⛳️ Get your putting setup right!

It’s Thursday and that means you’ve got 3 things coming,

⛳️ One Golf Tip on Putting Basics
🧠 One Stat about Tour Level Putting
🔥 Something extra

We’re next up on the tee, let’s go!

ONE TIP
Consistent putting starts here!

We can hit two great shots onto the putting green, but if we can't make our putts, we don't have a whole lot to show for it. This week, I want to talk to you about putting, and in the next couple of weeks, I'll be discussing a few different components when it comes to putting.

This week, we're starting with the very basics. Let's get you set up the right way to give yourself the best chance to make every single putt that you look at on the putting green!

Click here, if you want to watch me break this down on video.

There are a couple of key things we need to line up, let’s dive into them!

• Posture

  When it comes to posture, I don't want to overcomplicate it. We need to be athletic. I like a little bit of bend in the knees, and then it needs to feel like we push our trunk back slightly.

  From there, I want you to let your arms hang completely limp. If you let them swing back and forth from that position and there's enough space for your arms to move through without hitting your body, then you have enough space.

  Obviously, we can overdo it by having way too much forward bend. So, use the guide of a little bit of knee bend and push your trunk back slightly as your cue for setting up your putts.

• Soft arms, elbows in

  I really like using the term 'soft arms, elbows in.' If you think that you want to keep your arms extremely straight with no bend in them, that is not going to work. If you think about it, we have joints at our wrists, elbows, and shoulders that have a ton of mobility in them, and it's not realistic to think that we're going to make a putting stroke by keeping them dead straight.

  If we use a setup of keeping soft arms and feeling like our elbows are pointed more towards our body, that can really connect our arms to our upper body. When we make a putting stroke, it can use more of our upper body and make it a less hands and arms-dominant swing. The end goal is that if we go with soft arms and elbows in, our putting stroke will be more repeatable, as it's the chest that is driving the stroke and not our smaller joints like our hands, wrists, and elbows.

• Ball Position
  A lot of players are simply told to set up with the ball in the middle of their stance when they're putting. This is a big misconception that I don't want you to fall victim to!

  The key thing when it comes to ball position is that we want to make sure that you're hitting your putts slightly on the upstroke. That's why, for many players, a forward ball position is a better choice. Especially if you set up with a little bit of forward shaft lean (which I'm not opposed to), then more often than not, we need a ball position that's a little bit ahead of center.

  As a general rule, I have a lot of my players set up with the ball one ball ahead of the middle of their stance.

• The Tour Tip!
  This tip comes from a putting coach who has worked with several LPGA Tour players who have gone on to be number one in the world. A key thing we're looking for when it comes to gripping the putter is having our palms facing each other. Whether you grip conventionally or with a left-hand low grip, when you have your palms facing each other, it can really put your arms in a more natural position.

  What happens with a lot of players is they tend to get their palms more on top of the putter, and the palms start facing more towards their body than they do each other. This can get the elbows out, which can lead to a very wristy putting stroke.

So let’s summarize:

1) Athletic posture
2) Soft arms, elbows in
3) Ball position one ball ahead of the centre
4) Make sure your palms are facing each other

*In the video above I give some great visuals on all of these, make sure to check it out!

🎙️ Have you checked out my Podcast? Find it here

ONE STAT
What putts you “Should” make

The answer is, unfortunately, not many! The chart below is based on PGA Tour averages, and let's keep in mind that they are really good putters, probably better putters than all of us. Note that once we get outside 8 ft, we will miss more often than we make. Keep in mind that 8 ft is not that long of a putt!

I hope that what you'll notice on this chart is when tour players start to get outside of 10 ft into 20 and 30 ft, they still very rarely three-putt. I think a big opportunity for many golfers is the ability for them to control the speed of their first putt to give them a better chance to putt and to stop three-putting.

THIS WEEK’S SOMETHING EXTRA
Part 1 of my interview with Dr. Andrew Mercer

This week's 'something extra' is part one of my interview with Dr. Andrew Mercer on the Golf Never Sleeps podcast. Andrew and I had a fantastic conversation about taking care of our bodies and how doing so can help us play better golf.

I spend a lot of time helping players work on their golf swings, but if their bodies aren't moving as well as they could be, it can often hold us back from reaching our goals. I think you'll enjoy this interview and gain some great takeaways that can help you take better care of your body to play better golf.