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Addressing Your Putt - What Comes First?

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campilobaxter

campilobaxter

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I watch the pros when they putt and it always seems that they take their practice strokes, move their feet forward first, and then move their putter to the ball. I don't understand how they do that. I always place my putter behind the ball first, then stand the appropriate distance behind. Feet first feels like guessing. Am I missing something? I get that repetition will allow you to know precisely how far away to stand, but so what? What's the point of placing your feet first? What way does everyone here do it?
 
So once I see my line. I put putter behind the ball aligned to my target. But kind of at the same time my front foot goes down to set appropriate ball position. Once I feel like I see the line, I bring my back foot in.
 
I believe a crucial aspect of consistently good putting is to have at address the shoulders be square to the target line. To accomplish this, for some players it is most easy to align the shoulders first, before setting down the putter head to the ground.
Once the shoulders are aligned, that's it, the player is done aligning.
The putter face, lines on the putter etc... are not really part of aiming/aligning the putt. The aiming/aligning work is done using the shoulders.
 
I generally do what DG just said. When I address the ball, both my feet are together and I align my shoulders. I then move my left foot to widen my stance shoulder width and then set my putter.
 
Putter first and align then adjust my feet appropriately. I can honestly say I've never noticed that pros go feet first. You learn something new every day! I will be watching more closely this week!
 
Muchmore18 said:
Putter first and align then adjust my feet appropriately. I can honestly say I've never noticed that pros go feet first. You learn something new every day! I will be watching more closely this week!
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It's not really "feet first", it's shoulders first.
Some Tour players putt with an open stance, but all of them address the ball with shoulders square to the target line.
The reason square-at-address shoulders is crucial to good putting is that the arms-hands-putter shaft all move on whichever line the shoulder alignment at address has established.
For any THPer interested in this subject, address a ball with your shoulders square to the target line and strike some putts.
Next, address the ball with shoulders open to the target line and strike some putts.
Comparing the two, you will notice you made solid-quality body contact with shoulders square at address. For the putts you struck when your shoulders were open at address you will notice you cut across the ball rather than making quality-solid ball contact.
 
I pick my line, then take a practice stroke on the same line. Putter up behind the ball in one hand, take stance, then grip and putt.
 
I put the putter down first for alignment, then I check my feet.
 
I'm in the putter first then feet club, but I might try feet first next time I'm on the range.
 
No practice strokes. I set up for a putt pretty much like for a full shot. Align my body to the target, step up to the appropriate distance from the ball, address the ball and go.

If I'm standing too close or too far from the ball I stand up and adjust my position, then place the putter behind the ball again. But one way or another, once I put the putter behind the ball and take one more look at the line it's pull the trigger and go.

I have never been able to do anything that involves holding a club in address position and then aligning my body and feet. Just creates way too much tension.
 
I always line my ball up then place the putter down with the line matching the line on the ball. Align my feet with my putter/ball line then grip the putter and adjust feet and stance as necessary. I haven't thought about my shoulders before but maybe that's why I suck at putting.
 
I establish my line from behind the ball, then step in while taking my grip, align my body so my putter is on the desired line, take a practice stroke, step up to the ball and go. Takes a lot less time to do than it does to type out, I think.
 
Here is a visual for square alignment. The outside line represents the line the ball will follow (target). The inside line is square (like railroad tracks) to the ball's target line.
What matters most, especially for putting, is that the shoulders are square to the target line.

railroad.jpg
 
I find if I look at the putter face or some sort of line on the flange it causes me to try and steer the putter to keep the face lined up. Before I know it I'm attempting some kind of manipulated "straight back straight through" stroke and the little twitchy muscles take over and that word that rhymes with Pip shows up. At that point I'm lucky to get an 18" putt in the hole.

So I totally focus on the line I want to roll the ball and try to make a relaxed stroke that gently rolls the ball onto that line. It sounds horribly approximate and un-precise because I'm not "aiming" any specific part of the putter. But that's what works best for me. I've started thinking of it as "holistic putting" because it's all just kind of seeing the line and feeling the ball start rolling without really looking at the ball or the putter.
 
