Keeping the putter head low is a commonly mentioned technique in putting to ensure a smooth, controlled stroke and promote a pure roll on the ball. Here are a few tips to help you achieve this:
- Proper setup: Start by aligning your body parallel to the target line with your feet, hips, and shoulders square. Position the golf ball slightly forward of center in your stance.
- Light grip pressure: Hold the putter with a light grip to maintain control while allowing for a smooth stroke. A tight grip can cause tension in your hands, arms, and shoulders, leading to an inconsistent stroke.
- Eye position: Position your eyes directly over the golf ball or slightly inside the target line. This helps you see the line more accurately and promotes a better connection between your eye line, putter head, and the ball.
- Rock the shoulders: During the putting stroke, focus on rocking your shoulders rather than using excessive hand or wrist movement. This reduces the chance of manipulating the putter head and helps keep it low to the ground.
- Maintain a steady head: Keep your head as still as possible throughout the stroke. Excessive movement can cause the putter head to rise or dip, leading to inconsistent contact with the ball.
- Smooth tempo: Maintain a smooth and consistent tempo throughout your stroke. Avoid any sudden or jerky movements that can disrupt the flow and cause the putter head to rise.
- Follow-through: After striking the ball, let the putter continue its natural path towards the target. A smooth follow-through helps ensure that the putter head stays low and in line with the intended target line.
Remember that practice and repetition are key to developing a consistent putting stroke. Spend time on the putting green working on these techniques, and eventually, you'll develop the muscle memory necessary to keep the putter head low and roll pure putts.
Golf is full of gurus, but few can claim the credibility of Dave Stockton. When the two-time major champion talks putting, people listen.
While the core of Stockton’s teaching involves feel and intuition, he does stress a few principles on the mechanical side. Chief among them is that you should keep the putter head close to the green throughout the stroke; most golfers employ a stroke that lifts the putter going back, and again going through.
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The key is to keep the back of the left hand moving directly toward the target on the follow-through, instead of making an arc around to the left. Put another way, the back of the hand should be closer to the target than the fingers as you complete the stroke, as opposed to the hands releasing (rolling over) so that the fingers move past the back of the hand.
This method is the key to achieving Stockton’s overriding goal: to roll the ball rather than hit it. Try this left-hand technique and see if it works for you. It’s certainly done the trick for a lot of great pros.
