So, you’ve just bought a new Scotty Cameron because you can’t make a 4-foot putt to save your life. It sure is pretty. Not only that, it’s a status symbol. It’s proof that not only are you a serious golfer, but one of taste as well. You can’t wait to show the guys because they’re going to want one too. They’ll envy you. Status, baby! That’s what it’s all about.
You go to the course and one by one each of your friends sees, inspects and takes a few whacks with your new baby. Everyone is drooling over her and telling you how good she feels. The attention is intoxicating. You’re a star.
So you now go to play your round and, as you approach each green, everyone in your group has their eyes squarely on you—because now you’ll make everything. Right?
As the round goes on and the short ones fail to drop, you can sense your friends’ disappointment because it’s the same old story. You’re still one of them. You have been exposed. Your buddies know there is no magic cure in that stick. You use your same tired excuses, “I’ve just got to get used to it,” and, “It’s a little different than my other Scotty.” Then one of your friends asks, “What are you going to do with your old putter? Can I buy it from you?” You respond, “Which one? I have a garage full of them.”
Boom. The light bulb finally goes off. You realize that your putting is not getting any better. You’ve struggled with the same problem for as long as you can remember. You’re not so much a golfer now as you are a “club collector.” You own enough putters to start a putt-putt course. You cry out in desperation, “Why don’t I ever get better?”
~ The End ~
I hate to break it to you, but it’s you.
When I give a putting lesson, the very first thing I look at is whether the putter is soled properly. Sounds basic, but rarely do I see the putter sitting on the green the way it was designed to sit.
Scotty Cameron and other top club designers have dedicated their working lives trying to make putting easier for all golfers, both amateur and pro. However, not one of them I know of has ever designed a putter that wasn’t intended to be soled squarely on the ground. Yet, on the course I see more toes in the air then you’d see at a morgue. So then the question I ask is, “Why do you do that?”
If you don’t sole the club properly, you are in essence voiding the warranty with any putter. Club designers like Scotty Cameron are craftsmen. If he saw you using his creation incorrectly, he’d be sad. Don’t undo his genius.
There are many reasons golfers miss putts, but if you don›t set the club properly on the ground before it ever starts in motion, you›re fighting a losing battle — emphasis on losing.
When the toe is in the air, many things are going wrong. For one thing, you’re probably standing too far from the ball, which means the ball isn’t directly under your eyes as almost every teacher in the world encourages.
If you are too far from the ball and your toe is in the air, you will pull many putts. When you get tired of pulling putts, your hands will say, “This stinks. I don’t want to do that.” Then you will begin to push putts. After your confidence has completely eroded away, you will find yourself standing over three and four footers wondering things like, “Who am I? Where am I?” Then, it’s off to Dick’s Sporting Goods! You think, “Maybe I can buy my way out of this funk.”
Fact of the matter is, all of your putters work. The problem is that most golfers adjust the putter to their own faulty set-up.
So, here’s the lesson: Sole the putter flat on the ground, then adjust your stance and hands so that the putter stays soled properly. It’s pretty easy. Just keep inching in a little closer to the ball until the putter head is perfectly flat. Some of you will feel too close to the ball, but you’re not. If you feel too close, it’s only because you were too far away to begin with. In the proper position, you’ll use your hands less, your big muscles more, and you’ll hole tons more putts.
All golfers need to come to terms with the fact that they can’t buy their way out of bad mechanics.
Do me a favor. Next time you get the urge to blame your putting woes on your current putter, call me. I’ll give you a putting lesson that will make you fall in love all over again with your trusted friend. It’ll be cheaper, too.
We’ll talk a lot more about putting soon.
Fred Fruisen is the Coach of Golf. He is a PGA Professional and Head Coach at Skidmore College. For more lessons go to his website, coachofgolf.com. For personal instruction call (518) 565-7350. He’d love to help.