DG_1234 said:
Here is a visual for square alignment. The outside line represents the line the ball will follow (target). The inside line is square (like railroad tracks) to the ball's target line.
What matters most, especially for putting, is that the shoulders are square to the target line.

View attachment 8957433
Click to expand...
I won't disagree with any of this, but that's not really what I'm asking about in this thread, just to be clear. I'm more interested in the odd fact that I see so many pros move their feet closer to the ball before their putter, whereas I do it the opposite way. I'm assuming that the squared their shoulders when they set up before that.
 
my guess is anyone who does this has established a routine that once the putter is behind the ball, it’s go time. no more thinking, just go. like those two top female instructions who talk about your boxes (i don’t remember the exact words, something like your thinking box and your swinging box).
 
McLovin said:
my guess is anyone who does this has established a routine that once the putter is behind the ball, it’s go time. no more thinking, just go. like those two top female instructions who talk about your boxes (i don’t remember the exact words, something like your thinking box and your swinging box).
Click to expand...

agree with this - I would also argue that the tour players have such a dialed in consistent stroke that they align differently than most amateurs
 
I already have my line, and intermediate target on that line.

My address goes like this. Putter face placed square to my intermediate target. With a very loose grip, without moving the putter face, I step into my stance, keeping my posture square to my chosen line. One more quick look at my putter face, and my intermediate target to make sure they ate still aligned with each other.

After that, I stroke my putt.
 
The first thing I do when addressing my putts is I give the ball a proper greeting followed by a question. It goes something like this. “Hello ball, are we going to make it in the hole this time? I’ll do my part as best as I can if you do yours.” I then put the putter behind the ball and wiggle my feet until I get my body and stance the way I want it. After that, it’s hit and miss.
 
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campilobaxter said:
I'm assuming that the squared their shoulders when they set up before that.
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Yes, exactly, squaring shoulders at address is the top priority.
So the order of things is usually square shoulders to the intended target line, followed by setting feet to any comfortable position, followed by setting the putter head down behind the ball.
 
I don't want to think too much when I get over a putt, I want to stay relaxed so my arms will flow naturally. Address the ball and relax, all the other things naturally fall into place. This sounds like a thread that Jordan Spieth would love to participate in, telling us all the different thought processes and techniques to put the putt in the hole, and then miss it.
 
So you're saying they move into their finish 'distance from the ball' position before putting the putter behind the ball? I'm just trying to be sure, because I can think of a ton of them that adjust their feet after the putter is behind the ball, but I guess not to a different distance from the ball as often. More often from each other. Which is basically what I do. When I take my practice stroke, my feet are already the distance they're going to be from the ball. Then I put the putter behind the ball, spread them a little, wiggle my toes, and go.
 
DG_1234 said:
Here is a visual for square alignment. The outside line represents the line the ball will follow (target). The inside line is square (like railroad tracks) to the ball's target line.
What matters most, especially for putting, is that the shoulders are square to the target line.

View attachment 8957433
Click to expand...
What if the feet are different sizes? Asking for a friend... :cool:
 
OldandStiff said:
So you're saying they move into their finish 'distance from the ball' position before putting the putter behind the ball? I'm just trying to be sure, because I can think of a ton of them that adjust their feet after the putter is behind the ball, but I guess not to a different distance from the ball as often. More often from each other. Which is basically what I do. When I take my practice stroke, my feet are already the distance they're going to be from the ball. Then I put the putter behind the ball, spread them a little, wiggle my toes, and go.
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Yes, that's what I'm talking about. But unlike you, I see them take their practice stroke away from the ball, then move their feet to the "finish distance from the ball", then move their putter behind the ball.
 
campilobaxter said:
I watch the pros when they putt and it always seems that they take their practice strokes, move their feet forward first, and then move their putter to the ball. I don't understand how they do that. I always place my putter behind the ball first, then stand the appropriate distance behind. Feet first feels like guessing. Am I missing something? I get that repetition will allow you to know precisely how far away to stand, but so what? What's the point of placing your feet first? What way does everyone here do it?
Click to expand...
I think the way your arms hang naturally at address determines how far the ball should be away for setup consistency. As you say, its all routines. That's the key. Furyk "shuffles" into his full swing setup like this too. I think its all about arm hang and more natural setup around that.
 
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