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Repeatable putting stroke

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claycribbs

claycribbs

Fear the Dolphin Swag!
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Hey Andy,

I feel like my game is finally beginning to come together except for one aspect, putting. I am having a difficult time getting a repeatable putting stroke, and confused about the grip, stroke, and putting in general. What grip do you prefer for a putting? I've also heard about tons of different putting strokes (straight back, straight threw and inside and down the line) what do you think about those? Overall I need help with my putting and need a repeatable stroke I can trust! Thanks CC
 
Great question. First there is a style that fits the way you move. Is your putter more of the classic "answer" style? If so it sets up for more of the putting arch type of stroke. This means the putter should move just a little to the inside as you go to the top of your backswing and should move a little to the inside post impact. What does a miss look like? DO you miss more right or left?

Good putting drills.
Make sure your eyes are over the ball at setup!!!!!
Set 2 clubs on the ground parallel to each other just wider than your putter head. You will be hitting a 6-8 foot putt. Place a ball down between the clubs and place the putter head behind it. Now 6 inches back from the back of your putter place a tee in the ground. This will prevent the stroke from getting too long. Now on the other side place a tee or a ball outside the clubs 12 inches in front of the ball you are putting. This gets you to accelerate properly and is a good 1 to 2 ratio for your putting stroke.
 
Thanks for the info! rep added...... I normally miss left...... and I do have a anser putter.
 
Missing left...you might want to look into something a bit more face balanced. Try one out and see if you don't miss left quite so much.
 
Andy can correct me if I am wrong but I think the face balanced Straight back straight through guru is a guy by the name of Dave Peltz. I have a swinging gate putting stroke and I think the guy that has the most info out there regarding the swinging gate stroke is Utley. I am working to improve my consistency this winter as well. So, I have decided to try to emulate as much of the Utley approach as I can.

My putting stroke has always been kinda' free and loose and when I am putting well and brimming with confidence that can be fine. When I am not quite in that state of mind I think that freedom hurts me and I want to adopt something a little more structured. One reason I started the year with a SC Newport with no sight lines or dots is because that is the putter that Utley recommends.Eventually I moved away from the Newport as the feel just was not working for me and I like at least one sight line or dot. The Newport is a toe hang putter as I believe most if not all Ansers are. At least the Anser design started out as a toe hang putter. I guess you can get anything face balanced but some are easier than others to face balance.

Utley does leave a good deal of room for personal comfort. He does not try to push you too hard into a single structure which makes some sense for the swinging gate putter. I got an indoor mat just a few weeks ago and I started using it just working with the putting stroke I have. Just last week I started to work harder on staying closer to Utley. My first efforts were pretty terrible. However my putting is getting back to what I am used to but with more structure now. It will take more time for me but I still think it makes sense at least in my case. I am hoping that the added structure will result in my putting staying at a consistently high level. Anyway it sounds like you use the swinging gate as well and might want to try to find what you can from Utley if you are going to remain using that approach. There are many articles from him that you can find on the Internet and he has occasional videos on the Golf Channel. Dave Peltz is the SBST version of Stan Utley and you can probably find as much on him on the Internet as you can on Utley.

One word of advice I would give is to concentrate on the short putts as much as the long. Gaining proficiency with short putts can be a tremendous asset to your game and can be very important to your overall putting effort.
 
Jung I agree with what you have said. I don't try to take a player out of their comfort zone unless it is necessary. If a player feels more straight back and through I am fine with that. The fact is that stroke doesn't exist. The putter face will rotate some and the putter head will move inside the line some. Just some players are more comfortable with the thought that they take it back straight and keep the face square. I like what you have said and let me know how the putting practice goes for you.
 
Its coming Andy. Most of the freedom that I had allowed myself was in the way I allowed my forearms into the putting stroke. Ultley really does not want to see much of that as he wants the elbows in tight to the sides and the forearms to work like pistons, one lengthening while the other bends on the backstroke with the opposite action on the downstroke. Since I allowed my forearms some freedom they had a good deal to do with the pace on the ball. Now that they are no longer doing that i have to control the pace elsewhere. It is getting better every night though and I can already tell that my putting will be much more consistent in time.
 
I've had success putting with my shoulders, if that makes any sense. My arms and hands go along for the ride. I have a natural arc and it works well for me.
 
That is for the most part what Utley teaches from what I can tell Sean. As you can probably guess if your elbows are going to stay at our sides, you will end up turning the shoulders a bit.
 
It keeps me from getting handsy. I figure the less moving parts in my putting stroke the better.
 
Incredibly good info in this thread.

I would add the book by Pelz, "Putt like the Pros". Good read and great advice.

I have also found something that helps me on short (6 ft) putts; watch the putter head and make sure it stays square to the line (I'm a str8 back, str8 thru). Speed is no issue on 6 footers so I REALLY concentrate on the line on these putts.
 
In an effort to emulate Utley as much as possible I ordered up a couple of Utley training tools to use.One is called the Learning Curve and the other is the Putter Guide. They really should toss the Putter Guide in with the Learning Curve but they don't. The Learning Curve is made from a bent piece of aluminum about 30" long and 8" wide. They must cut it, bend it and powder coat it to end up with the finished product. It ends up being three sided with the extra panel that come with it and you use just about every side in order to get a different view of the line of your putting stroke.

I very quickly learned that I was breaking one of Utley's rules of putting. In fact I was dancing all over it. Utley does not want the face of the putter to move either outside or inside of perpendicular to the line that the putter is taking. It was pretty obvious right away that I was opening the face on my backswing and then attempting to close it again as the putter approached the point of contact with the ball. Utley expects you to come inside on the backswing, come fully 90* to the target line at contact and then come inside again on the follow through but he does not want you doing that by turning the face of the putter.

It has taken some effort to get my swing to conform to Utley's rule and I am sure I will have to work harder to get it where it needs to be all the time. The biggest surprise was not the impact on the line of the putt but the impact on the speed of the putt. Both improved considerably the more I conformed to Utley's putting stroke rules.

Before I forget it the Putter Guide is a little plastic guide that you attach to the heel of your putter. It allows you to get the most out of the Learning Curve without damaging your putter. All and all I think it is a worthwhile tool that will teach you a good deal about your putting stroke regardless of whether or not you are trying to adopt Utley's approach to putting.
 
That is one of the teaching aids that I use a lot of in my lessons. Most golfers don't know how much that they open and close the putter during their stroke. Keep working on it and you will be happy with the results.
 
In my case I was shocked at how much I was opening the face on the way back. Granted the Putter Guide probably makes an angular difference seem larger but it is really only making it easier for you to see it.
 
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