FAULT NO.43 Putting - breakdown of the left wrist

Nothing ruins the consistency of a putting stroke like unwanted wrist action through impact. This breakdown can often be seen to occur in conjunction with a shoulder motion that has either stopped or is decelerating, and is one of the most common causes of a poorly struck short or medium length putt - and this applies equally to the pros. With this fault, judging the pace and controlling the direction of your putts can prove to be a real problem. Because of the uncertainty that surrounds this type of wrist action in terms of the strike you impart on the ball, rarely will you release the putter with any confidence. You end up decelerating the putter through impact, which makes it virtually impossible to put a good roll on the ball.

FIX NO.43
'Pull' and 'Push'

To help protect yourself against any unwanted hinging in the left wrist, hold the putter so that the shaft runs high across the palm of your left hand, resting against the fleshy pad below the thumb. Then close your hand, draping your left index finger over the fingers of your right hand. Doing this forms what's known as the 'reverse-overlap' grip; the left hand is now effectively locked in place on the club.

Now let's put your grip to the test. Remember, in a solid pendulum stroke, the shoulders control the motion from start to finish while the hands remain passive. Try this drill: address a straight three-foot putt, and without a backswing, 'brush' the ball towards the hole. Make the follow-through by 'pulling' with your left arm and left shoulder and 'pushing' with your right arm and right shoulder. Focus on keeping your left hand firm as you accelerate the putter past your left foot, and check to see that the putter-face is looking directly at the hole on the finish.Repeating this drill regularly will give you the correct feel, eliminates the 'wristiness' in your stroke, and should get those putts dropping.