Putting Backswing – The Shoulders

For the past two chapters I have talked about the “Y” and swinging the putter straight back. In this chapter I am going to describe what the right shoulder does during the backswing.

The Right Shoulder Tilts

If you swing the “Y” back correctly on a straight line, the right shoulder will tilt up slightly. The longer the putt the more the right shoulder will tilt up. If you have a two or three foot putt you will not have to swing the putter back far enough for the shoulder to tilt.

On the other hand, if you swing the putter back inside on an arc the right shoulder will have to TURN out of the way and not TILT. The best visual that I can give you is if you are watching a boat rock from side to side in the water. You have to have the feeling the right shoulder rocks or tilts up in the backswing and yes you are right, the left shoulder tilts up in the downswing. We will touch on that in the next chapter.(#29)

After you address the golf ball and you do not bend over at the hips, your posture will be too upright. If you are standing too tall to the golf ball at address, the right shoulder will have a tendency to turn and not tilt.(#30)

Your Shoulder Need to Be Alignd Correctly

The one part of the address that is barely talked about is the shoulder alignment. After you address the golf ball you have to have your shoulders parallel to your intended target line. If your shoulders are closed (right shoulder back too far) the shoulder will turn and not tilt. If your shoulders are open (right shoulder in front of left) the right shoulder will tilt too much and the putter will arrive at impact on a steep angle.(#31)

Putting Backswing – Keep the Putter Head Low

You have to pay close attention to this one detail during the backswing. The putter head does not have to come up off of the ground just because the right shoulder is tilting up. You can make a smooth swing backwards away from the golf ball and still keep the clubhead close to the putting surface as the right shoulder tilts up.

If you find out the putter head is coming off of the ground too high, focus on the clubhead for some time and not on the right shoulder tilting up.

By the way this is the most profound thought about the right shoulder tilting up. The right shoulder tilting up is a RESULT not a cause.

If you have the correct length putter for you and you have the correct posture and your shoulders are parallel to your intended line with the correct ball position, you are 99% of the way there. If you swing the putter back on the correct path, THE RIGHT SHOULDER WILL TILT UP.

Putting Instruction -Downswing

OK I know it seems obvious if you go back straight you have to come down straight and of course follow through straight. This is where it gets a little tricky.

There are a couple of things that can happen along the way back down to the ball. The most common mistake I have seen over the past 30 odd years is the right shoulder turns in the downswing and it doesn’t TILT down. I think I am going to write a golf book and call it “That Darn RIGHT Shoulder”. It seems to raise its ugly head in chipping, pitching, full swing and now putting.

Do Not Turn Your Shoulders

As the putter arrives at the top of the backswing, we have this incredible desire to turn the right shoulder back into the golf ball instead of simply letting the “Y” swing back down on the same path it went back up on.(#32)

Pushing Your Putts?

The second most common mistake is to swing the putter from inside to out and push your putts. The backswing goes back straight but at the top you swing the putter back down inside of the line and follow through to the outside.(#33)

The next step is directly related to this step. The left shoulder tilting up in the downswing can only take place if you swing the putter straight back down in the downswing. These two steps go hand in hand. If the downswing is not on a straight line into the back of the golf ball, the left shoulder will not tilt up in the follow through.

Use a Straight-Edge to Check Yourself

There is nothing like a baseboard or a straight edge to help you get back on track. I will tell you another great place to practice your stroke; you do not have to use a golf ball either. Go to the edge of the green and look for a straight edge of the fringe where the mower cut a straight line. It does not have to be a long cut it can be three or four feet long, just enough so you can practice watching your stroke go back and forth on a straight line.

When You are Putting Poorly – Go Back to the Fundamentals

Keep this one thought in mind before we head to the next chapter. Most of the times when you are struggling with your stroke you have to go all the way back to the basics. FUNDAMENTALS. There are no short cuts. If you think your stroke is out to in during the downswing, you have to start from the beginning. See, it could be ball position, shoulder alignment, posture etc.

It is much easier to go back to the foundation and start over. If you do not have the luxury of having someone that can pin point your mistake-you should start from the beginning and then you will find the mistake quicker.

