Andrew Braley, GolfTEC Coach and Owner in Cool Springs, TN, talks about what it takes to build trust in your putting stroke.
The best putters in the world do not rotate their head until the ball is between three to five feet out in front of them. I often see my students following the putter with their eyes as it passes through the ball. This causes two things to happen:
- The putter traveling too far left or right after impact
- The face of the putter opening or closing through impact
Many of my students also have a tendency to watch the putter in their peripheral vision during their back swing. Doing this causes them to second guess their stroke. They will either think they took too short or too long of a swing, which results in compensation by over-acceleration or deceleration.
The Drill
Start by locking your eyes on the hole. From there, take your normal putting stroke, and keep your eyes focused on the hole until the ball has rolled three to five feet. Keeping your eyes off the putter forces you to feel and trust the length of your stroke. The goal of this drill is to maintain posture, avoid watching the putter during the swing, and focus on feeling the length of the stroke.
On the Course
Take your practice strokes with your eyes focused on the hole, and visualize the ball traveling on that line and dropping into the cup. Then, after you’ve addressed the ball, focus your eyes back on the hole, and stroke the putt. Aside from the practice green, this drill can be effective out on the course, as Vijay Singh showed at the PGA Championship.
Comments and questions are welcome.
