Stability is Tranquility
How Sweet It Is
Force=Mass X Acceleration
As Harvey Penick said, "take dead aim"

Stability is Tranquility

Putting can be a very complicated part of the game of golf. In fact, according to Dave Pelz, “putting is an entire game in itself.”

Fortunately for some, putting plays a large part of the game, 43% to be exact, and the frustrating part is that the mechanics required to be a good ball-striker are so different from those that are required to be a good putter.

Stability is a concept that can cross into several aspects of the mechanics of putting.

Baseball Grip	Crosshand Grip	Claw Grip

Next is the actual stroke or as Pelz calls it your “power source”. This is where stability becomes the most important. The best way to describe the movement that the hands, arms and shoulders should have together is that of a pendulum on a clock. This is the most consistent type of stroke because it is the most repeatable and the most reliable, especially in a pressure situation. The pendulum takes the adrenaline-filled muscles (hands and wrists) out of determining the speed of a putt and puts it into the stroke itself, which will hold strong in all types of situations.

The second part of the “power source” is knowing the role of the rest of the body. The head should not move during the putting stroke. An unstable head can cause inconsistencies in the putter-head, particularly in how and where it contacts the ball. The lower body (hips to feet) should also remain stable. An unstable lower body can cause unwanted power in a putting stroke and it too can influence the putter-head’s face angle.

A good test for determining if you have lower body movement is to position yourself in a doorway with your left hip adjacent to the frame. If you take your stroke and your hip moves from the side of the door, you are moving. Practice this until your hip remains touching the wall. If you practice this drill and then go to a putting green, don’t be surprised if you leave your putts short. That is a good thing, now you have figured out that a STABLE lower body helps you put the power back to where it belongs, the stroke.

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Please keep in mind that although tips are sometimes helpful, they may not be specific to your golf swing. For example, you may have a problem in your set-up that doesn’t allow you to do the move the tip is suggesting. In any event, consult a professional instructor to determine what is specific to you and your golf swing.

How Sweet it is!

Last month we talked about the two controlling factors of speed in the putting stroke: length of backswing and follow through, and centeredness of hit. The “sweet spot” of the putter is the point where contact feels the most solid. It feels good and maximum energy is transferred through the ball.

It is possible to miss the sweet spot on both a vertical plane (too high or too low on the putter face) and a horizontal plane (toward the toe or heel). Any of these misses, by as little as a fraction of an inch, results in a mis-hit and a loss of energy.

To determine if you are missing the sweet spot, put some impact tape across the face of your putter and see where you are making contact with the ball. Ahh, where is the true sweet spot you ask? Perform this simple test:

Pelz, Dave . Dave Pelz's Putting Bible. New York, NY. Doubleday Publishing, 2000

Force=Mass X Acceleration

Ask yourself this question: What controls the speed of a putt?

There are several outside factors that control the speed of a putt: speed of the greens, (fast, slow), type of grass (grainy or non-grainy), the terrain (uphill or downhill), and weather conditions (windy, wet, dry, etc.). With these things put aside, there are two things that control the speed of a putt from the golfer’s standpoint, and that is centeredness of hit and length of backstroke and follow-through.

Scientifically speaking, acceleration of an object as defined by Newton, results from the activation of a force. The acceleration of an object with mass (putter head) produced by a given force (length of back swing) will determine the distance a ball will roll; the greater the force, the greater the acceleration.

The only way to consistently control the speed of a putt is to regulate the amount of force coming in behind the ball. Using a pendulum-like motion with the arms hanging comfortably and naturally from the shoulders does this. The tempo of this motion should remain constant. In other words, the tempo of your putting stroke should be the same for a 3-foot putt as it is for a 25-foot putt.

A great way to measure tempo is with a metronome. Find the beat that most closely matches your putting stroke and practice 3-foot putts. Make sure to impact the ball on a beat. Next, move back to 6 feet, then 9 feet and so on.

Another way to find your tempo is to practice 3-foot putts with your eyes closed. I often recommend this to some of my students who are having a hard time understanding TOUCH. Mechanics are easy to teach but touch is developed by a player on their own.

So next time you lack the timing and touch needed to sink those putts, try these simple techniques. You will be amazed.

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As Harvey Penick said, "take dead aim"! Over 50% of all short putts are missed because the golfer was not aimed correctly at the target. This lack of accuracy can be a killer, especially when over 40% of your strokes in a given round are on the green! To improve your aim, make sure your putterface is aligned square to the target at address. Pick a spot one third of the way to the hole but not farther than six feet from your ball as the target. This allows you to easily see the target without dramatically moving your head.

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