Putting stroke...revelation?

[Tiger]

Hello everyone. My long running putting saga has taken another (possibly decisive and crucial) turn. A potted history is that I've been playing for three and a bit years. Very early on I had a putting lesson. My teaching pro back then advocated a straight back straight through swing. I bought my putter and off I went. In the three years since I've had many ups and downs. Some days I'm sinking everything in sight other days it's three putt central. Biggest problem has always been distance control.

In my attempts to improve my putting I've:

- practiced a lot
- adapted my grip
- bought a V-Easy
- listened to and read a lot of Bob Rotella
- bought a Vibe
- flirted with getting a new putter

The potential successors have included Odyssey No. 7 Metal X, TM Corza Ghost, Nike Method Drone (silver & black one!!!) and most recently the Ping Scottsdale TR Piper C.

Anyway chatting to our clubs assistant pro about the Ping I was close to ordering when he saw me trying putters and my putting stroke. He immediately questioned my SBST stroke saying in doing that I was delofting the club and then adding loft back and that my inconsistent distance control was probably down to that. He suggested I tucked my elbows in and putted with a slight arc as this keeps loft consistent. Never tried it before yesterday but in practice today there has been a noticeable improvement in quality of contact. I've also noticed more benefit from the Vibe as well. Time will tell but for now the Scotty lives on...

Anyone else changed from SBST putting stroke?

 

[J5MBF]

I bought my mate a new putter for Xmas, he settled on a Yes! Putter from AG and when trying them out the sales chap told my mate to switch his hands around (right hand top, left hand lower down on grip). He's right handed btw. Since then, his putting has flourished, especially 10ft and inside. He was dropping a lot of putts inside that range today ans swears by his new grip.

As people say, putting is all about feel and it's about find a style/swing that gives you that feel.

 

[Evesdad]

I had a bit of a revelation too! When addressing the ball I noticed the line on my putter was slightly past the middle of the ball so contact would have been slightly towards the heel. So shuffled back a touch so lined up to the middle of the ball and poof magic. The roll was so much better and on line. Must have crept in over the last month or so as I'd noticed my putting had dropped of but couldn't work out why!

 

[CMAC]

The NOME mallet is designed for a slight and strong arc

 

[Tiger]

The NOME mallet is designed for a slight and strong arc

Behave Seriously though I think I've turned a corner

 

[Simbo]

Puttings more in your head, if you have a putter you like the look and feel of your more likely to put well.
While what the assistant pro has told you about lofting and delofting may well be true, but if your setting up correctly it shouldn't matter, the clubface should return to the ball at the proper degree.
If you use a slight arc ( most people have one) its no different to the lofting /delofting scenario. With an arc the putter head will open/close throughout the stroke, therefor pushing or pulling putts if you haven't set up correctly.
If you want good distance control, nothing beats practice!!

 

[Wolfman]

Hello everyone. My long running putting saga has taken another (possibly decisive and crucial) turn. A potted history is that I've been playing for three and a bit years. Very early on I had a putting lesson. My teaching pro back then advocated a straight back straight through swing. I bought my putter and off I went. In the three years since I've had many ups and downs. Some days I'm sinking everything in sight other days it's three putt central. Biggest problem has always been distance control.

In my attempts to improve my putting I've:

- practiced a lot
- adapted my grip
- bought a V-Easy
- listened to and read a lot of Bob Rotella
- bought a Vibe
- flirted with getting a new putter

The potential successors have included Odyssey No. 7 Metal X, TM Corza Ghost, Nike Method Drone (silver & black one!!!) and most recently the Ping Scottsdale TR Piper C.

Anyway chatting to our clubs assistant pro about the Ping I was close to ordering when he saw me trying putters and my putting stroke. He immediately questioned my SBST stroke saying in doing that I was delofting the club and then adding loft back and that my inconsistent distance control was probably down to that. He suggested I tucked my elbows in and putted with a slight arc as this keeps loft consistent. Never tried it before yesterday but in practice today there has been a noticeable improvement in quality of contact. I've also noticed more benefit from the Vibe as well. Time will tell but for now the Scotty lives on...

Anyone else changed from SBST putting stroke?

