Todd Sones, Golf Magazine, top 100 teachers.
A good way for amateurs to lower their scores to avoid 3 putts. The key to avoiding 3 putting is your first putt, your log putt, get it close to the hole. Now the problem with most amateurs that they have what we call a signature backstroke. That means that you always take the putter back about the same distance on all putts. When you do that when you’re facing the short putt you have to slow the putter head down and of course when you face the lower putt you have to speed the putter head up. What great putters do is they have a signature tempo. That means they change the length of the putter head travels but they keep the tempo the same.
Alright so a long putt, I’ll get set and I’ll concentrate once I get set up I’ll concentrate and making sure make a practice stroke to the putter head travels back and forth the same distance in a constant rate of acceleration through impact. Alright once I made the practice stroke, I’ll set the putter down, take final look at the hole. That final look is really important because it’s like shooting a free throw. It gives you brain, the distance to the hole. So once you’re set take that last look. Once you get back to the ball, don’t wait, let the putter’s head swing. Complete the back stroke. Smooth follow through and then there’s you long putt.
Now here’s the mistake, let me demonstrate. Again a long putt many people take a putter back too short and then they have to force the follow through. So take a back short and they force the follow through it might tend to make the flip the wrist or move their body it because you miss hit. You won’t get that first putt close to the hole when you do that.
Now that we’ve learned how important it is to have a signature tempo to be a great log putter, I use the speed board to help my students develop their own signature tempo. Using the colors zones, I’m going to first hit a long putt using the speed board. So I’m going to let the putter head travel to the red zone and finish at the red zone. Equal back, equal through at a constant rate of acceleration through impact.
Now once I’ve done a few of those, then I’ll bring the tees back and practice some short putts, some 4 footers.
So I’ll bring the tees back to the black zone and make that again the putter head now travels and stays in a black zone in both sides of the golf ball.
So remember develop you signature tempo on all putts. Short, medium, long and you will avoid your 3 putts and you will lower your score.
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