Settle on one stroke for one putter - putting in golf - Brief Article

Golf Digest, Dec, 1998

In putting, the best results come when you match your equipment to your stroke. For instance, Ben Crenshaw's sweeping stroke works best with a heel-shafted putter.

Here we'll discuss the two primary types of putting methods-the open- to-closed stroke and the straight-back-and-through stroke-and which putters work best with each. Each stroke has its particular benefits (e.g., the former can be better on longer putts, the latter on shorter putts), but you'll do best if you keep one stroke and get a putter to match it. That certainly makes more sense than changing your stroke.

First make sure your method matches one of the described strokes in all areas-grip, stance and swing-and that you're comfortable with it.

Then make sure your putter complements your stroke. You may not make all your putts, but you'll certainly have one less excuse.

Heel-shafted: Make a free stroke

If you putt with an open-to-closed stroke, your setup should look like this: Stance: Stand farther from the ball so your eyes are inside the target line.

The extra space allows the putter to swing freely inside the line on both the backstroke and follow-through.

Grip: Since the hands have a more active role in this type of putting stroke, you should feel like the club rests more in your fingers. The thumbs should be placed on top of the flat part of the grip, and they should form a line.

Center-shafted: Smooth control

If the setup for the open-to-closed stroke is more about freedom, then the setup for the straight-back-and-through method is all about restricting excess movement.

Stance: Your arms should hang straight down, hands closer to your body, eyes directly over the target line.

Grip: The stroke is controlled by the shoulders, so to limit hand action the club should rest more in the palms than in the fingers. If anything, your thumbs should oppose each other rather than line up with each other.

Let face open going back

The main difference between the open-to-closed and the straight-back- and-through strokes lies in the swing path and how much the club is manipulated during the stroke. Note how the putterface fans open on the backswing of the open-to-closed stroke. But though the face opens, it remains square to the path of the swing.

Start straight back and square

The straight-back-and-through stroke works because it is very mechanical. The clubface should stay as square to the target line as possible on the backstroke. The stroke should be controlled solely by the rocking of your shoulders. You should find that the less you manipulate the clubface, the easier it is to contact your putts solidly.

Let face close through finish

As the putter moves to impact and the follow-through, the putterface goes from slightly open to slightly closed, tracking inside the target line on the follow-through just as it did on the backswing. This stroke works much better with heel-shafted, toe-down putters, and tends to benefit "feel" players who putt on fast greens.

Finish straight and square

Again on the forward stroke, the clubface remains as square to the target line as possible. If touch and feel are not your strong suits or you're struggling with the yips, the simplicity of this stroke may help you. It's easier to execute this stroke if your putter is face-balanced and has a shaft that favors the center of the clubhead.