Putting Science

I define a pitch shot as one of 60 yards or less that travels further through the air than it rolls on the ground. A standard pitch shot is normally played with a wedge or a sand-wedge - the ball is lofted reasonably high up into the air, and depending on the surface of the green, will then roll a few feet upon landing. As always, it is the way that you set up to the ball that determines the shape and consistency of the swing you are able to make.

The majority of the problems that I see players struggle with stem from the fact that they tend to set up to a pitch in exactly the same way they would make a full swing. They align their body parallel with the ball-to-target line; far a pitch shot your lower body should be set slightly 'open' in relation to that line.

If you should mistakenly set up square to the target, the chances of you being consistent, both in terms of distance and direction, are slim. Because of the short-length swing that characterizes a normal pitch, you won't have time to square the clubface with the rotation of your body. Instead, to get the ball started on line, you are forced to manipulate the clubhead with your hands.

FIX NO.53
Pre-set the perfect impact position

In order to strike your shots solidly, certain criteria must be met at impact. Specifically, your lower body should be open in relation to the target line, while your hands should be ahead of the ball.

The best way that I know to ensuring that these conditions are met on a regular basis is to preset them at address. Accordingly, take a fairly narrow stance, and set your lower body a little open (aligned left) to the target line. (Your shoulders and the clubface, meanwhile, should be square.) Position the ball just forward of middle in your feet, so that your hands lie comfortably ahead. Finally, settle approximately 60 per cent of your weight on your left side, flex your knees and push them gently toward the target.

This setup is essentially the position that you want to achieve at impact. Rehearse it in front of a mirror; get used to the feeling of 'impact'. Taking it from here you can then swing confidently and hit quality pitch shots.

If you ever suffered prolonged attacks of anxiety, or periods of little of no confidence in your ability to play short chip shots around the green, then you'll know only too well what an utterly soul-destroying experience it can be. The inability to execute what is, in reality, a relatively easy shot shakes the foundation of your whole game. The terms 'chilli-dip', 'fluff', 'skulled' and 'bladed' describing poorly executed chip shots come to mind, and as your nerves become increasingly ragged you begin to doubt your ability to ever get the ball close to the hole.

Such is the power of the mind. A confident player with a good short game works purely on feel and visualization - and all he sees is success. One with a poor short-game thinks only in negative terms; he gets tense and in severe cases 'freezes' over the shot. All of which shifts the golfer's focus from the 'where' to the 'how' aspect of whatever he is trying to do.

So if you are a player whose preferred choice of club is a putter on almost every occasion around the green, the following simple chipping technique should help you.

FIX NO.52
Chip as you putt

The quickest way of gaining confidence in your chipping is to simplify both your thinking and your technique. One way to do that is to regard your chipping stroke merely as an extension of your putting stroke. Try this: with an 8-iron in your hands, set up to a ball as if you were preparing to hit a long putt. Take your normal putting grip but play the ball back in your stance, off the inside of your right foot. At the same time keep your hands and weight forward, favoring your left side, and spread your elbows. The club should be held almost vertically so that the heel is raised off the ground - thus you must stand very close to the ball.Addressing the ball in this manner positions the ball off the toe-end of the club, which, when contact is made, helps to 'deaden' and control the roll of the chip.

Controlling the stroke with a gentle rocking of your shoulders, allow the club to rise up several inches off the ground in the backswing, and then hit down on the ball slightly, clipping it into the air. Concentrate on maintaining the width of the gap between your elbows as you swing back and through - that ensures a pure arms and shoulders motion.

The real beauty of this method is that you take your wrists out of the equation altogether. As long as you keep your head still and focus on making a short, firm follow-through, you'll succeed in striking the ball solidly. As with putts, lengthen your stroke to play longer chips. For the very long chip shots, try experimenting with a 5- or 6-iron to get the required roll.

If you are one of those golfers who seem to strike your chip shots fairly well, but rarely get the ball close to the hole, then the problem isn't necessarily in your method. It could be that your strategy around the green is letting you down.

Certainly, there's a lot more to honing a sharp short game than simply working on a good technique. To be fully versatile, you must also develop the ability to visualize and manufacture a whole array of different shots. One of the reasons why many players struggle to get up-and-down consistently is that they lack this imagination, often reaching for their favorite 'chipping club' long before they have even examined the lie of the ball or the nature of the shot they have to play.

True, it is possible to develop a good touch around the greens using only one club, but doing so calls for an exceptional amount of 'feel' and requires lots of practice. Unless you are able to invest that time and effort, I suggest that you develop a chipping system that involves learning one basic swing, and then simply vary the club that you use to play chips of differing length.

