There are four major elements to putting: equipment, the putting stroke, the setup and green reading. Since putting is approximately 42 percent of the game, it deserves more attention.
Over the years, I have distilled green reading into three styles: instinctual, AimPoint (invented in the 1990s), and Vector Green Reading (invented in the 1970s). Instinctual green reading lends itself to motor programming over time where the brain learns how the ball will behave under certain conditions. But is it that easy? Let’s take a closer look at how course architects fool your instinctual learning through optical illusions, pin placements and green types.
Course architects use four different types of greens: planar, tiered, saddle and crowned. Planar, the most common and which comprise 95 percent of all greens played, are characterized by a high and low point. In other words, planar greens are in fact a tilted plane. Tiered greens are devious, with players three putting 38-45 percent of the time, and are rarely built due to cost. Saddle greens are even rarer but do exist, and can be combined with planar greens. Take one look at Augusta! The last is crowned, as exampled by #2 at Pinehurst. They are upside-down bowls used to efficiently move water from the surface. Architects know that the hydrodynamics of water need a 2 percent incline.
So, course designers have four different types of greens to throw at you. In addition, they can design greens to maximize difficult pin placements, like #17 at TPC Sawgrass, home of the Players…splash.
But let’s get back to green reading, which can be taught. Vector Green Reading, which is the precursor to AimPoint, is a science-based approach to reading greens. Col. H.A. Templeton, who invented Vector Green Reading back in 1979, was an Air Force SR-71 spy-plane pilot. This was no small feat, since there were only 31 of these titanium planes ever made. In addition to being an expert pilot, he was a frustrated single-digit golfer. He was so frustrated with his putting that he decided to compute the math needed to read how much a ball would break using green speed, slope percentage and distance away from the hole. To make the math work, the ball needs to have enough speed to travel 12 inches by the hole. It pays to be a left-brain (analytical) thinker to use Vector Green Reading!
Let’s try an example. The ball is 10 feet away from the hole on a green with a Stimpmeter reading of 10, and the slope at the hole is 2 percent. To determine the break, we need to find the zero-break line. The ZBL is the straight putt up or down the fall line. There is only one ZBL on a planar green. You can find it by walking around the hole to determine where the ball will not break when putted. Finding the slope (which admittedly is hard) can be found by standing near the hole and facing up the ZBL. Standing perpendicular to the ground, feel the pressure in your feet. If you feel pressure in your toes, use 1 percent; balls of your feet, 2 percent; arches, use 3 percent, and heels, use 4 percent. Most holes are cut between 1 and 2 percent to move the water off the greens. Now that you have found the ZBL and slope, you will need to take the number from Col. Templeton’s chart using the Stimpmeter data inputs.
In this case, the ball will break 10 inches. Measure 10 inches from the center of the hole up the fall line to find the aiming point. A straight line is found by using the aiming point and your ball position. Putting the ball at the aiming point with the correct speed will cause the ball to reach a vector known as the inflection point. The inflection point is where gravity takes over the ball to create break.
The need for correct speed is a critical component, as aim is intuitive and speed is not. Incorrect speed will cause the ball to travel on the wrong path and be short or long, depending on the stroke. I often joke with students that 100 percent of short putts don’t go in, so get in the habit of going past the hole. Besides, you might get lucky. Some teachers teach die-in-the-hole putting, which I find impossible for several reasons: No one can judge the exact speed all of the time; ball imperfections create an error rate; the donut effect of players walking around or standing by the hole creates a slight incline at the hole, and green imperfections can move your ball off line.
Col. Templeton stated that you need the foot-by-the-hole speed to make his math work, which makes sense and meets my criteria for avoiding the items listed above. The only problem with speed is that the hole capture rate is reduced by 12 percent for every foot that the ball goes by the hole, which is the cause of lip-outs.
Take the guesswork out of green reading and consider the use of an evidenced-based approach. Thank you, Col. Templeton, for your service to our country and contribution to the game of golf!
I’m going to bare my soul here. I mean push the door wide open. It might be one of the toughest decisions to make, especially if you are competitive in nature. That is recognizing when your skills are no longer adequate to compete at a high level. I find myself in such a situation. I guess I can blame it on age; after all, I am 68. Or that I play with 100-year-old clubs. Even with them, I was still playing at a high level. Started noticing little things over the past couple of years. My driving distance declined by 10% and I might be fudging that. Reaching par-four holes required more low irons and often a fairway wood. Par-fives, two good woods and I was still 150 or so out. My handicap slowing inched upward. Yet I refused to believe I couldn’t compete with my fellow pros.
