The Golf Digest School: how to build distance control into your putting stroke

Golf Digest, July, 2004 by Gino Composto

1. THE START

Getting a feel for the game

When Heather Miller's parents asked her what she wanted to do for spring vacation, the 11-year-old figure skater from Greenwich, Conn., said, "I want to go to golf school so I can play golf with Dad this summer."

That's music to any golf instructor's ears, so when Heather and her dad, Henry, came to the Golf Digest Schools at PGA National in March, we got right to work. We started on the practice putting green, first showing this new golfer how to grip the putter and align herself to the target. Getting her to control the length and pace of her putting stroke was our next task.

2. THE FIX

'Tick-tock' your way to the target

Like many new golfers, Heather had a tendency to swing too far going back, then to decelerate on the forward stroke. As a result, one putt would fall way short--then she'd speed up through impact and knock the next ball way past the hole. Switching to a practice station marked with bigger, beginner-friendly targets, I asked her to look at the hole and say "tick-tock" as she swung back and through, trying to match the tick with the tock. If your tick is too loud, your pace won't be even. Then I put a ball down, reminding her not to focus on hitting the ball, just on making nice, even "tick-tocks."

3. THE RESULT

A run for Dad's money . . .

Heather's best putts came when she stressed the "tock" a little more than the "tick." That tweak gave her a smoothly accelerating motion through the ball. Soon Heather was regularly rolling her putts into the semicircle target around the hole. Putting is like tossing a ball underhand, I told her: As you get farther away, you increase your arm swing, using a short backswing and longer forward throw. Watch out, Dad, on the putting green this summer: I think Heather's found a way to boost her allowance money!

Gino Composto is a Golf Digest Schools instructor based at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.