Today’s super-manicured and scientifically calibrated putting surfaces make the game of golf more challenging than ever. Fast greens like those we offer on the three nines at Champions Retreat — one designed by Gary Player, one by Jack Nicklaus and one by the late Arnold Palmer — can cause your approach shots or chips to Read more…
I’m going to let you in on one of my favorite putting secrets. In 1981, when my Florida Southern team arrived at Hop Meadow in Simsbury, Connecticut just outside Hartford, we encountered a long, tight course with deep rough and fast, undulated putting surfaces. At our team dinner after our first practice round one of Read more…
Even after crouching, staring and “foot-feeling,” the best players in the world still misread greens. There’s proof every week on Tour. Pros do not always see the correct break, and like the rest of us live in a World of Optical Illusions (WOI). Misreads are caused by optical illusions, period. Even grain can be an Read more…
Great putting starts with a great imagination. Reading putts is an exercise of that imagination. The player must imagine the effect of the terrain upon the travel of the ball. You’ll See It When You Believe It is the title of one of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s many books. I suggest to students that they have to practice Read more…
Ask any good putter what separates him or her from the crowd, and they’ll most likely say, “My ability to bury the short ones, inside three feet, almost all the time.” Sure, crazy lipouts or spike marks happen, but if you really want to shave strokes off your card and be a master of the Read more…
Do you ever wonder why you see Jordan Spieth looking up at the hole while he putts rather than looking down at the ball? This technique will help with putting speed control. The premise of this drill comes from our basic hand eye coordination of tossing or rolling a ball (Photo 1). Your eyes will figure Read more…
Putting is a puzzle. Always has been, mostly because almost every golfer on the planet is making it much harder than it needs to be. Do I mean to say you’re doing it wrong? Yes, I do. Think about it. You spend hours using alignment aids and grips to get the putter head to move Read more…
Many amateur players have very active hands and wrist when putting. This activity causes many inconsistencies in their putting and leads to putts short of the hole or rolling the ball well past the hole. They tend to throw the club head back first on the backswing and then flip the right hand through the Read more…
Earl Cross is one of those golfers who’s never satisfied with his game. In other words, he’s like all golfers. So, the Grass Valley, California resident embarked on a mission to create a practice system that would build on his decades of experience as a teacher of youth and adults. And do that, he decided Read more…
Ever wondered how to make a few of those monetary ballmarkers burning a hole in your pocket do double-duty when you’re practicing? Well here’s a great way to turn your loose change into a handy putting aid anytime you’re grooving your stroke. What it Addresses: Hitting a solid putt, with the correct speed, will allow Read more…
