DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
By David Woods, PGA
Be confident. Even high-handicappers are expected to drain these easy four-footers, right? Well, then why are we so fearful of them? Usually, it’s a confidence issue, a lack of acceleration and too much head movement in the stroke, meaning you should make a smooth, accelerating stroke and try to hear the ball drop before you lift your head and see where it went. The next time you practice, grab five to six golf balls and keep putting from four feet until you hear all the balls find the cup. It will work wonders for your ability to make a more aggressive stroke, and it will help you stay in the proper putting position and avoid the temptation to look up midway through your forwardstroke.
With some practice, you might want to try the same drill, only roll some putts with your eyes closed. You’ll develop a better sense of your stroke length and tempo, which, again, will help you become more confident in your ability to make more short putts.
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TRUST IT!
Imagine you’re in a situation to shoot a low score, but you feel nervous to hit what’s usually a very easy putt. If you stay focused on "What if I miss?" you’ll lose the proper focus to execute a solid stroke.
Consider embracing the preshot process instead. This involves going through an effective routine that’s focused on the speed and line you intend to stroke the putt. Be as specific as possible as you see the ball enter the cup. Take a few extra seconds to visualize the putt going in right before you take the putt back. React to a clear picture of what you want instead of thinking about all the possible outcomes. Then trust your line and roll it in.
| When it comes to golf equipment, nothing is as personal as the putter. It’s as though we have a special bond with our flatsticks. Sometimes, we love them like teddy bears and would sleep with them if we could. Other times, we scorn them like a girlfriend who has cheated on us with our best friend. Yet, despite our love-hate-love-hate relationships we have with our putters, we can’t play a round of golf without one (well, you sort of can, but that’s not the point).
The best thing you can do is get yourself a putter you’re confident with from the get-go. If you have a putter that you aren’t comfortable with the moment you first use it, that putter will be out of your bag as soon as your putting hits a snag. Have a look at some of 2014’s best. |
| Classic Looks | ||
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Bobby Grace
Fat Lady Key Features: Milled of aircraft aluminum and with a stepped cavity design on top, this ain’t your mama’s Fat Lady. |
Bridgestone
True Balance Key Features: With an ultralight grip and shaft, the weight is mainly in the head and hosel. You only feel the putterhead during the stroke and will release the head for a truer roll that finds the target. |
Cleveland Golf
Classic Collection HB |
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Edel
Torque Balanced Putters Key Features: Each model is designed not only to look good, but to help golfers more efficiently square the putterface at impact. |
Giannini
G5 Key Features: This wide mallet has Soft Slotted Face Technology, which the designer says is the key to its effectiveness and consistency. The deep gunmetal/PVD black finish reduces glare off of the top. A platinum finish is also offered. |
Nike
Method MOD Key Features: Offered in four shapes, it has "polymetal" grooves for consistent roll off the face. Each putter is weighted to length for proper feel, with a unique toe hang option. |
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Odyssey
Metal-X Milled |
Orlimar
Tad Moore Signature Series Key Features: Each of the four putters in the series has a traditional shape, game-improvement features and a washboard face milling to help you get consistent and accurate roll, plus distance control. |
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Ping
Karsten TR |
RIFE
Iconic Key Features: Four models are offered, differing by type of hosel and neck. All have the company’s proprietary Lie Align |
| Worth The Weight? "Counterbalancing is definitely very hot in the market right now," says Tomo Bystedt, director of product creation for irons, putters and wedges for TaylorMade. So, what gives? Well, for starters, the club is heavier, both the head and grip–hence, the tag "counterbalancing"–and typically a few inches longer than what a player would use in a "standard" configuration. This makes the putter more stable through the stroke, due both to a higher MOI–a 50% to 60% increase according to TaylorMade–and the enhanced unity of the hands/shoulders/arms. Explains Ben Alexander, a decorated PGA teaching professional in Monterey, California, "The longer shaft and heavier weight help prevent wrist break. The whole thing we’re doing in teaching [putting] is the pendulum stroke, letting shoulders, hands and arms work together. That was the whole idea behind anchoring in the first place, tying the pieces together, solidifying the path." Will you end up looking like Matt Kuchar? Not likely. Counterbalanced putters are gripped as a person grips his or her traditional putter. "Counterbalancing acts to provide additional stroke stability without the need for any changes to a player’s technique," explains Bystedt. |
| Optical Aids | ||
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Cleveland Golf
Smart Square |
Dead Aim
3D Mallet Key Features: An optically engineered, raised, three-hole topline that makes it a cinch to know when your eyes are aligned over the golf ball. |
Odyssey
Versa Jailbird Key Features: A high-MOI mallet with black-white contrast that accentuates the face angle for solid alignment. It sports a White Hot face insert that’s engineered for consistent sound, feel and performance across the entire face. |
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Wilson Staff
Vizor Level 2 Key Features: Four models make up the line, with alignment technology that locks golfers into proper putting positioning for a consistent, repeatable stroke. Its tiered structure includes a windowed top alignment bridge and a striped bottom level to help align a golfer’s eyes directly over the ball. |
YES! GOLF
True Alignment Series Key Features: The two putters in this series–Milly and Donna–have a yellow/black alignment feature on top, plus a "True Alignment" bump on the sole that together aim to improve control and face alignment to the target at address. The "floating face" C-Groove insert improves forward roll by increasing dwell time on the face. Tungsten heel-toe weighting contrasts the light polymer center for stability and feel. |
| Cutting-Edge | ||
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Axis1
Umbra Key Features: A CG in the center of the putterface (as opposed to near the hosel) for a higher MOI, zero torque and straighter, better-rolling putts. |
Bettinardi
Kuchar Series Key Features: This two-putter series is oriented around PGA Tour pro Matt Kuchar’s arm-lock putting grip style, in which the butt end of the putter rests against your left forearm. Both putterheads are milled from soft carbon steel, sport Feel Impact Technology for soft impact, and are heel/toe-weighted and face-balanced. |
Clearview
Clearview Key Features: The transparent design functions as an alignment aid to get your ball rolling on the right track. |
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Odyssey
Havok Key Features: Part of the White Hot Pro family, this forgiving model sports a new version of the White Hot insert that yields more consistent sound, feel and performance across the face. Its low-deep CG creates forward roll for distance control and accuracy. The putter’s high MOI helps increase stability through your stroke to get a true roll. Its Gun Metal PVD finish reduces glare. |
Pearl ProSports
Pearl Key Features: The lie angle can be adjusted on this symmetrically balanced aluminum mallet from 80_¡ to 60_¡, depending on your stance. The center-shaft design increases stability on off-center hits, and the custom hosel design creates an unobstructed view of the putterhead. |
SG
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