At the last World Golf Teachers Cup in 2017, I put one decent round together. The rest was a struggle. I played in Italy this past May as a member of the U.S. hickory team against Europe and could not reach several par fours in regulation. Fortunately, my short game was on and was able to win a couple of matches. But even the short shots are beginning to give me fits, especially when getting it in the hole really counts. At the World Hickory Open just completed, I had a chance to finish in the top 10, tooling along at even par and then went three-putt, three-putt, three-putt, one for double bogey, and I turned a 72 into a 79. It has been happening far to often. So reluctantly and painfully, I realize that it may be time to retire from the competitive part of the game. It is said that life is a journey, not a destination. Yet it is the destination and the exhilaration that makes you want to make more journeys. But when you find that you can’t complete the journey any longer, admitting it to yourself and accepting it is gut wrenching.
By Bert Jones, USGTF Member, Loomis, California
Putter fitting is a no-brainer. Putting with an off-the-rack putter is like competing in the high jump from a ditch. Getting fitted for a putter allows you not to be disadvantaged by your equipment.
There are two options:
Off-the-shelf putters are not designed for optimal putting, as they are built on the mass-production principle of one-size-fits-all. It is possible to putt the ball straight with an ill-suited putter, but the odds are stacked against you when it comes to consistency. Your equipment should fit your putting stroke. It is important to get custom fitted. Below is some key information to consider:
Putter length should fit the player. A more upright stance will yield a longer shaft and a more pronounced arced putting stroke. Most putters off the rack are 34-35 inches long. SeeMore Putters offers 13 options ranging from 31-37 inches with ½-inch increments. Players with a straight-back straight-through motion will have a bent-over posture, requiring a shorter shaft. If the putter is too long, you will stand farther from the ball and your eyes will be well inside the ball at setup. The plane of your putter path will be flatter and the toe of your putter will be off the ground, pushing your aim to the left. To accommodate the extra length, you will have to cramp up your elbows too close to your body, rather than let your arms hang naturally under your shoulders. If the putter is too short, you will stand closer to the ball and your eyes will be beyond the ball. The plane of your putter path will be more upright, as your putter shaft will be more upright. The heel of your putter will tend to lift off the ground, causing it to aim to the right. A putter that is too short for you will cause you to crouch over, putting added pressure on your back. It will restrict the smoothness of your stroke.
Lie angle for most off-the-rack putters is 70-72 degrees. The higher the number, the more upright the shaft. If the toe is upright, you will see putts pulled to the left, and if the heel is upright, you will see putts missed to the right. Try inserting your business card under the toe and heel to check. Your card should slip just under the toe and heel if the lie is correct. Tour pros have lie angles ranging from 63-78 degrees. (The maximum and minimum standard is found in the USGA Rules book under the appendix section.)
A good setup can prevent this problem. An incorrect lie angle could also cause a slightly less solid contact, and poor energy transfer will make distance control more difficult. The most important aspect of the lie angle is that it promotes good posture and eye position over the ball. The length of your putter and the corresponding lie angle are related. The longer the shaft, the flatter the lie angle should be. The shorter the shaft, the more upright the lie angle should be.
Loft – Off-the-rack putters range from 2-4 degrees. The goal is to prevent skidding and bounce once the ball is struck. You must ensure that you do not press your hands forward during the stroke, which will result in de-lofting of the putter. Both issues will create loft problems, which affect distance control. The loft of a putter is the angle formed by the putter face and a level surface when the putter is held in a neutral position at address. It is measured in degrees. You need some loft to lift your ball out of the shallow depression caused by the ball’s weight and onto the top of the grass for a truer roll. Too much loft can jeopardize distance and directional control, as the ball will tend to bounce after impact. With too little loft, you will compress the ball into the turf with the same undesirable effects. You need more loft for slow greens, and for fast greens you need less loft.
The way you set up and putt can alter the dynamic loft of your putter. For example, when you position your hands well forward of your ball or forward press at the start of your stroke, you effectively decrease your putter’s loft. Even a variation in ball position can change the dynamic loft at impact. My preference is not to mess with the loft during putter fitting, but concentrate more on achieving a more neutral hand position. However, if you need to use a forward press to trigger your backstroke, the club fitter may decide to adjust your putter so that the loft at impact remains within the parameters of two to four degrees.
