Putting

There have been many articles and books written recently about putting that claim, “If you misaim the putter face, there must be some manipulation of the stroke.” They also claim that this leads to cycles of putting. You may putt very well for awhile, but the negative phase of the cycle tends to be a lot longer than the positive phase.

A putting stroke is a miniature golf swing. Most guys on TOUR aim a little left or a little right and curve the ball into the target with their natural swing. I wouldn’t call that manipulating. Let’s explore this so-called theory of alignment and manipulation.

The truth is if you aim at your target you need a stroke that starts the ball at your target. If your natural stroke starts the ball a little left of your alignment and you aim right to accompany your stroke, you would have to change your natural stroke to align directly at your target.

I see a lot of young competitive golfers now who have a line on their putter and a line on their ball to help them line up their putts. Again, all of this assumes that they can repeat a stroke that aims exactly at the target. Maybe I repeat my stroke better when I pull the ball slightly. Many of you have seen Dave Pelz’s system that says that almost all golfers don’t read enough break and either pull or push the ball to the line they need to make the putt.

I know that I under read my putts but I don’t worry about it because I putt by feel. I like the feeling of pulling my ball up the side-slope on a left to right putt and holding the ball against the slope on my right to left putts. The most important thing in putting is to put the ball in the hole.

If I changed my alignment, putt a line on my ball and putter, and changed my stroke would I be a better putter? I doubt it because that’s a lot of thinking and manipulating to change what I do naturally. Right before I take the putter back, my eyes are looking at the ball, and my hands know where the target is. Why have I been a great putter? Because I putt by feel and trust that I’m going to make the putt. It doesn’t matter where you aim as long as you are connected to your target. Your body knows how to find the target if it’s not interrupted by the mind.

Most people putt poorly because they don’t trust or believe that they are a good putter. Then they go from new putters to new grips to new methods all in the hope that they will be able to make that five-footer on 18 more often. It’s hard to trust when you are over thinking and manipulating everything. How many times do you make that slap back putt or the one after your playing partner says, “That’s good.”

So stop overanalyzing your aim and technique, and find out how you would putt if, right before you took it back you said, “That’s good.”

Larry Rinker PGA TOUR Putting Leader 1990