Hi, Buckle Up! Take a deep breathe and relax, some visuals and thinking involved.
What makes a pendulum and a metronome go back and forth straight?
The answer... they are both secured at the base. Pendulum screwed in at the top and a metronome screwed in at the bottom. In no way, do either bases rotate. They are both secured so the movement of the moving part doesn't wobble.
The back of your left hand is the face of the putter, of the golf club as well, but I digress.
If the back of your left hand rotates in any way the face opens or closes, missed putt.
Lefthand low firms up the left hand, claw grip firms up the left to move the right hand,
the long putter has the left hand anchoring the end of the putter so the right hand can move it back and forth, thats why no body anchoring is allowed, its too much of an advantage to better anchoring.
All of the putting styles have as a goal the anchoring of the left hand so there is no wobble in the back of the left hand and thusly no wobble in the face of the club. Jack Nicklaus had a pronounced forward press that secured the left hand and he hit it like a piston with the right hand. Tiger locks in the lefthand and then swings his shoulders, or so he says.
While some argue over an inside backswing path( Faxon) and some argue over a straight back path(Pelz) the real culprit is the anchor, back of the left hand, wobbles one way or the other and thus the face of the club not being hit solidly creating distance and direction issues. Most players miss hit putts than read the break wrong. Back of left hand wobbles and the face is not square at impact.
Wow! This is too simple........... people adopt different putting styles and they don't know why, it just seems better. The real reason is that the style they do better is the one that keeps left hand wobble at a minimum. They just don't know that, but know you do.
Take your putter and hold it with your fingers dangling down. Swing the shaft back and forth and if it goes straight your grip pressure is correct. If it wobbles, increase your grip pressure until it doesn't wobble. That is your left hand grip pressure needed. You now see how a pendulum works. I see a metronome as an upside down pendulum. One anchored at the top and the other at the bottom.
So the answer to YOUR putting style is the one that creates less back of the left hand wobble. Simply put, a little tighter left hand grip. Too easy. All of the other putting issues are there, feeling distance and seeing direction, BUT, any wobble causes a non square face at impact and while your feels of distance and direction may have been correct, the wobble destroys that. So you may be better at distance and direction than you think, your wobble won't translate your feel.
Maybe if you knew this, those 12 putters you have bought in your lifetime might have never happened. But, this is not meant to destroy the putter industry, it is flourishing and a new putter makes people feel good, but in a month that putter gets to know you and it is doing the same thing(Lee Trevino). You can buy that $400. putter but it will still work badly if you have left hand wobble. But, you're proud you have a $400. putter. Same with golf clubs, can't buy a swing, learn the mechanics first. The ball doesn't move, you have to move correctly.
Jack Nicklaus wrote a book, Golf My Way! The key is in the title. It's not your way it's his way. Tiger Woods Book, How I Play is the same. How he plays, not you! Find the putting style that helps diminish your left hand wobble and you will take 6-8 shots off your score. It's the simplest way to game improvement and your sanity. NC