Balance (toe hang) of the putter should match the putting stroke. There are three types of putting strokes: straight-back to straight-through; arc-to-straight-through, and arc-to-arc. For example, a mallet putter is more face-balanced and matches a straight-back straight-through putting stroke.
Alignment aids on the putter must send a player a calm and confident message. First, it helps you to square your putter face to your aim-line. Secondly, it helps you to line up the sweet spot on your putter with the center of your ball. Miss the sweet spot and your distance control can be thrown way off! Some putters are easier to line up than others. In my opinion, sight lines are better than circles, as their straight edges offer a sharper contrast. However, there is no alignment aid that will help all players. You need to experiment to see which element helps you to aim better. It is a matter of preference.
Putter weight is important. A heavy putter can help quiet the hands; however, a lighter putter allows your students to have a lighter grip and remove tension in the hands and wrists. Tension reduction aids in the reduction of adrenaline into the forearms. (Tension and adrenaline are killers. They increase the yips and create problems with distance control.) Be careful. I have seen some people who add crazy fat grips that radically change the balance point on the putter. The longer the putter, the heavier the putter head will feel. Putter weight is a very personal preference. There is no standard head weight for a putter. It can be anything nowadays. The relationship between the length, the head weight, and the overall weight of the putter varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and by model. In theory, the head weight should change to keep the same relationship of head weight to grip weight when you either shorten or lengthen the putter. There is a school of thought that you should use a heavy putter to putt on slow greens and a light putter to putt on fast greens. There are some putters on the market with adjustable head weights, but to me this is just an added complication.
Shortening the shaft stiffens it and changes the overall weight of the putter, but I have found that the change in feel is not that great. It is far more important that your putter has the right length and lie angle for you. Otherwise, you are never going to putt consistently. If you are not 100 percent satisfied with the balance of your altered putter, the club fitter can change the balance point to suit you by either adjusting the weight under the grip or by applying lead tape to the putter head. Custom fitting is not just for your driver, fairway woods and irons. The club you use most is your putter, and it is one of your main scoring clubs. Proper putter fitting will allow you to putt with more confidence and get better results.
Feel is another preference. It breeds confidence. Milled and cast putters create different feel, and some putters provide a different sound when the ball is struck. Always practice with the same kind of golf ball. The ball construction transfers feel, which affects putting stroke rhythm. Different types of golf balls have an effect on putting feel. There’s a lot of debate among the golf community about how golf balls affect your putting, but we won’t get into the arguments/discussions that people raise about this subject. Instead, let’s look at the factors that most people pay attention to in their putting stroke. The sound of the golf ball as it comes off the clubface stands out to some golfers and causes them to find a golf ball that’s charming to their hearing. More expensive golf balls like the Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x have been known to produce a soft thud, whereas cheaper golf balls or even plastic-covered golf balls tend to give a high frequency “ping” sound that can become annoying or distracting. Feel is how solid the golf ball feels when the clubface hits it.
In the end, though, golf balls mainly matter for off the tee, and also your approach shots all the way up to being on the green. Once you’re on the green, it’s hard to prove that a golf ball has an effect on your putting stats. You’ll improve more by focusing on distance control and accuracy than what ball you’re putting with. You can argue that feel, such as the soft thud or hard thud, can affect your ability to sense distance control, so therefore shop around until you find a ball that works for you off the tee as well as feels good on the green. As for inserts, if you look at the face of a putter, you will notice that some have a face insert of a different material and others don’t. There are several reasons for an insert:
For golfers using a two-piece distance ball to juice up their drives, an insert can compensate for the harder cover material. I have used putters with and without inserts, and I don’t think you should factor in too much importance to an insert. There are other more important features to consider when choosing a putter.
Grips are divided into two groups, pistol grip and paddle grip. There are fat grips and thin grips, firm grips and soft grips. The grip type should fit how the player holds the putter (for example, a pencil grip is what I use). A thick grip can address those with a dominant right hand, whereas a thin grip can help relieve tension in the forearms. The grip is the only connection that your hands will have with your putter. If your putter length needs to be adjusted, it is a good time to consider the type of grip you prefer, and have the club fitter fit it for you during the putter fitting session. Conventional thinking equates thin grips with a wristy stroke, with the shaft placed in your fingers. Fatter grips put the shaft more in the lifelines of your hands, giving you a steadier hold on your putter as well as promoting a shoulders-and-arms pendulum-like stroke. They help to prevent your wrists from breaking down during your stroke. Off-the-shelf putters use a standard paddle rubber grip of about 11 inches with a flat front flange so that you can place both your thumbs on top of the shaft, one under the other. If the grip has been properly fitted, the flat part should be 90 degrees to the putter face. I prefer an oversize grip as it allows me to place both thumbs on the shaft side-by-side. This balances my hands on the putter and levels my shoulders. There is one small disadvantage of an oversize grip in that your putter may not fit into putter tubes in your golf bag.