Putting Downswing

Here we go. We are coming to the end of the putting stroke but the next couple of steps are very important. I am going to repeat myself a few times but I have to because I need to drive home a few points and the last few steps are interrelated.

When you started the putter back, the right shoulder is tilted up and the left shoulder is tilted down. As the putter continued back, the left shoulder continued tilting further down. On a short putt, the left shoulder does not tilt down much.

The Left Shoulder Tilts Up in the Putting Downswing

As the putting stroke begins to swing back towards the golf ball, the left shoulder will begin to tilt back up to the original position and then as the putter makes contact with the golf ball, the left shoulder is going to tilt higher in the air.

At the moment of impact the left shoulder should be exactly where it was at address, because the putter is moving, it is difficult to see this in motion. Shortly after impact the left shoulder tilts back up in the follow through the same way the right shoulder tilted up in the backswing.(#34)

By now you should really start getting the idea that when you stroke the putter correctly the right shoulder tilts up in the backswing and the left shoulder tilts up in the follow through.

Tilt the Shoulders to Build a Consistent Putting Stroke

In the downswing, if the putter swings out to in the left shoulder will turn to the left and it will not tilt up. On the other hand, in the downswing, if the putter swings from inside to out, the left shoulder will tilt up but not on the correct angle.

The left shoulder tilting up is so important for the next step. You are going to see how valuable the shoulder tilting up becomes when I relate it to the clubface during impact and shortly after.

The next time you stand in front of a mirror with a putter in hand, take a look at the shoulders tilting and not turning.

Putting Backswing – Swing Path

I know I just touched on the backswing in the last chapter but I have to spend a bit more time on it. I would have to say that this has been the most controversial topic of the short game in the past 25 years.

I don’t think we thought much of it until the video camera came along. The difference between a putter swinging straight back and one that swings back on an arc is a matter of a few inches, difficult to see without video. Of course once we put the camera on it everybody took sides. Arc or straight back? Fortunately for me I have ALWAYS swung the putter straight back. As far back as I can remember I have never believed the stroke had an arc and the face opened and closed.(#27)

The arc seemed very difficult to time and then add the face opening and closing, I knew there were other parts of the game I would spend my time trying to improve on, this was not one I was going to give time towards. Yes, I believe if you have a 45 foot uphill putt, the clubface will swing slightly inside in the backswing. Anything short of that it has to swing straight back and straight through without the face opening and closing.(#28)

Putting Stroke – Straight back, Strait Through

There are many reasons why I believe the stroke is not an arc. The number one and foremost reason is the straight back straight through. It’s very simple. It is simple to practice, easy to understand and conceptualize. You can also practice on a straight edge or base board and watch the stroke to see how accurate you are.

The second reason is when you are practicing the arc you do not have a training tool to practice with. The longer the stroke the more you have to arc. The more the arc the more the clubface has to open and then return on time in the backswing. Too many moving parts. This does not include breaking putts. On putts breaking away from you does the face open less? On the same breaking putt do you not swing inside as much?

I think by now you know exactly how I feel about the direction the putter head has to travel on during the putting stroke. If you believe in the arc and you average less than 30 putts per round, STAY WITH IT. However if you struggle with putting, give this a try for 30 days and if your putting hasn’t improved I will give you your money back. Wait a minute. You didn’t pay anything. I know this will improve your putting results.

Putting Stroke – You Can’t be Perfect

I think this is about the right timing for me to talk to some of you about your stroke that wiggles, shakes and does the mamba on the way back. You have to trust me on this one. FORGET IT!!! It has very little to do with you not being a great putter.

I figured something out a long time ago; I can hardly draw a six inch straight line with a pencil so how can I expect myself to swing a putter back perfectly straight for two feet. I spend hours putting on a straight edge and then I LET IT GO. Give it up to the golf gods and let them do there thing.

There is time to practice and time to play. When I step on the first tee it is time to play. Don’t misunderstand me. I PRACTICE like I play and I PLAY like I practice. When I tee it up I have to let the playing take over. I do not try and figure it out on the golf course. I will tell you a little secret; I have made a whole bunch of putts with a wiggly backswing.