FIX NO.51
Simplify your strategy

The most effective chipping strategy is that which seeks to get the ball on the putting surface as soon as possible. Naturally, the situation your are in must determine the ideal combination of flight and roll that you need to get the ball close to the pin, but as a general guideline you should always aim to land the ball within ten feet of the fringe. Visualize the shot in your mind; remember, the more run you need, the less lofted the club you should take, and vice versa.

Try the following test. Starting with a 9-iron, and adopting the procedure as described in Fixes Nos. 49 and 50, hit a few shots, and concentrate on swinging the club with the same tempo every time. Note the reaction of each ball as it rolls across the green. If your swing is repeating, they should all finish fairly close together.

Using the same strategy, now hit different clubs ranging from a 5-iron to a sand-wedge, and not the reaction of these shots. With practice, you will have a good idea of which club produces what roll. With this knowledge, you will then be able to select the correct club and hit different length chips close to the hole on the course.

Once you can appreciate how to set up to the ball correctly, you must work on making your chipping action as simple as possible. Roughly translated, that means eliminating unnecessary and unwanted wrist-action in order to produce a stroke you can trust.

Poor chipping can invariably be put down to a 'flippy' type of hand action, where the back of the left hand and wrist can be seen to collapse through impact. This occurs normally as the result of trying to help the all up into the air, as opposed to allowing the loft of the clubface to do that for you. As a consequence, the backswing gets too long, the clubhead decelerates as the left wrist breaks down through impact and the ball is either thinned, topped or hit fat. Whatever the outcome, this relatively simple shot, that at times only has to travel a few feet, is normally botched.

FIX NO.50
Keep your wrists firm

Before we look at the nature of the stroke itself, there's an important adjustment that must first be made to your grip - strengthen your left hand (ie. turn your left hand slightly to the right of its normal position on the grip, showing about three knuckles on the back of your hand). This will help to prevent the left wrist from breaking down through impact, which in turn will enable you to more easily control the nature of the strike you impart on the ball.

Now the stroke. Keeping your weight on your left side, move the club back a short distance with a small turn of your body, keeping your wrists relaxed, but passive. Then, on moving forward, smoothly ease your knees laterally towards the target in harmony with the slight turning motion of your body as you swing the club through impact. The back of your left wrist must remain firm as you accelerate the clubhead into the ball, and the angle at the back of your right wrist should remain constant throughout the entire motion. Your follow-through must be relatively short to ensure a crisp strike.

Test yourself to see if your wrists have stayed firm during the shot. Move your follow-through position wholesale back to your address position. Are your hands and the clubface in relatively the same position as they were when you started? If so, your wrist action is correct.

I'm sure that I don't have to tell you how important chipping is when it comes to saving shots. Getting up and down three or four times in a round can turn a mediocre score into a good score; a good round into a great round.

The key to chipping close to the hole on a regular basis is controlling the speed at which the ball rolls after lands on the green. Only a repetitive method and practice can teach you the relationship between your stroke and the behavior of the ball. But for your method to be effective, it must originate from a solid set-up position.

Judging the pace at which the ball 'releases' upon landing on the green is all but impossible if you play from a faulty setup For example, if you set up with too much weight on your right foot and the ball too far forward in your stance(1); or tend to stand straight-legged and reach for the ball (2) - two of the most common faults that I see - the chances of making consistent club-ball contact are slim, to say the least. The clubhead is destined to approach the ball on a poor, 'scoopy' angle, which inevitably results in a mishit shot.

FIX NO.49
Ball back, weight forward, hands forward

To produce a stroke that you can repeat over and over again, adjust your setup as follows. Firstly, take a narrow, open stance (ie. align you body left of the target), position the ball back toward your right foot, and place a good percentage of your weight on your left side (1, 2). Now push your hands ahead of the ball and feel that your chest-bone is leaning to the left of the ball.; if you like, feel that you assimilate your impact position at address. At first, you'll probably feel as if you're off balance. But persevere.

What this setup will enable you to do is swing the club up a little on the backswing and then take a shallow divot as you return the clubhead to the ball on a downward angle. So it promotes a slightly descending angle of attack through impact - ideal for 'pinching' the ball off the turf (especially if you have a tight lie).

This exercise will help you check if you have achieved your setup goal. Lay a shaft on the ground just outside your right foot (so that it forms a right angle with you ball-to-toe target line), and then make your chipping stroke (3). If you have set up correctly, the clubhead should pass over the shaft both on the way back and on the way down, creating consistent ball-turf contact. Upon landing, your shots will now roll in a consistent manner each time, so making club selection much easier.

