By Seán Hawker
1– Lead with your left
The left hand is the direction hand, and it’s just as important as the right. Practice putting left-hand only, or have someone hold a club in front of your hands on the target line. Bump the grip with the back of your hand, not your fingers.
2– Think roll, not hit
The key to distance control is to roll the ball, not hit it. To do this, take an open stance with your weight slightly more on the left side and your putter shaft leaning toward the target. The open stance makes it easier to feel the left hand going out and down the target line.
When you make the stroke, keep the putter head low to the ground past impact. The putter will ascend slightly, but don’t try to hit up on the ball.
3 – Use your fingers
Grip the putter any way you like, as long as it doesn’t hinder your left hand’s role in the stroke, but make sure to grip the club in your fingers. The shaft should run up the lifeline of your left hand for clubface control, but your fingers must contact the grip. You can drop the right forefinger down the shaft, but don’t steer with it so just forget about what your palms are doing, fingers equal feel.
Seán Hawker is a bilingual PGA professional available all across the Algarve. He is available for golf tuition for players of all levels, from complete beginners to tour winners.
969 188 981 | [email protected]