Hi Tiger, i had this problem too and tried various putters for slight arc stroke Ping Scotsdale Anser and also SBST Rossie, etc etc

Then i changed my stroke by keeping my elbows tucked in to my sides and my putting improved 100%

However the putter i work best with is the Rossie even with my slight arc stroke, better distance control etc etc

So do i buy this putter for the stroke idea, no but elbows in is a good thing

 

[Tiger]

Puttings more in your head, if you have a putter you like the look and feel of your more likely to put well.
While what the assistant pro has told you about lofting and delofting may well be true, but if your setting up correctly it shouldn't matter, the clubface should return to the ball at the proper degree.
If you use a slight arc ( most people have one) its no different to the lofting /delofting scenario. With an arc the putter head will open/close throughout the stroke, therefor pushing or pulling putts if you haven't set up correctly.
If you want good distance control, nothing beats practice!!

I hear what you are saying but with my old SBST stroke there was more of an opportunity for wrist movement and you could tell by the sound off the club at impact that some were just wrong. With the elbows tucked in I feel
As though that doesn't happen and it also feels more natural like my chipping stroke because there is that release. Like I said the proof will be in how it holds up over a few rounds but for now I'm happy.

In terms of distance control when I make a good connection with the ball my distance control is good. However when I make a poor connection I'm always short. For me it's not about length of stroke or tempo it's all about quality of contact.

 

[Simbo]

Find the sweetspot on your putter, measure 15mm or so from the sweetspot out towards the toe and the same towards the heel, get 2 elastic bands and wrap them round the putter head giving you a space of 30mm between the 2 bands. Hit a million balls in your back bedroom when it raining and you can't play.cheap and cheerful method of improving your sweetspot strike!!

It doesn't have to be those measurements,must giving n example

 

[triple_bogey]

Lately been copying Brandt Snedeker's putting style to great effect.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have an odyssey #9 and flirted with an arc and back and through and the latter just seems more consistant. Of course the longer the stroke the more it has to arc anyway

 

[Farneyman]

Tiger, what's the Top 3 tips you feel have helped you most from the Bob Rotella stuff?

 

[Tiger]

Find the sweetspot on your putter, measure 15mm or so from the sweetspot out towards the toe and the same towards the heel, get 2 elastic bands and wrap them round the putter head giving you a space of 30mm between the 2 bands. Hit a million balls in your back bedroom when it raining and you can't play.cheap and cheerful method of improving your sweetspot strike!!

It doesn't have to be those measurements,must giving n example

I do do that one. Great drill :thup: also do the one handed drill and the putt between two pegs drill

 

[Tiger]

Tiger, what's the Top 3 tips you feel have helped you most from the Bob Rotella stuff?

Hi Farney - I know where you are going with this so I'll answer your question but will provide some supplementary context

Top three things are (in no particular order):

- always putt to make it
- focus on a tiny target and concentrate only at that target
- look at the target, look at the ball letitgo

But what I have found with this approach is that on days when I'm stroking the ball well out of the sweetspot I am a bloody good putter. But there are days when I find I'm leaving them well short and the sound at impact is horrible. The putters I've flirted with buying are more forgiving, the Vibe increases the sweetspot, the grips have helped take the wrists out of the equation etc. etc.

So I'll continue to putt the Rotella way it works and I trust my eye rather than endless drills BUT when I make a stroke I just want to more consistently stroke it out of the sweetspot.

Am I forgiven or is this still Rotella sacrilege?!??!?!

 

[Simbo]

How many of his books have you read???

I thought all his books were the same!!! Tells the same stories in them all,

 

[Fader]

Lately been copying Brandt Snedeker's putting style to great effect.

^^^^+1 for this, has righted my putting issues since doing so and simplified it so much

 

[Farneyman]

Cheers Tiger,

Be interesting to see how your putting improves this year.

 

[Tiger]

How many of his books have you read???

I thought all his books were the same!!! Tells the same stories in them all,

Read and own all of them. My favourites are 'Putting out of your Mind' and '15th Club'. There are similarities in his books but I think if you read those two (plus Not a Game of Perfect if you beat yourself up a lot) you've got everything you need to know. 15th Club is good because it gives you some understanding of the mental regimen to go through to change how you think about yourself as a golfer.

 

[Farneyman]

How many of his books have you read???

I thought all his books were the same!!! Tells the same stories in them all,

I have listened to a number of his audio books and for me , although the stories are interesting, I get more from how he helps me think better on the course.