Short Game - Phone Book Drill - Putting Swing Plane
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Short Game - Phone Book Drill - Putting Swing Plane
We have all heard about the importance working on your short game. The most important part of the short game is your putting. A majority of the strokes you take during a round of golf are taken with the putter in your hands. Being able to make those 3-10 footers more often will dramatically lower your scores. This is why you should continue to work on your putting even during the off season. You will continue to make progress with your stroke even when you are unable to play and you won’t lose your touch.
This week’s drill is designed to improve the path of your putter so you can hit more putts on your intended line. You will need two phone books for this drill along with a putter and a ball. First, drop two phone books on the floor. Position them far enough apart so that your putter head barely squeezes through them. There should be only a little bit of space on either side of the putter head.
Next, practice making strokes with no ball to get a feel for the path. Use the books as a visual guide to match the lengths of your backstroke and forward stroke. Matching the lengths ensures a smooth stroke with perfect tempo. You’ll find it difficult to guide your putter between the phone books unless your stroke follows the intended putting line. If your putter strikes the side of either book, your stroke strayed off-line. For example, if you notice that the putter hits the phone book during your backswing on the toe side, it means that your putter is going outside the intended path. On the opposite side, hitting the heel would mean that the putter is coming inside of the intended path.
Add a ball and start making actual putts once you are comfortable with the stroke and you can make it without hitting the books. You should putt to an object about 10 feet in front of you. Also, you will want to mark your ball with a straight line as shown in the picture below. Set that line right down your target line parallel to the phone books. Marking the ball makes it easier to align the putter perpendicular to the target line at address. See if the line falls to the right or left of center as your ball rolls after impact. If it does, then your stroke may have deviated off-line or made contact with a slightly open or closed putter face.
Doing this drill a couple times a week will train you to feel the proper path of the putter and to make sure that you square up the face at impact. The combination of these two factors will insure a straight roll and have you making more putts, while becoming a more consistent putter on the greens. This is also a great drill to do anytime you are having trouble with your putting as it works as a great tune-up whenever it is needed.
This week’s drill is designed to improve the path of your putter so you can hit more putts on your intended line. You will need two phone books for this drill along with a putter and a ball. First, drop two phone books on the floor. Position them far enough apart so that your putter head barely squeezes through them. There should be only a little bit of space on either side of the putter head.
Next, practice making strokes with no ball to get a feel for the path. Use the books as a visual guide to match the lengths of your backstroke and forward stroke. Matching the lengths ensures a smooth stroke with perfect tempo. You’ll find it difficult to guide your putter between the phone books unless your stroke follows the intended putting line. If your putter strikes the side of either book, your stroke strayed off-line. For example, if you notice that the putter hits the phone book during your backswing on the toe side, it means that your putter is going outside the intended path. On the opposite side, hitting the heel would mean that the putter is coming inside of the intended path.
Add a ball and start making actual putts once you are comfortable with the stroke and you can make it without hitting the books. You should putt to an object about 10 feet in front of you. Also, you will want to mark your ball with a straight line as shown in the picture below. Set that line right down your target line parallel to the phone books. Marking the ball makes it easier to align the putter perpendicular to the target line at address. See if the line falls to the right or left of center as your ball rolls after impact. If it does, then your stroke may have deviated off-line or made contact with a slightly open or closed putter face.
Doing this drill a couple times a week will train you to feel the proper path of the putter and to make sure that you square up the face at impact. The combination of these two factors will insure a straight roll and have you making more putts, while becoming a more consistent putter on the greens. This is also a great drill to do anytime you are having trouble with your putting as it works as a great tune-up whenever it is needed.
MoneyShot- Posts : 51
Join date : 2007-10-31
Age : 43
Location : PeeJAy
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