Putter shapes have three basic shapes to consider: classic blade putters; heel-toe-weighted putters, and mallet putters that are usually face-balanced (that is the one I use, because I have a straight-back straight-through putting stroke). Each putter shape has a different distribution of weight. A rough-and-ready way to check this is to balance the putter on your extended finger under the shaft near the putter head.
Classic blade putters – for example, a Ping Sedona – are great for an arc-to-arc putting stroke because the putter has a heavy toe hang. Heel-toe-weighted putters – for example, a Ping Anser 2 – hang at a 45-degree angle (4 o’clock) to the ground. This is a good choice for an arc to straight through putting stroke. Mallet putters – for example, the Odyssey Two Ball – are usually face-balanced, with the putter face pointing to the sky. It’s an excellent choice for the straight-back straight-through putting stroke.
The choice of putter head shape and weighting is a matter of preference. In terms of playability, the classic blade putter is the least forgiving on off-center hits. Heel-toe-weighted putters still dominate the off-the-shelf market and are popular with golfers whose stroke path is inside-square-inside. The weight at the heel and the toe is greater than that at the middle of the putter head. This heel-toe weight distribution works to stabilize the putter head on contact with the ball and is more forgiving on mishits. Mallet putters, with their larger and heavier heads, favor a stroke path that is more square-to-square or inside-square-square. In a face-balanced putter (a common feature of mallet putters), the center of gravity is in the same plane as the shaft. Therefore, during the transition from backstroke to forward stroke, there are no dynamic forces to either open or close the putter face.
MOI–MOI stands for “moment of inertia” and refers to how easily the putter face twists during contact if you mishit the sweet spot. As MOI increases, the importance of center contact on the putter face goes down. An amateur is likely to have more mishits towards the heel or the toe of the putter than proper contact on the sweet spot. When you hit a putt off-center, you are sacrificing a degree of distance and directional control. Increasing the putter head size is a common design feature to compensate for any mishit.
There are a number of large-headed putters on the market. The putter head may often appear ugly and the look may not fit the eye of many golfers. Nevertheless, the design increases the MOI and helps you to minimize the effects of a mishit. If you prefer the more traditional look, it makes more sense for you to putt with a heel-toe-weighted putter rather than a blade putter. This is because the MOI is about three times greater, even though both head weights are the same. The playability factor is simply better.
By the way, be sure to name your putter, because it is the most important club in your bag!
Well, yes. But the journey to get to the top of the mountain of professional golf is far from easy. The fact of the matter is it takes a lot of time, effort and money to even attempt this journey. And that’s assuming the player has the talent and ability in the first place.
More than a few times per year, USGTF examiners hear a candidate in his 40s say that he plans to “chase the senior tour” when he gets near 50. Then, some of these same candidates fail to break 80 during the playing ability test.
This is not to discourage those who want to chase their dreams. However, let’s paint an accurate picture of what it takes to someday “make it.” As teachers, a lot of us undoubtedly have students who truly aspire to playing on the PGA or Champions Tour. They may think they’re good enough. They may be right, but more often than not…
Playing Ability
All of the time, effort, and money in the world won’t do one bit of good unless the player has the ability, or at least the potential, to shoot low scores consistently on tough courses. Take our hometown hero, for example. He can average 72 on his home course, which means he breaks par almost half of the time. So far so good, right?
Upon closer examination, he plays the white tees with the boys at 6,400 yards on a course rated 70.0. Since most golfers in the scratch range average about two strokes over their handicaps, this means our hometown hero is a legitimate scratch golfer, handicap 0. So far so good, right?
Now, some of the old-money boys at the club think they have a real hotshot on their hands, and if he could only play full-time, he’d no doubt be playing with Dustin and Jordan someday. So, they pool their money and send their man out on the mini-tour circuit. So far so good, right?
Much to their surprise, after six events he hasn’t even come close to cashing a check. So far, uh, not so good. What happened?
Most mini-tours pay only the top 1/3 of the field. They play their events on courses not rated at 70.0, but perhaps 73.5. To cash a check, a two-round score of 144 (even par) is normally reasonable. This means our hometown hero must play to a +3.5 handicap standard (the average handicap of someone who averages 1.5 below the course rating) just to cash a check!
