The Lesson Tee

The Four Essentials of Perfect Putting

By Brad Redding
Director of Instruction
The Resort Club at Grande Dunes

A lot of instructors will tell you that all good golf swings start with a good address. This is as important, if not more, in putting.

1. Eyes directly over the ball. When you aim something, for example when throwing darts, you have the dart in front of your eyes so you can aim it at your target. This holds true in putting. With your eyes over the ball you can see your target line.

2. Hands below your shoulders. Now notice I said hands not arms. With your hands below your shoulders you can make a natural arc stroke. A good putting stroke is on an arc, it does not go straight back and through.

Since you are to the side of the golf ball the putter would move slightly inside the target line back to square at impact and then inside the target line on the follow through. As a result the putter face would open in the back stroke to square at impact and the close on the way through.

3. Hips over heels. This allows you to have your weight on the balls of your feet. This will keep you balanced and stable over the putt. You would be able to use your shoulders and arms to control the stroke, while your knees, hips, and head stay still and quiet during the stroke.

4. Putter shaft in line with forearms. This aids you in making a natural arc stroke. To do this you need to hold the putter more in the life line of your lead hand. The shaft will be more upright.

After you get these 4 essentials at address you might sense that your putter is to long or short for you. You can determine the proper length of your putter by using the Pythagorean theory. Measure the length from the crease in the wrist to the floor in inches. This is the vertical leg of the triangle.

Measure the distance in inches from you that point from the floor to where the ball is. This is the horizontal leg of the triangle. When you square and add them together this makes the diagonal leg of the triangle which in turn becomes the perfect length of the putter.