Putt using a spot on putter face out toward toe to get a slow rolling putt? Is this just a myth? I see it recomended a lot as a band aid to bad putters with steep down hill putts. Is there anything to it? Is there a situation where it might be valid? I've tried it (in practice) and it does seem to roll the putt more slowly, but I've been so aware I was doing it, that I've made a good stroke everytime. Intentional mis-hits or trick shots doesnt strike me as a good way to go. Your comments?
The toe stroke to soften the blow is a bit of a gimmick that probably shouldn't be tried on putts of much length. For long(ish) downhill putts over slick green, the toe blow won't matter much, so it's better to stick with a square stroke with the sweetspot. If the putt has to roll so slowly that a sweetspot blow is just too slow to keep smooth, then how is the toe blow kept smooth? I think it requires a bit more grip pressure and tightness overall in the arms. When this is the case, the management of line with such a blow is probably not good past about three to five feet. Beyond that, you might as well use a stroke with the sweetspot.
Sometimes, just starting the ball off with a slight blow is all that is required. That's because the gravity is enough to overcome the green friction, so the ball really propels itself. In this case, why just use the toe?
I don't really discourage others who believe in this toe blow, but it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
The PuttingZone
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.
On Sunday in the final round of the Women's U.S. Open one of the girls had a downhill 4 or 5 foot putt from right to left and she hit it out on the toe and made it. But like Geoff said probably only good on short putts. Dany