Winning? That might be a score of 136 or lower. If he wants to win or be one of the top finishers (where the real money in mini-tour golf is), he needs to play to at least a +6 handicap standard in that tournament.
Now the old-money boys are accusing their man of not trying hard enough, of not putting in enough effort. But he is. He’s practicing more than he ever has, and he is showing some improvement. In fact, his tournament handicap is +1. Yet, he still hasn’t made a dime – why not?
Unless a golfer can play to at least a +2 handicap in competition, he probably has no future in the pro game – not even in banging out a few bucks on the mini-tours, even at the senior level.
Lee Trevino suggested a test many years ago to see if someone was ready for pro golf. Take him to six courses he’s never played before and have him play the back tees. If he can shoot no worse than +6 total for the six rounds, playing under strict USGA rules, Trevino said, you might have a winner on your hands.
The late USGTF examiner John Nichols, a former PGA Tour player, had a unique perspective on what it takes. He suggested taking the prospective tour player to the up tees and having him play from there. If or when the player could shoot at least a 65 from these up tees, he needed to move back one set and repeat the process until he reached the back tees. If the player could shoot a 65 from the back tees, John said, only then would he be ready for pro golf.
Time And Effort
We all hear stories how Vijay Singh hits balls for hours on end each and every day, how Ben Hogan would work from sunup to sundown, and how Trevino would chastise rookies by saying, “The sun’s up, young man – why aren’t you playing golf?”
It’s not necessary to put in such yeoman work in order to play one’s best, but these anecdotes underscore the fact that it does take a lot of time and effort to reach the top echelons of the sport. Some players from the past, like Bruce Lietzke, are famous for not working much, but they are few and far between.
If a mini-tour player is playing two or three competitive rounds per week, he or she had better be playing and practicing all but one day the rest of the week (it’s okay to take one day off to re-charge). A typical non-tournament day might include an hour of warming up, playing 18 holes, and then practicing for at least two hours afterwards. In other words, it’s a real job, seven or more hours per day.
Money
Talented baseball, basketball, and football players are lucky – someone is willing to foot the bill for them to play. Not so in professional golf.
Let’s say someone has qualified to play the Mackenzie Tour, a feeder tour into the Web.com Tour. First, he had to pay $2,000 plus expenses just to go through the qualifying tournament. Next, he has to find a way to pay the entry fee each week, plus travel, hotel and meal expenses. For simplicity’s purposes, let’s say this player lives at home with a generous mom and dad who don’t charge for room and board.
We’re still looking at close to $30,000. There are cheaper alternatives, but they generally don’t offer a very big field or purse. And let’s not forget the Web.com Tour Q-school: $5,200 plus expenses. Frankly, unless someone is ultra-talented to where he can produce a positive cash flow almost immediately, it’s a rich person’s game, unless a very generous – and patient – sponsor is involved.
Summary
Playing professional golf is an extremely difficult endeavor, and many have unrealistic beliefs about their abilities and potential. Talent and ability are only the starting points in this most arduous of journeys.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the Winter 2010 edition of Golf Teaching Pro and is another in a series from the magazine archives. It was selected for its content, which remains relevant today. It was updated slightly to reflect the current state of the game.
Tiger Woods altered the trajectory of the game by making an impact on advertising, the purse of golf tournaments, clothing and the cool-factor – especially with attracting athletes form other sports. But the most noticeable change was emphasizing the importance of a golfer being a well-rounded athlete through nutrition, strength and conditioning.
If you look at the top players in the world, most have a swing coach, a short-game coach, or even a mental coach, too. But all players have a strength and conditioning coach. This has become a big business; you can even buy workouts from the top strength coaches online. Golfers have evolved into world-class athletes.
A few weeks ago, Brooks Koepka’s strength coach said he could bench over 300 lbs.; that’s crazy! He looks like a defensive back in the NFL but has built his body to help improve his golf game. He’s not the only one: DJ, Tiger, Rory, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas all have personal trainers on staff.
As golf teaching professionals, it is recommended that we incorporate this type of training into our programs for our students. I am not saying you need to be become a certified personal trainer, but you could research and recommend local trainers. This is especially important if your student wants to pursue golf as a career. Gaining strength and flexibility will help any golfer – including ourselves! I challenge you to become familiar with what the top personal trainers are doing to help their clients to help you improve yours.