Is Using A Belly Putter A Good Training Aid (Video) - by Pete Styles
Is Using A Belly Putter A Good Training Aid (Video) - by Pete Styles

We hear so much these days about belly putter and long putters and broom handle putters. Quite a lot of it positive that a lot of good players are using those putters to good effect, quite a lot of it negative that they are going to be banned in the next couple of years. So what we’ve got to do is understand how a belly putter works and can it be used for training aid for a normal putter. So a person that putts with a normal length putter, how can they use a belly putter to benefit the normal stroke? Well quite often we see a fault in people’s putting stroke that they have too much wrist hinge, too much flick. The important thing to look at here is look at what this top end is doing. As I rock that backwards and forwards, it points over here, and as I flick it points over here. So the top end is moving backwards and forwards massively and that highlights a fault in my putting stroke. Now the benefit of using a belly putter, is that often when we’re using the belly putter, we got to anchor that top end into the sternum area, sorry into the belly area here. So I sit with it sitting right into my belly.

Now as I putt backwards and forwards, I simply can’t have that end rocking backwards and forwards too much because it’s fixed. So it would be quite a nice idea if next time you’re playing with someone that has a belly putter, or even if your just browsing in a golf store, and they have a belly putter on one of the stands, go over and pick it up, set up so it touches into your belly, make your normal putting grip, and then import it and make your normal putting stroke. And if you feel this top end trying to wiggle around and move too much, there’s a fair chance that that’s happening in your normal putting stroke and therefore it’s highlighting a fault. So if we can anchor it in here, rock it backwards and forwards, that shows that my putting stroke is working better. So I can use a belly putter to improve my normal putting stroke. So I’m not necessarily advocating changing to this, but you can definitely use it to benefit your normal putting stroke, and hole more putts. 2014-10-07

We hear so much these days about belly putter and long putters and broom handle putters. Quite a lot of it positive that a lot of good players are using those putters to good effect, quite a lot of it negative that they are going to be banned in the next couple of years. So what we’ve got to do is understand how a belly putter works and can it be used for training aid for a normal putter. So a person that putts with a normal length putter, how can they use a belly putter to benefit the normal stroke? Well quite often we see a fault in people’s putting stroke that they have too much wrist hinge, too much flick. The important thing to look at here is look at what this top end is doing. As I rock that backwards and forwards, it points over here, and as I flick it points over here. So the top end is moving backwards and forwards massively and that highlights a fault in my putting stroke. Now the benefit of using a belly putter, is that often when we’re using the belly putter, we got to anchor that top end into the sternum area, sorry into the belly area here. So I sit with it sitting right into my belly.

Now as I putt backwards and forwards, I simply can’t have that end rocking backwards and forwards too much because it’s fixed. So it would be quite a nice idea if next time you’re playing with someone that has a belly putter, or even if your just browsing in a golf store, and they have a belly putter on one of the stands, go over and pick it up, set up so it touches into your belly, make your normal putting grip, and then import it and make your normal putting stroke. And if you feel this top end trying to wiggle around and move too much, there’s a fair chance that that’s happening in your normal putting stroke and therefore it’s highlighting a fault. So if we can anchor it in here, rock it backwards and forwards, that shows that my putting stroke is working better. So I can use a belly putter to improve my normal putting stroke. So I’m not necessarily advocating changing to this, but you can definitely use it to benefit your normal putting stroke, and hole more putts.