Quote:
Originally Posted by SHIBUMI
Most of putting is luck, especially when you are outside 3 ft, then your make rate goes lower. Mostly due to green conditions. On tour there is an unwritten rule that all cups must have 3 feet of flat space around them, thats why they make so many 3 footers. We don't get that luxury. The USGA recommends 3 ft of flat space around the cup.
The answer lies in whats common to all putting styles and what the real key is to a pendulum.
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Most Tour players and putting instructors would disagree. "Luck" is a nearly irrelevant factor and "green conditions" are merely another variable to the game, not an excuse.
The recommendation 3' of flat area around a hole, is merely that. It depends on the speed of the greens and other factors. Also, the PGA Tour and the USGA are separate and distinct. The Tour makes it a point, not to let the USGA interfere with their conditions of play.
So your question has evolved from what's the most important thing in putting, to what's the commonality to putting strokes and the key to a "pendulum". Different questions and distinct from the original premise.
"Putting" and "Putting Stroke" are 2 entirely different subjects.
Arguably, the best putters in the history of golf have been George Low, Billy Casper, Bobby Locke, Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus, Brad Faxon, Loren Roberts & Tiger Woods. All have different types of "putting strokes".
George Low putter with a yippy, punch motion.
Billy Casper was all wrists.
Bobby Locke hooked every putt and sometimes putted looking at the hole.
Ben Crenshaw's stroke was longer than most any other great putter. All Tempo
Nicklaus was a "rapper" or "jabber".
Faxon was all "feel in the fingers"
Roberts was close to a "pendulum" type stroke.
Tiger uses a "swinging gate" motion and closes the putter down on the forward stroke to releases the head.
They all had one thing in common. The ability to produce a consistent stroke, to control distance.
No one type of stroke is better or arbitrarily more consistent than an other. Repeatability is the common denominator.