Part 2 Golf Putter: Setup (Video) - by Pete Styles
Part 2 Golf Putter: Setup (Video) - by Pete Styles

So with the full swing we know how important the setup is, but likewise with putting the setup is very important. So here’s a little guide of how you can setup the putt to be the most consistent and best putting.

When you setup to the ball, if you line the club up so that firstly the club face is pointing exactly at the line you want to start the ball on that doesn’t necessarily be have to be the hole but on the line you would like to start the ball on. Then you can have your feet together, little bit of a wider stance there going to sort of hip or shoulder width apart, try and keep the feet facing straight forward. The ball position here should sit just slightly to the front side of center sort of a six iron positioning your setup. And you have the club sitting flat to the floor, the handle will come up try not to adjust the level of the handle if you are adjusting the level of the handle here so the face is not at a flat level, you have probably got the wrong putter and that’s when you need to look at a customer fit putter, but if you can just hold the handle at the right level, allow your hands to sort of naturally fall on to the putter at the right height.

I should produce a position where you have still got some descent posture, you hips are pushed back a little bit, your spine is quit straight not too much sort of knees bend hips and that sort of position, it doesn’t really work well for us. So a nice position here with good width of stance good posture, nicely relaxed hands. Your eye should now sit nicely over the top of the golf ball as well. So feel like your eyes are looking right down on the ball. Tiny bit of knee flex and a tiny bit of arm flex, too straight with the arms can get a bit too rigid, too bent with the arms can increase too much wrist hinge.

So everything just position there nicely, relaxed and comfortable. The handle of the golf club level or a fraction ahead of the golf ball but not too much we don’t have to deal off the putter too much here. So that’s a nice setup from this angle and then from pointing forwards toward the camera here what we are really looking for is that the alignment is the key, we want to get the toes, the knees, the hips and the shoulders everything to be lined up. If we have got a little bit of an open feet position or a closed shoulder position that’s going to severely affect the quality of your stroke towards the target.

So really work on good alignment and feel like everything is sort of nicely stacked as you would stand normally and then tilt it forward, hold the club, flex the knees and make a putting stroke that’s straight up and down. If you feel like you got yourself a bit twisted and bit convoluted and getting your address position right that can be awkward so standup, shuffle to get yourself comfortable, nice little posture, and then away you go from there, don’t underestimate how important getting setup to the putter is. If you get that bit right the putting stroke that you are going to try and learn after that becomes a lot easier.

 2012-07-12

So with the full swing we know how important the setup is, but likewise with putting the setup is very important. So here’s a little guide of how you can setup the putt to be the most consistent and best putting.

When you setup to the ball, if you line the club up so that firstly the club face is pointing exactly at the line you want to start the ball on that doesn’t necessarily be have to be the hole but on the line you would like to start the ball on. Then you can have your feet together, little bit of a wider stance there going to sort of hip or shoulder width apart, try and keep the feet facing straight forward. The ball position here should sit just slightly to the front side of center sort of a six iron positioning your setup. And you have the club sitting flat to the floor, the handle will come up try not to adjust the level of the handle if you are adjusting the level of the handle here so the face is not at a flat level, you have probably got the wrong putter and that’s when you need to look at a customer fit putter, but if you can just hold the handle at the right level, allow your hands to sort of naturally fall on to the putter at the right height.

I should produce a position where you have still got some descent posture, you hips are pushed back a little bit, your spine is quit straight not too much sort of knees bend hips and that sort of position, it doesn’t really work well for us. So a nice position here with good width of stance good posture, nicely relaxed hands. Your eye should now sit nicely over the top of the golf ball as well. So feel like your eyes are looking right down on the ball. Tiny bit of knee flex and a tiny bit of arm flex, too straight with the arms can get a bit too rigid, too bent with the arms can increase too much wrist hinge.

So everything just position there nicely, relaxed and comfortable. The handle of the golf club level or a fraction ahead of the golf ball but not too much we don’t have to deal off the putter too much here. So that’s a nice setup from this angle and then from pointing forwards toward the camera here what we are really looking for is that the alignment is the key, we want to get the toes, the knees, the hips and the shoulders everything to be lined up. If we have got a little bit of an open feet position or a closed shoulder position that’s going to severely affect the quality of your stroke towards the target.

So really work on good alignment and feel like everything is sort of nicely stacked as you would stand normally and then tilt it forward, hold the club, flex the knees and make a putting stroke that’s straight up and down. If you feel like you got yourself a bit twisted and bit convoluted and getting your address position right that can be awkward so standup, shuffle to get yourself comfortable, nice little posture, and then away you go from there, don’t underestimate how important getting setup to the putter is. If you get that bit right the putting stroke that you are going to try and learn after that becomes a lot easier.