This is not a new video, but one we shot a while back while visiting SeeMore HQ just outside Nashville, TN. Yet we get the question quite a bit, which one is better and why.
We decided to go to right to the experts and in this quick breakdown, Cody Hale shows off with lasers, exactly what is happening with both types of putting strokes and how the Straight Back Straight Through dynamic may not really be what you think it is.
Watch the short 3 minute video below and then give us a comment on what type of stroke do you have? Is it more of a natural ARC like Cody suggests or something that might involve a bit of manipulation to square?
I like the little "The More You Know" jingle at the end….
Thanks. Its our normal close, but also fit this video well.
Cody and everyone at SeeMore are great people. Ton of knowledge. All of us will be smarter putters for it.
I play a natural arc as in the video, stand taller at address so my feet are close to the ball, similar to the vid, which promotes a gradual arc that works for me. I’ve also been fortunate to take putting lessons from Pat O’Brien, SeeMore’s Ambassador – that helps.
Great video and a ton of putting knowledge packed into this one.
Pat is an amazing instructor out in your neck of the woods. We have a lot of content from years ago with him, that I will repost soon, because it is so good.
Pat is excellent – thorough, great at explaining and not overly technical. I started with him in 2008 on putting and took my older hs son for lessons. Now my youngest son 12 yrs later is going to him at 13 yr old. While much of what he taught is the same, he has updated the stroke and I am puttiing better than ever.
For me the SBST vs ARC thing has always been about the first 6" of the strong and the 6" after impact. As the video shows, its damn near impossible for you not to have some arc in a putting stroke unless your hands are moving away from your body on the take away. However how fast that arc impacts the club face angle to me has always been the tell tale sign. If within the first 6", the face is still relatively square to the impact point, then I consider you a SBST putter. If 6" back, there is already a marked degree of angle change to the face, then you are an arc putter. And of course all the variations in between which equates to degree of arc.
That’s just my opinion of course. ?
For me it’s about controlling the club face. The video was excellent at showing this. There was some natural arc but the face stayed pretty square the whole time.
Me too.
Great vid!
Those machines are HUMBLING
You might be right. I also think it is why it is so important to find a putter that best matches your stroke.
To me this is exactly it. Its comparing head travel vs face travel. The putter head has to work on an arc of some sort as the video showed. Its a question on if the face follows the arc or stays more perpindicular to the target line. At least to me it is.