a stroke with an even one-two tempo. The put- ter should move at the same pace no matter if it’s a four-footer or a 40-foot putt. Also, make a longer backstroke and shorter follow-through ( photos, right ). That’s a key adjust- ment – and it’s likely the op- posite of what your instinct tells you to do, but this long- short action eliminates the temptations of steering the putterhead or putting too much pop into the strike. Most importantly, it ensures you don’t speed up into the ball.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 57
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
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