Be Wary of the Forward Press
Every
time Phil Michelson plays well on TV my lesson book is filled with students
putting poorly. It’s not because Phil can’t putt, it’s because it’s hard to
copy his technique i.e. The forward press of the putter where the hands move
toward the target to start the putting stroke. Unless you’re an expert, it’s a
dangerous move that can lead to bouncing putts and off-line pushes .
Most putters have a tiny bit of loft—usually 3
or 4 degrees—built into the face of the club. This is designed specifically to
make the ball pop into the air for a brief moment at impact, so that it clears
the turf and then quickly lands and rolls smoothly toward the hole. If you
didn’t have any loft on your putter, you’d pinch the ball into the turf at
impact, and the subsequent rebound off the ground is exactly what causes a
putted ball to bounce and skip down—and usually off—the target line.
The problem with forward pressing is that,
if done incorrectly [and it’s very easy to screw it up] you’re effectively
taking that natural loft off the putter by pressing your hands forward at address
and then allowing them to stay forward at impact. Not only will you generally
de-loft the putter face at impact, but you probably won’t do it consistently.
You may manage to manipulate the putter head into a good position on some of
your putts, and then jam the ball into the green on the others. In other words,
your putting game will be all over the map, which is probably the worst thing
possible for building confidence.
To make things simple for yourself, I
advise you to forget the forward press and focus instead on keeping the cup in
your trail wrist as I am doing in the photo. To make a smooth stroke, practice
with your lead hand behind you while stroking some 15 footers
Keep the cup by using a soft rocking motion
of your shoulders.
Quiet hands are the key to good putting. The clubhead
swings past the handle because it is moving at a different speed due to a heavier
head. This happens naturally if you keep the cup and stroke the ball with no
manipulation.
And be sure to shield your eyes when you see Phil Michelson
putt lest you be tempted to copy what only he can do well.
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