RATTLE BOTTOM
Christiaan Bezuidenhout pays the bills with his putter, which a lot of his fellow pros
wish they could say. He ranked in the top 10 on the PGA Tour in 10 different putting categories this past season, including first in one-putt percentage (45 percent), which might be explained by a drill he does daily. “It’s always been the strong spot in my game,” says the 30-year-old South African, who has five victories world- wide. “I love working on my putting, hitting different putts, reading greens.” Bezuidenhout’s ‘dialled’ drill Before every round, he sets up this putting station (above) : • He finds a flat six-footer. • He draws a chalk line from the ball to the hole. • He places tees on either side of his put- ter to create a “gate” to putt through. • He matches the line on his golf ball with the chalk line. With the station ready, Bezuidenhout spends roughly 15 minutes swinging his putterhead through the gate and rolling the ball perfectly down the chalk line. The tees help make sure he hits the ball in the sweet spot with a square face. “It gets my start line dialled and keeps my stroke consistent,” he says. He’ll also hit putts with his left hand only to groove the feeling of having that wrist firm at impact, with the back of that hand facing the target. It’s a great way to train to keep the putterface stable.
ROCK STEADY At impact, try to keep the putter stable.
Drain Those Six-Footers One of the game’s best helps you make these makeable putts BY LUKE KERR-DINEEN
44 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
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