Putting

Nothing TGM here( of course I may have overlooked, not out of the fog) but I found my putting improved greatly when I addressed the ball relaxed, stared at the sucker, ala J.N., and the putter started to move back w/o any deliberate intent to start the back swing. Just happens!
A study of about 40 Touring Pros some time ago revealed some interesting results. The intent of the study was to determine who did and did not need glasses, why those needing refused to do so and the actual time each participant needed to actually converge both eyes on the ball and focus.
Results were interesting.
The senior participents actually needed less time to coverge and focus their eyes=4-6 seconds.
I find this standing over the ball relaxed, as w/ putting above, usually gives me the same results when hitting a shot, an almost automatic start of the backstroke.

Interesting information!!!

A poster (puttingarc) on another site pointed out that TGM does mention that putting can be on the SQUARED SHOULDER PLANE 10-6-C, and that the LEFT SHOULDER is the reference point used for putting. pg.154

Practicing putting as if "shooting a basketball" can yield some very good results.

Step up, look, fire - it is amazing how well the mind can do when you don't get in its way.

In visiting Grand Cypress Golf Academy with their Model Golf System, they found that in a study from the 18 of the top 20 putters from the late 90's indicated that the length of the stroke in time was all the same for all distances and roughly the same (within 1/1000 of a second) as their full swing tempo. They also found that they accelerate through the ball 1.5 times are far (distance) as they took it back.

My question is do you believe that you need to keep G.O.L.F. Rhythm in putting?

I'm a right hander. For 40 years I was an average or worse putter. Finally settling on good hinge action and being able to relax over the putts, I was much improved.
I also found that opening my stance a little on the dreaded left to right breakers, allowed me to get the ball rolling on the intended line, thus making more of these putts.
I think Chi Chi originated the method of contacting the ball near the toe for slick down hillers and nearer the heel for right to left breakers. All also helped me.

Originally Posted by tradekid Yoda,

After reading your post above, the first name that came to my mind was......Ben Crenshaw.

Once had his tape on putting. Open stance, slight forward press which brought the clubshaft in line with his left arm, hinge action, Silky smooth.
Always like that story about how an amateur asked him in a pro-am what line he should take on a putt. Crenshaw replied "How hard are you going to hit it?"

I use a similar setup as Ben Crenshaw, I've found that the slightly open stance really allows my 'eyes' to be on plane - if I try to setup square, I tend to angle my eye line out to the right.

Its amazing the sound and how the ball rolls when you putt with your right arm for practice.
As soon as you hit it with your right hand, you are done. Now try it again and keep your forearm moving and right hand bent.....WOW

Originally Posted by Yoda

Originally Posted by pluthb My question is do you believe that you need to keep G.O.L.F. Rhythm in putting?

The most important thing to do in Putting is to execute a definite Hinge Action (6-B-3-0). And Hinge Action -- the Clubshaft remaining In Line with the Left Arm while the Left Wrist remains vertical (perpendicular) to one of the Three Basic Planes (Horizontal, Angled or Vertical) -- is Rhythm.

Bottom Line:

Putting is Hinge Action.

Hinge Action is Rhythm.

Putting and Rhythm are one.

Dear Jedi Master,

Can you tell me which hinge action a Hitter as yourself would use when putting?

Heres a picture I drew a while back.....



You emulate the motion of the hinge by keeping the left wrist vertical to one of the three planes. Ie ... horizontal hinge action - if you put the back of the left hand against a door - the back of the left hand is always vertical to the ground - it is vertical in relation to the horizontal plane.

In the same way the back of that left hand is vertical in relation to the plane for angled and vertical hinge action.....you just hang the door different.... like in the pictures

I would of never got this without Yodas Hinge Primer .....

Originally Posted by johngolf33
Dear Jedi Master,

Can you tell me which hinge action a Hitter as yourself would use when putting?

I'm definitely not the Master, but my guess is that he uses angled hinging with putting too.

To me, Angled Hinging is the easiest and most natural for putting.

Originally Posted by Matt To me, Angled Hinging is the easiest and most natural for putting.

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Simultaneous closing and layback= Angled

If one wanted to use Horizontal for putting... do you think 10-10-A or 10-10-D (Dual Horizontal) would be better?

It would be Dual Horizontal because you're still on an inclined plane when putting.

If you use Angled Hinging it's approaching Vertical Hinging (more layback than closing) because of the steeper lie angle - and without the deliberate muscular manipulation that always accompanies Vertical Hinging.

If I take my putting stroke to Followthrough (both arms straight) I horizontally hinge.

My stroke is kinda in limbo tho...still in tinkering mode...could settle on angled with more experimentation...I've been neglecting my putting lately...gotta get on track.

Originally Posted by Matt It would be Dual Horizontal because you're still on an inclined plane when putting.

If you use Angled Hinging it's approaching Vertical Hinging (more layback than closing) because of the steeper lie angle - and without the deliberate muscular manipulation that always accompanies Vertical Hinging.

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The book says 10-10-A can be used on "shorter shots." What would that look like?

Originally Posted by birdie_man If I take my putting stroke to Followthrough (both arms straight) I horizontally hinge.

My stroke is kinda in limbo tho...still in tinkering mode...could settle on angled with more experimentation...I've been neglecting my putting lately...gotta get on track.

Sounds like you use mostly a hands/arms motion vs. a shoulder motion?

To jump in, after reading that the putt can be just a minature stroke, I ended up using a hitting/arms motion stroke. Fan the right forearm, push through with a frozen flat left wrist and bent right wrist. Drive PP#1 down the line. Thought "compress the line", which I've drawn on my golf balls. My distance control and ability to start it down the line has so improved. More than anything TGM has improved my putting!

rchang72,

I am so glad to hear TGM has improved your putting. We all tend to fall into "feelings" and TGM will take those "feelings" and make them "precise feelings"

Originally Posted by EdZ

Originally Posted by birdie_man If I take my putting stroke to Followthrough (both arms straight) I horizontally hinge.

My stroke is kinda in limbo tho...still in tinkering mode...could settle on angled with more experimentation...I've been neglecting my putting lately...gotta get on track.

Sounds like you use mostly a hands/arms motion vs. a shoulder motion?

You know what man...I don't.

And I don't think what I said earlier is right anymore.

When I was thinking it was a HHinge I was extending my putting stroke to more of a full swing and adding a fuller pivot....it was in fact a HHinge....

...but that's not a real comparison really...because you don't use much if any pivot in putting.

So with arm/shoulder swing only and a stable/non-turning body and it's an AHinge.