6 things every great player does
#4 PACE CAN CHANGE THE SIZE OF THE HOLE
Why that 4.25in cup shrinks if you pick the wrong speed.
The problem with pace
Most of us have come across the phrase ‘The speed kept it out’, describing a firmly-hit putt that kicks out of the hole. The phrase refers to something called Hole Capture. Hole capture is basically the area of hole that will accept the ball at a given pace… and it shrinksas the ball speeds up.
Shrinking hole
Research shows that for a putt that would have gone 3ft past on an averagespeed green, the cup shrinks to just 1.4in. We are routinely told to send the putt 12-18in past the cup, but even at 12in the hole’s capture zone is just 2.6in. This pace is making your task a lot harder.
SPEEDWATCH
For a putt hit at dead weight the hole capture size is the size of the hole, 4.25in – picture Seve’s famous airpunch last putt at the St Andrews Open of 1984. I wouldn’t advocate dead weight – the ball has to have some forward momentum to hold its line, and it courts coming up short. But 8-10in past is a much better pace to make that hole as big as possible, and give your best chance of success.
#5 YOUR BODY ANGLES CHANGE MID-SWING
Why consistent body angles will cost your drives distance.
Changing levels
We’re often told to maintain our spine angle and head height through the swing. However, watch any elite golfer hit the ball and it’s clear they break this ‘rule’. Instead, the elite player adopts a squat-then extend policy.
Downswing squat
As the downswing begins there is a definite ‘settling’, often termed a squat, where the golfer loses height. Doing this allows him to push harder against the ground, creating more rotational speed.
Delivery extension
But also, just as you create a crack in a whip by snapping your hand backwards, away from the lash, you build speed in the clubhead by pulling the handle upwards, away from the ground. Pulling the handle upwards releases the club downwards and out. That squatting move creates the room to make this upward, explosive extension.
#6 READ GREENS WITH YOUR FEET
When tour pros are striding around the hole, their attention is on their soles.
Step change
In a recent survey, tour professionals were asked how they read greens. The most common answer was “through the feet”. When we see the pros prowling around a putt, it can look as if they are making a meal of picking the line; in fact they are picking up on the messages their feet are sending them.
Use your sense of balance
Given we balance through our feet, we have all created a fast and tuned highway between them and our brain. Our feet are expert at assessing slopes and sending that data to the brain. Tour pros tap into this ability; most amateurs do not.
Listen to your feet
So the next round you play, spend a little more time stalking your putt, and pay attention to the messages your feet are sending you. You’ll be surprised how much better you can identify the slopes and breaks. Of course, take care to do this without slowing up play and with courtesy to the lines of your playing partners.