Hi Geoff,

I have another issue I'd like to talk to you about. By the way, if these questions take too much of your time, please tell me.

I was reading your tip about how to get a nice square setup. You write that a good square setup starts at the top and works down. I have some questions about the proces that you describe.

I know the proces starts with the aligning the skull-line. But how do you make sure that the skull-line is aligned accurately? By feel?

Another question I have is in what body position should I start to align the skull line? I mean: you have to step to the ball, so before the skull-line proces begins, you have to set the feet.

I know I am a bit vague about this. Please ask if something is unclear. (Also, I would be fantastic if you could put a couple of small video clips on your site...)

Thanks,

Bastiaan

Dear Bastiaan,

Your questions are never a bother, and this one is a very good one.

You use the visual awareness of the features of your skull to align the skull sqaure to the aim of the putter. First, you make sure you have a good sense of a line across the top of the putter indicating where the putter is aimed. I use the alignment marks on the putter to begin this process of seeing a line above the putter. This line extends forward and backward. Then shifting to my awareness of my skull in my peripheral vision, I want this line above the putter (the aim of the putter face) to match up with the outside corners of my eyes and also run across the bridge of my nose. My right eye's peripheral vision lets me see the outside corner of my right eye socket, and the left eye's peripheral vision lets me see the outside corner of my left eye socket. It helps if you wear glasses, because the corner pieces of glasses frames are also on the line but are closer in to the pupil visually so they are easier to see in peripheral vision.

The feet are initially not really set -- you just step up and put the head in the correct square position. Your feet are at first only approximately square. Thereafter, as you settle downward from the head to the feet, the feet are always the last to get comfortable. "Comfortable" really means untwisted or unkinked, and this is "square." So working down from the head and eyes thru the neck to the shoulders, from the shoulders down to the hips and knees, eventually leads to comfortable and square feet -- which I call "happy feet."

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
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Thanks Geoff, your words about peripheral vision make a lot of sense to me! Every time I read your answers you keep amazing me with your knowledge about this great part of golf.