There times when putting seems so easy. You're relaxed over the ball, and hole looks as big as a bucket. Your stroke feels perfectly grooved, the ball rolls sweetly off the putter-face, and putts disappear from everywhere. This condition is somewhat rare, I know, but it does happen.

Unfortunately, there other times when just the opposite is true. You are tense and fidgety, and there doesn't seem to be a hole on the green. You feel generally uncomfortable, and your putting stroke is off. The ball seems to clunk off the putter, and it never appears to get up to the hole. Or, if it does, the putt lips out. You've lost your feel; the magic is gone. So what can you do about this lacklustre feel?

FIX NO.48
Thoughts on recapturing 'feel'

If you sense that your feel has deserted you, work on these keys:

• Check your alignment. Lay a club on the ground pointing directly at a hole, and rest your putter-head on top of the shaft. Take aim, making sure the face is square (ie. that it forms a right angle with the shaft).
• Hover the putter-head above the shaft and check the path of your stroke. Many poorly-hit putts are the result of cutting across the line of the putt, thus producing a poor roll. In a good stroke, the putter should move slightly inside the shaft going back, then return straight through 'impact', and on towards the target.
• Work on your rhythm. Grip lightly to reduce any tension in your hands and arms, and learn to swing the putter freely. Count 'one-two' as you make your stroke - 'one' going back, 'two' coming through. That will help to enhance your tempo. If you feel you may be guilty of watching the putter-head as you move it back, hit a few putts whilst actually looking at the hole.
• Check your routine, too. Make, say, two practice strokes, take a couple of looks at the hole, and then stroke the putt. Develop a series of good habits, and stick to them. And remember, whatever your routine, the time you take to prepare to hit each putt should consistent.
• Practice putting to a tee - that immediately takes away the pressure of 'holing it', so you can work on making solid contact. The added bonus is that out on the course, the hole appears enormous.

Putting would be a very mundane business if each and every green was flat. Subtle slopes and borrows add spice to the game, and test the skill of the player to read the greens correctly. During the course of a typical round you are probably going to encounter many breaking putts where, in order to make the putt, you have to aim somewhere outside of the hole.

In my experience, the majority of these putts are missed on the low - or 'amateur' - side, as the player fails to make enough provision for the borrow or break. In other words, more curling right-to-left putts are missed on the left side of the hole than the right, and vice versa.

The reason? Golfers often lack the confidence to start the ball outside of the hole. Instinct tells you to aim at the hole, even when you know there's a definite 'break' to negotiate. As a result, from the moment the ball leaves the putter-face, the chances of the putt going in - for many players - are nil.

FIX NO.47
Focus on an intermediate target

Bearing in mind that the line and pace of every putt are inversely related, visualize the ball running towards the hole, and try to pick out the point at which you think it will first start to break toward the cup. Regard that apex point as your intermediate target, and aim at it. (Remember, when you read a putt, the center of the cup may change. If your putt is breaking from left-to-right, for example, the center could move from six o'clock to, say, eight o'clock as you look at the hole.)

Now, having chosen your line, all you have to worry about is the pace to get the ball to the hole. If you hit the ball too hard you will hit the putt right through the break; hit it too softly and even though you may have aimed correctly, it will still miss on the low side.

In the end, it all boils down to trust. You have to trust yourself to read the break correctly, judge the speed, and then hit the putt on the line you have chosen. If you can focus on hitting the putt to the apex of the curve, and your speed is decent, you'll have more chance of making those curly putts. Or at least start missing them on the high - or 'pro' - side.

When you see a golfer stand and freeze over short putts, and then make an uncontrollable flinch with the putter - the ball then missing the hole, sometimes by a wide margin - you are watching someone with that nasty golfing disease the 'yips'.

Yips have been known to make people give up the game in pure frustration at not being about to accomplish something so seemingly simple as to roll a ball a short distance into a hole. The problem is basically a mental one, which, in all probability, started off as being physical. The story goes something like this: a faulty stroke results in some missed short putts. After a while, that becomes a habit; a negative image builds up in one's mind; you cannot see yourself holing the putt; you become tense and anxious; your nerves become uncontrollable and little voice inside you says, "you are a lousy putter, you can't putt". Bingo! you have the yips.

The fault manifests itself mentally in the short putts first, because on longer putts your expectation level is lower, but, it has been known to spread. So, what can you do about the yips?

FIX NO.46
Relax, holing short putts is simple

Let's tackle the mental aspect first. All negative, self-depreciating 'inner-chatter' has to stop. Think positively and logically. Every time you stand over a putt, only two possible outcomes exist: you can either knock the putt in, or you can miss it. So, accept the challenge. Make a good stroke, hit the putt solidly - if you have read it right, and the ball doesn't hit a spike mark, then it has a good chance of going in.

