Harness and Control Your Putting Power Sources

As you watch most amateur players you will notice that they use incorrect putting power sources as they putt on the greens. The majority of amateurs use their hands to deliver the club through the impact zone, this not only eliminates any consistency that you could have but speed control becomes a nightmare. These types of players have learned through many years of practice to use ainferior putting power sources to move the club thus causing inconsistency. If your left hand is breaking down or bending you will never be able to control the direction of the ball at its separation point from the blade because you are changing the alignment of the face during the stroke. Take your putter and stroke putts with the left hand only using a slapping, wrist-bending type of motion and you will notice that the initial starting direction for the golf ball will be scattered. If your right hand moves from a bent condition at address into a flat or even arched condition post impact then you will find that the clubhead will tend to layback and the loft of the putter will vary, thus, speed control will never become a strength in your game. This facet of the game is seen most often around the green in tall grass when hitting lob shots, if you allow your right wrist to slap or flatten then you will see that your clubface will layback and the loft of the club increases to the point that you slide under the ball too much. Our main line of defense to strengthen our consistency on the greens is to maintain the quality of our impact alignments and to learn how to power the putter stroke in the best way for you personally. The best way to check to see if you have quality impact alignments and a sound putting stroke is to look at the hands when they stop moving during the follow through if the left wrist is bent and the right wrist is flat then you are slapping and you will need to understand how to control your putting power sources so that you can control your impact alignments.

Are you a left arm puller or a right arm pusher on the greens? Take this test to find out so you can practice more effectively and tap the correct putting power sources!

1) Do you putt better on slower or faster greens?

2) Is your putting stroke tight and firm or long and flowing?

3) Which is a bigger problem in your putting: poor speed control or poor line control?

4) Do you tend to have poor impact alignments more often than not?

If you are a left arm puller then you like fast greens, have a long and flowing putting stroke, better speed control, and better impact alignments. If you are a right arm pusher then you will be better on slower greens, have a more aggressive putting stroke with most problems coming from speed control due to faulty impact alignments. Which is better for your game?

There are several sources of putting power “accumulation” in the stroke and you will see Tour players use each type in their stroke from week to week. The first type of the putting power sources comes from the angle formed between the left upper arm and the left shoulder during the backstroke, as this angle moves from an acute condition to an obtuse condition during the downstroke it is deemed a left arm type of pull stroke. The pulling action is a result of using this type of power source and is mostly felt in the back of the left hand. When you use this type of stroke, usually reserved for faster greens, your right hand will remain bent and will always react and be pulled through the stoke by the motions of the left arm. When using this type of stroke you will find that a slower tempo is the key- long and flowing putting strokes are usually a result of this type of putting power source. Players such as Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson (from the left handed side,) and John Daly exemplify this type of stroke pattern. The only problem with using this type of power accumulation during a putting stroke is that if the greens start to slow down most players have a hard time advancing the ball to the hole- to remedy this try using a heavier putter.

The best drill for using this type of stroke involves using only the left hand to stroke putts to a hole feeling this angle between the left arm and shoulder moving the left arm thus powering the puttershaft and putterhead. A second drill is to grip a broom with just your left hand allowing the extra length of the handle to rest next to your upper inside of your arm- try to keep the broom handle there, if so you are using a the left arm pull stroke. You must keep the left wrist firm and reacting to the motions of this power source and you will find success with this type of stroke.

The second type of power “accumulation” involves moving the right arm from a bent condition into a straightening condition through the impact zone. The right arm is never fully straight during impact, but it is straightening and is only fully straight long after the ball is gone. When the right arm starts to straighten, with a mandatory bent right wrist through impact, it powers the puttershaft and transports energy to the ball preserving the effective loft of the putterhead. Anytime you keep the right wrist bent through the ball using the right arm “push” stroke the loft of the putter becomes more consistent through the ball and your speed control will be better. This example of putting power sources is best used when you have a tendency to “slap” at it with your right hand through the ball or for people who tend to have poor speed control. Transporting a bent right wrist via the right arm through the ball will pusher the left arm through the impact zone therefore becomes a right arm type of push stroke. Your more aggressive putters who use less break tend to use this type of stroke for a stronger feel through the ball. Players using this type of motion through the ball on Tour include Mark Calcavecciha, Nick Price, Doug Barron, and Bobby Cochran.

Drills for this type of stroke involve using the right hand only to make putts or “pushing” the ball into the hole from short distances with no backstroke. The shaft will tend to lean forward more at address and through the ball with this type of motion; therefore, it is not very advisable for very fast greens. If you have poor impact alignments or tend to leave the ball short most of the time then you should try this form of putting power sources to move your putter more effectively.

When players are putting well the stroke and its power seems to flow from both sources simultaneously and the feels that are derived from this action seem to be very simple in nature. If you are putting well then there is little need to focus on the individual sources of power but if you are having trouble with speed control, impact alignments, or fast greens then try these two putting styles and you will have better success on the greens. I usually try to keep my students thinking about as little as possible during the actual stroke, but on the putting green I try to get them to focus on the proper motions that each individual body part must make. This education of the hands and body will allow you to better understand your total motion as well as the individual pieces. The key to putting consistency is to understand what your impact alignments do in your stroke and how these alignments are transported based on these two putting power sources and you will be better on the greens! Take the time to understand these alignments and use the drills listed above to see if you are a right arm pusher or a left arm puller on the greens, then and only then, can you practice accordingly and maximize the use of your putting power sources.

Tom F. Stickney is a contributing author at golf-short-game-guide.com and is the director of instruction at Tom Stickney Golf ( www.tomstickneygolf.com ). Tom has published over 100 Articles in publications such as Golf Digest, Japan Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Senior Golfer Magazine, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips, Golf for Women, Executive Golfer, Mid-South Golfer, Southern Golfer Magazine, and Colorado Golfer Magazine. He is one of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America and was recently ranked by Golf Digest as one of the Top 20 Instructors Under 40.

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