How is your putting?

A few years ago Dr. Ralph Mann at Grand Cypress resort in Fla. studied a number of the world's best putters and found some interesting things.

Here is a summary:

Regardless of the length of the putt [they measured four foot, eight foot, 16 foot and 32 foot putts] the completion time of the strokes are exactly the same.

The down swing time is roughly half of the back swing time, showing that the player is accelerating the blade through impact.

As an example, on a four foot putt by Greg Norman the back swing took .62 seconds, the down swing .3 seconds, the total completion time .92 seconds.  For the 32 foot putt, the back swing took .63 seconds, the down swing .29 seconds, for a .92 completion time.

All of the professionals measured consistently produced a follow-through distance almost twice as large as the back swing distance again due to acceleration.

The  Model set-up:

The feet were about 12 inches apart at the toes with the front foot drawn back an inch from the target line; the ball is two inches inside the front big toe and 10 inches out from the foot; the eyes are positioned about two inches inside the ball, contradicting instruction that tells you to have your eyes directly over the ball; the weight is toward the heels and evenly distributed, again contradicting that most of the weight should be on the front side.

Please remember that these are averages so individuals differ. 

 

The Model Putting Stroke:

Is predominantly straight back and straight through, a pendulum-type motion that stays on the line as long as possible.  The recommendation is to putt with the arms and the shoulders [not the wrists] thereby creating the motion of the club by using a tilting of the shoulders. Over-using the wrists open and closes the clubface and this leads to slapping at the ball.  The lower body does not move much at all.

 

The key is returning the putter face to its address position at impact with the putter face perpendicular to the arc of the stroke.  This makes the stroke as simple as possible with fewer chances for error.

A Drill 

Stroke the putt by taking the putter back to your right toe, and then through the ball, to actually twice the distance. Use tees to create gates to guide the putter. Do this for all distances until you develop a feel of how much back swing you need for each length putt.  Then practice putting to the hole, focusing only on the right distance.  You can actually learn to putt this way out on the golf course.  It's a great way to get your backswing under control and to get the relationships between the backswing and the follow through correct every time. 

IS THIS FOR YOU??????

What Will the USGA Say About Elective Amputation?

Dr. Yoseph Bar-Cohen of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, has developed the technology of "artificial muscles" on robots for use in a NASA rover that may be sent to an asteroid. The muscles are composed of layers of flexible plastic strips that work in waves like human fingers when the current is turned on. Bar-Cohen thinks that in the future artificial muscles will be used in humans here on earth. Similar technology is growing at a rapid pace.

Suppose a brain chip could be implanted that would allow you to play better golf. You could get a sharper set of eyes, or swallow a device made with nano technology that lives in your blood stream and perfectly controls your stress level, flooding you with adrenaline for long drives and steadying your nerves for the three footers.  Steroids, testosterone and other drugs are on the ‘do not do’ list but how about these technologies – and what about artificial limbs?

Fast-forward to the year 2016 when golf is in the Olympics and countries worldwide have spent years pulling out all the stops. And suppose there is a prosthetic golf leg available that the owner could alternatively program for a golf swing followed by a natural stride.  What about a pair of bionic hands that produce an always perfect, vice-like hold on the club? Here is the question: If the artificial prosthesis forces the golfer to swing correctly but there is no medical reason for the operation --would the golfer be allowed to play? Think all of this is just science fiction - think again!

An Austrian man voluntarily had his hand amputated so he could be fitted with a bionic limb. The surgery is the second elective amputation to be performed by Viennese surgeon Professor Oskar Aszmann.  Bionic hands move in response to signals from the brain modulated by sensors in the forearm.

Would a golfer go as far as ‘elective amputation” to improve a golf game? It’s not out of the question. I know of a 32 year old woman golfer who underwent breast reduction surgery because her instructor mentioned that her chest caused her to pick the club up.

My sense is that the important issue in golf in the years to come will not be about nonconforming equipment but nonconforming players. From the dart throwing constable in the movie "Young Frankenstein" to the 70ties TV series, the Six Million Dollar Man” we've had a love affair with our bionic hero's. But the question is when they become real -- will the USGA/PGA let them play golf?

Would Hogan Approve?

Hogan Rolls Over in His Grave

“All I did is get on each tee and wait until (Edmondson – his caddy) told me what to do,” said PGA TOUR player Ryan Palmer. “He told me what side of the tee box to get on, and what side he wanted me to be on, what target he wanted me to hit, and it was my job to hit the shot.”

Palmer played well at the Byron Nelson Championship using this approach losing in a playoff but in my opinion being so other-directed is not good in golf.

Takeaway: Self-reliance is a mindset and under pressure you gather information rather than ask for advice.

Jack Burke Jr. –

“A lot of the kids on the tour nowadays hire instructors, so they aren't really thinking for themselves about their technique and how to improve.  They don't trust themselves and when things start going badly, they have nowhere to turn.  In the middle of a round, they can't call their coach to come over and give them a tip.

But they can ask their caddy