Putting Golf Instruction – Introduction

The definition of a putt is a golf ball that is hit on a putting green with a putter. With that definition to what may seem as to be a simple part of the game of golf, I am going to take you on a journey without a destination.

Putting is extremely Influencial on your Golf Handicap

I know some of you have heard it before yet I am going to say it again. Anywhere between 40-50% of your score, my score and even Tiger Woods score is a result of putting. The first time you hear that number it seems to knock everyone over. As a matter of fact, the 100th time you hear it, it seems to knock everyone over.

Golfers Don’t Practice Putting Enough

There seems to be a major problem with that number. NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT. It has to be close to twenty years ago where that number became a popular thing to talk about. We have all kept track of our putts for the past 50 years but it wasn’t until someone placed a percent on the number of putts per round that really got us thinking.

Once upon a time it seems like we used to think if we had 29 putts or less we putted well and if we had 30 or more we didn’t talk about it. Then all of the sudden we wake up one morning and someone says “do you know that 38% of your round today was putting”. Of course the next stat to come along shortly there after was what percent of your round was from inside 100 yards. We will discuss that at another time.

Back to the 38% of your round on the putting green that was enough for anyone to take notice, except us and I mean ALL of us. The 18 handicap golfer averages 36 putts per round. You can run but you can not hide 40% of 90 is 36 putts per round.

You can be a Great Putter

You and I may not ever hit the golf ball as far as Tiger or as straight as Tom Kite but we can all learn to improve our putts per round percentage and I mean all of us. That is exactly what this part of the program is designed to do.

I am going to give you some mechanical techniques and then move on to some mental advice. From there I am going to explain how you can teach yourself to become a great green reader. After all these years I am so convinced if I could read your putts for you it would eliminate three putting the world over. I will wrap it up with what I refer to as the picture. The picture is the secret you have been looking for so you can become “The Best Putter in Town”.

When you have finished this program and spent four to eight weeks working on the information I have passed on to you it will change your golf life FOREVER.

Remember putting is a journey NOT a destination. Grab your putter and three golf balls and let’s get started.

Putting Mechanics

For the better part of the past 51 years, I have spent it either working on my golf game or helping golfers all over the world improve their golf game. When I work on an idea I have two thoughts in mind. The first thought is can I make this idea work for me and the second thought is will this help me help amateur golfers improve? Those two thoughts are always with me.

Don’t let there be any misunderstanding. I have come across some thoughts that work for me but don’t apply to the amateur golfer. I have been the guinea pig for many ideas I have come across.

The Putting Stroke – Straight Back – Straight Through

The reason I went into depth about this subject is because when I tell you something I believe in I have spent many hours practicing, researching and then applying it to my way of communicating to students.

I am telling you right now that I am aware there are many ways to do different things in this world, but, I have no idea why anyone would swing the putter any other way than STRAIGHT BACK AND STRAIGHT THROUGH.

I know that was a long way around for me to get you to understand how passionate I am about the putting stoke. I have read and studied every conceivable way to swing a putter and I will go to my grave knowing that the easiest, consistent and most accurate way to swing a putter is STRAIGHT BACK AND STRAIGHT THROUGH.

Now I am going to tell you why.

Why Straight Back – Straight Through Works

You have to stand across from the golf ball when you putt. When you stand across from the golf ball on the full swing, the golf club swings back on an arc.(#3) The reason it swings back on an arc is because you are standing so far from the golf ball and the club is bent in such a fashion that the golf club has to swing INSIDE of a slight arc.

With that being said, when you address a golf ball with a putter, you are standing much closer than the full swing. The second reason the putter has to swing back straight is because the putter is designed to swing straight back. The putter is much more upright than the other 13 clubs in your bag.(#4)

Lastly, it is much easier to swing the putter back straight with a square clubface than to let the putter swing inside on an arc with the face opening and then swing it back down on the arc and try and to square the clubface up at impact.

By now I hope you are getting the idea that although I know some golfers have had success without swinging the putter back and forth straight, I do not believe it is the easiest, consistent and most accurate way.

For us to move forward I had to give it to you straight (no pun intended). Now let’s move on to the set-up.

 Check out our next article:  How To Putt In Golf – (Part 2)