Okay. I played another round with the putting wrist hinge method. The putting was good and only 3 putted twice on a very difficult greens. I normally three putt this course three to six a round. David Duval played here this past summer. His recommendation was to rip out and redo 14 of the greens because they were were extremely unfair to the amateur.
So, my experiment has been very successful. I missed only one putt inside four feet and that was mostly because I frustrated that I missed my par and the ball rolled way past the cup.
I say that this putting style may work BETTER than your putting method eight feet or closer to the hole. If you have the time and have 10-15 minutes of goofing on the greens, give it a try. I would recommend practicing the method for a few minutes. Then, take 5 balls and place them 4 feet from the cup. (I will be surprised if you don't make at least 4 of them). Then, place 5 balls 8 feet from the cup. (Do you make 5 or better?) If you repeat the same with your putting method, do you make more or less?
If anyone has time on their hands and wants to give it a try, here is how I am putting with a wrist hinge.
- Address ball with Stack and Tilt style; align shoulders over knees and knees over feet. Bend at the hips as in a normal setup. Ball in center of stance. This will allow the pendulum of the club head to fully bottom out on the downswing.
- weight distribution is even on both feet. More weight on the front foot is not needed and may cause you to to be out of alignment in you setup stance.
- Hands in a normal fashion with index on each side of the grip. The index fingers are more of a helpful aid when taking the club back and release.
- Rest elbows on the gut or ribcage. The elbows remain fixed. If they do move off your body or rub in anyway, that means you are moving your arms and/or shoulders. Arms and shoulder remain stationary. The only thing that moves in the swing is your hands and wrists.
- On the back swing, take the club straight back, allowing your trail hand to be cupped. If it is easier, think of your lead index finger pressing against the club.
- on the release, use your trail index finger or wrist to start the down motion, bringing the club back down in a straight line. I hear much more of a "click" when the club head hits the ball with this method versus the old way. I think because I make much more of exacting contact on the center of the club.
- Distance is basically how hard you release the club and how far you take it back.
This method goes against any recommendation by the short game experts. That is exactly why I think you should try it.
I've been putting for crap all season. Played Saturday with S&T on Irons and traditional swing with driver. Shot an 88 with 8 three putts. Absolutely disgusting...I might give this a try and see how it goes.
I have been conservative on my reaction to this type of putting. Because who knows if it is going to hold up? (So far so ... excellent!)
I noticed your troubles with the woods with S&T. You will notice in my earlier posts that I also had trouble with the driver. What helped me to straightened out my driver was I never de-attached my arms from my frame on the downswing. It is easy to do with longer clubs. I also try to keep my rear shoulder facing the target as long as possible when moving my hips towards the target on the downswing. Even though it is only a fraction of a second, it puts the club more on plane, for me anyways.
Good luck on the putting. I will be interested to know how it works for you.
I am absolutely sticking with this type of putting style.
This past weekend, I played on a course with slow, bumpy greens. The greens were terrible! Shame on the maintenance supervisor for letting the greens get in such terrible shape. Oh well, you can't expect much from public courses, I guess.
My putting/chipping with wrist hinge saved my game and was able to post a score in the 80s in spite I only hit 4 fairways. The wrist hinge style is a keeper!
Searching the web, I noticed Symple Swing has similar style. But, I use a standard center shafted putter and I don't anchor my hands on my hip/leg(?). Instead, I anchor my elbows to my stomach. Whatever works. And, my wrist hinge method works for me. I sure hope folks would give it a honest try.
I was planning on trying it, but chickened out since I was playing in a tournament. I hit 11 of 14 fairways, 10 of 18 greens, but I had 41 putts and shot 88. I had four 3 putts and a 5 putt. Absolutely disgusting display of golf.
Sounds like great ball striking but 41 putts? Regardless whether you use wrist hinge putting or another method, but... perhaps it is time for a change?
former methods
(Dave Peltz, side saddle, belly putter, shoulder pivot)