Okay. So now that you are in a better frame of mind, what of the physical aspects? First, you obviously need to relax. Choke down a little on the putterand grip lightly. Keep your stroke short, accelerate through impact and listen for ball going into the cup. Many short putts are missed because of peeking. Practice on three-foot putts by placing a small coin under the ball and notice, say, the date. Then strike the ball at the hole, and keep your eyes focused on the coin. Don't look up until you hear the sound of the ball dropping into the cup. Also, knock in some short putts with your eyes closed. This will get you feeling your stroke instead of worrying about the hole.

For your routine, try this: look at the hole, look back at the the ball, then stroke the putt - it's that simple. Don't wait of freeze over the ball. The less time there is to think . . . the better. To build up your confidence, place six balls around the hole - about three feet away. Once you know them all in, move to four feet. If you miss one, start over again. Get accustomed to knocking into the back of the cup. Putting is basically all confidence - get some and the word 'yips' will stand for "Yes, I'm Putting Super"!

Whenever I see an amateur player sizing up a lengthy putt, or one that features several awkward slows and borrows, my immediate reaction is to think that he or she has a very good chance of three-putting. Why? Because amateur players hardly ever practice these putts and as a result, have poor feel. They tend to hit at the putt as opposed to stroking it.

Great putters not only hole out regularly from within six feet of the hole - that vital scoring distance - but they also have great touch and feel for distance on long putts. They realize that their goal from say, 30 or 40 feet is simply to 'lag' the ball close enough to the hole to have reasonably simple second putt. If it goes in, that's a bonus. Keeping those three putts off the card is a must.

FIX NO.45
Improve your touch

There are several things youcan do to become a good lag putter mentally and physically. (1) On facing a putt upwards of, say, 40 feet, make the most of positive mental imagery - not only the line of the putt but also by visualizing a bigger final target. Imagine a circle with about a two-foot radius painted around the hole, and simply try to roll your approach putt within that circle. If you do, the longest putt you can have left will be two feet. (2) Be conscious that pure technique here on these lengthy putts is not a prerequisite for feel. Stand a little taller at address andencourage a long, free stroke back and through, and allow a little wrist action to help with acceleration. Your left wrist should, in fact, be a little cupped at the completion of the stroke.

(3) Practice long putts with your right hand only. This will give you the feeling of releasing the putter head. (4) Hit putts from one side of the practice green to the other, aiming to get each ball as close to the fringe as you can without ever going off the edge. (5) When confronted with a long lag putt on the course, take plenty of practice strokes to sense the stroke needed to execute the putt at hand. With these keys, you could surprise your friends with your new found touch on long putts.

Think back to the last time you three-putted. What let you down? Your accuracy, or your inability to stroke the ball the desired distance? I'm prepared to wager that nine times out of ten, it's the latter.

On any putt over, say, ten feet, getting the distance right is much more important than direction. Even a beginner can hit a putt reasonably close the right line, but the chances of him rolling the ball the right distance are slim. Without the experience of 'fee', he's much more likely to rap the putt miles past, or leace the ball woefully short of the hole.

To a much lesser extent, the same is true of more advanced players. Many golfers have a tendency to hit a putt 'hard' or 'soft' depending on its length. That's asking for trouble. The 'hard' and 'soft' approach is too difficult to judge; you'll never develop a consistent feel for distance. And without that, you'll always be leaving your first putt too far from the hole to be sure of getting the next one in.

FIX NO.44
Longer putt, longer stroke

One of the golden rules in putting is that the length of your stroke should always control the distance you hit the ball. A relatively long putt requires a relatively long stroke, and vice versa. But there's a clause that you must adhere to: no matter what the length of the putt, your tempo - that is, the time it takes to complete your stroke - should remain constant. Thus, the pace of your stroke on a short putt will appear appreciably slower than that on a longer putt.

Good putters who seem to regularly hit their putts the proper distance have great tempo. With this in mind, practice putting to random targets to increase your awareness for the length of your stroke. Place tees in the green at distances of 10, 20 and 30 feet from your ball, and hit putts to all three, varying the length of your backswing for each, and making your follow-through at least as long - if not longer - than your backswing.

Always try to hit a putt firmly enough that, should it miss, the ball will finish about 18 inches past the hole. That's the optimum speed for the ball to hold its line, yet still fall in if catches any part of the cup.

Finally, be aware that you must take into account the condition of the green and the nature of your putt - ie. uphill or downhill - when determining speed.