RATTLE BOTTOM
Sweep Them In Struggling on the greens? Try a broomstick putter (it saved my career) BY LUCAS GLOVER
FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, I tried everything imaginable to defeat the yips, including dif-
ferent grip styles, putters and strokes. I even putted with my eyes closed. Nothing worked. Then, after toiling around in my garage with several long putters before the 2023 Memorial Tour- nament, I tried the broomstick-style putter Adam Scott was using. Almost instantly, I started having success on the greens, even winning back-to-back tournaments on the PGA Tour. Re- cently, I finished a career-best third at The Players Championship along with another broomstick convert, Akshay Bhatia. I can’t promise that you’ll have success with the broomstick, but here are three reasons why it’s worked for me – and why I think it could help your game, too. It’s easier to get it lined up While the setup is radically different than it is with a short putter, it has some advantages. For one, it’s much easier to see your lead forearm when stand- ing to the side of the ball. Almost all broomstick players position their lead arm parallel to the target line, which is a great checkpoint for alignment. It smooths out your stroke The wider stance you need with a broomstick helps stabilise your lower body so that your upper body can move more freely. The physical act of getting the putter started was where I struggled the most, but by mobilising the shoul- ders, I was able to make a much more fluid stroke. Poorer putters have a lot of lower-body movement and rely too much on their hands in the stroke. The broomstick neutralises both.
It glides into the ball With the split-hand grip and being so tilted over the ball, it’s almost as if you’re creating a fulcrum for the put- ter to swing from without anchoring it to your body (which, of course, is il- legal). Like a wrecking ball, the putter swings back and then coasts into the ball, which is the best way to control speed.– WITH DAVE ALLEN LUCAS GLOVER is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour including the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black. He was 36th in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings.
‘Like a wrecking ball, the putter swings back and then coasts into the ball, which is the best way to control speed.’
34 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025
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