I am working on one idea I will explain it as follows.
Basically working off of a square overall position and eyes over the ball I have tried three different methods of putting nothing revolutionary here. I forget the 1880’s quote about the methods but I will post it when I find it.
Here they are generally:
Putt with shoulders.
Putt with the forearms.
Putt with the hands.
I have tried all three with shoulder putting I can consistently get the putter head traveling back and forth down the line. Same with forearm putting which looks pretty good as does shoulder putting I use a Targaline putting green at home and simply follow the string back and forth down the line. Often aka: Todd Sones I putt without the ball for 5-10 minutes maybe 100 strokes or more.
However the difficulty for me anyway is transiting this method to actual play. I look at the distance of the putt allow time for my shoulders or hands to sense the distance and speed required of the stroke and try to let it happen or not get in the way.
Focusing on both hands usually results in me taking the putter to far inside though I get pretty good speed control. I am a very good short game player and its always confounded me why I have great distance control on chips and pitches and not putting.
But no way my distance control is always off both on short putts and longer putts. That is with Shoulder, arm and forearm putting, less so on dual hand putting.
So I have revised my approach. Basically it’s this way. In all other sports throwing a football, taking a pool shot or casting bait. You instinctively and then through years of practice sense, internally compute and execute the various tosses if you will. This is dictated by your eyes and then straight through to your dominate hand, mine being right handed. Why? My left hand is just not used to working in congruence with the right hand. Its somewhat disconnected in my view, it does have a role I describe below.
I don’t think of bring my arm back a specific distance to throw or forward to throw a football, I just do. So why for me anyway, am I fighting my minds image that wants to trasmitt information to the hand and fingers to a response for putting with another approach shoulders/forearms etc.. Do I choose to be right handed at some point or am I born that way. I guess it doesn’t matter in the end I am right handed and then daily ingrain the right hand being in connection with the brain if you will.
I know of no action in sport which necessitates the mind directly going to the shoulders or arms for producing any athletic action. I maybe wrong. But I feel ackward in attempting my mind to direct my shoulders for an athletic action. It for me would be like writing left handed after years of writing right handed. It’s a mess, but I can force it to work. If you sit at a chair and say raise your arms you can feel this disconnect the mind says ok but you have to focus. If you tell you right hand to raise you know you doing it but it doesn’t feel like its giving somewhat uncomfortable or negative feed back.
So here is my theory.
1. One in throwing a football or baseball a common part is getting the right wrist set upon or towards the back of its self somewhat. Not allot but a few degrees. A baseball a little more. For the putt it’s critical for me for the right wrist to be set upon its self somewhat a few degrees etc.
2. This for me then, must be held set in this position throughout the stroke on the back swing to have time for the brain to transmit the feel and speed needed for the putt. Secondly so as to not turn left, stay open or break down through the stroke the ball. Once its set I hold it in other words through out the shot or stroke. I use the Bickler aid to retain this feel. Additionally I should add if I have to choose between going back straight and square and going forward or through the stroke straight and square. There in no choice for me I want square through and forward through the stroke verses the straight and square backstroke. Sometimes I just practice rehearsing going Forward Square down the line. Firm right wrist etc.
3. Second is a very lite or passive left hand finger grip pressure which also includes the wrist. Its role is support, guidance and stability to the putter. Its role is not to interfere or interrupt the brain, and eye’s automatic transmission of information to the right fingers, hand and wrist. I should also mention I prefer a relaxed left wrist because again I don’t want anything to interfere with the right hand and fingers control of the shot. And the passing back and forth of information to the right hand the brain uses to judge speed. If I focus on not having the left wrist break down through the putt I degrade the right hands role and sense in judgment of the putt. Just add a little support that’s all I am asking and stay out of the way.
4. I practice going straight down and through the line right hand only to build confidence in my path. Etc. But I want to sense the right fingers really feeling this so I don’t practice a conflicting message to the right fingers and hand. THis is so when I am on the course I am not fighting and I have done this my own practice methods.
5. Most importantly to gauge the speed on the green is my focus on the right hand and more accurately the right fingers with the wrist retaining the set through out the stroke. I might even take a couple of practice strokes (right hand only) on the green looking at the hole to really feel the stroke with the right hand and fingers.
6. So what am I? I am not a shoulder, arm, forearm or hands putter. I am a right fingered putter using a firm right wrist and passive left hand and wrist. A hand putter tells less then ½ of the method I have worked towards. It’s more like 50% right fingers (mostily the middle finger and forefinger), 30% firm and set right wrist and 20% left hand assisting. Loose left doesn’t mean any pressure but its less then the right so as to not interfere with speed.
This is off the subject somewhat but I have to say maybe golf instruction and maybe putting instruction has to be view somewhat skeptically when applied to your own game. So I am not sure when a should putter says that’s what they do that is really what they do inside of the person.
In my view I add in general golf instruction is more folk lore then what’s actually happening let me explain. Ben Hogan’s 5 Lessons is considered one of the best written by one of the best. Yet Hogan doesn’t do what Hogan says he does. Jin McLean and Leadbetter surely show the numerous things Hogan actually did verses Hogan’s attempt to describe what he did. Not faulting Hogan at all its just you cannot describe, if you will the secret things of the heart and mind always accurately at speed. Faldo says it best, something like you feel like you making these massive changes then look on tape and the club move maybe a ½ inch. His description before looking on video may have been significantily different then his description after video.
Snead takes another approach to golf explanations, which is interesting he does not describe shots generally as mechanical rather he describes them from a psychological perspective. For example in the Golf Channel video with McLean Snead almost chastises McClean on a swing error preferring his own description of being “anxious” on a shot verses McLean’s analysis of he came off-plane I believe. Ok so which comes first I think Snead is right you get nervious or anxious and then make a mechanical error maybe and then even ingrain it. Rather then saying his head lifted up on the chip shot. Snead explains they wanted to “see where it was going before they hit it”. I think Snead is on to the right idea, the mind does some predictable weird things under the enviroment of a golf shot which produces mechanical errors.
Of course errors are not all psychological nor are they all mechanical but there is more of an emphasis on the mechanical verses the psychological. I think it needs to be reversed.
But anyway that’s my theory I am not sure its my own others or not used at all. But it works for me I simply don’t want to fight the right hand and fingers role. I use it for writing, mouse control, driving and drinking water.
Its worked good for those how much control do you see as the best role for the right hand and fingers? I look forward to your response.
Thanks Geoff,
Garry, I had to re-post I hope to correct some of the errors.
PS: I have looked at the Dandy putters. I am one of those guys who belive in a poor mechanic blames his tools. I have had a Ping B-60 copper since early 90’s. I am thinking about a new putter maybe the Oddsey White Hot #5. What usally stops me I start thinking you know this old putter has made some great putting successes and that stops me from what I feel is starting over to gain successes with a new putter. The success of past putts with a putter is priceless. Even if you spend $ 300 on a new putter, how can it replace a must make 6 footer or a sweeping 30 foot eagle putt you have made.
I would also be very interested in your view of the Dandy putters as you know I use the Smith hooding approach.