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.