Irrespective of your age, handicap or sporting talent, putting is one area of the game that does not require the athleticism or the years of high speed precision practice it would take to build a powerful repeating golf swing. Yet to be proficient with the shortest stroke of all still seems to be an elusive skill for many club golfers and even the world’s most elite players lose their stroke and need help quite frequently.
This summer I was privileged to spend a day with Geoff Mangum (pictured right) from Greensboro, North Carolina. Geoff is fast becoming known as one of the world’s leading authorities on absolutely everything about putting and accredited with helping many professionals including his first PGA Tour student, Shaun Micheel, who went from 160th in putting on Tour to winning the 2003 PGA Championship on the strength of his putting within two months of working with Mangum.
Is putting an art, craft or science? Probably a little of each, however some TV coaches are determined to turn it so much into a science that with over analysis you certainly can become a victim of killing any natural feel and instincts that millions of years of human evolution have efficiently developed. I always maintain you could teach a 90 year old to put in half an hour and within a day they could be very proficient. When the putt matters, when the pressure is on to retain your handicap or win that competition, then, the difficulty appears to increase.
The video tips I have done will provide some simple thoughts and drills to ‘train and ingrain’ a quality putting stroke. These include thoughts on pace and distance control, aiming correctly and developing a ‘straight through’ on-line stroke.
I’d like you to also consider having a look at my list of preferences too if you’d like to hole more putts. See my video tips below.
Some of you may have lost some confidence and to restore your self belief it will be vital for to change on the inside (mentally) before you see a change on the outside (physically). Consider purchasing ‘Train Your Putting Brain’ from leading mental guru to the Tour, Dr Karl Morris. Visit
www.golf-brain.com
For some interesting views of putting aids and stroke theory cut and paste the links below into your browser address bar and study the promotional videos. View my video clips below to build low cost alternatives.
http://www.theputtingarc.com/puttingarc/pages/theory/ellipse.htm
http://www.eyelinegolf.com/videos/HTML/inst_LC_high.htm
http://www.iputt.com/Products/Product_Index.html
If you want to know anything putting related please spend some time on his vast website
www.puttingzone.com and see why Geoff Mangum’s thoughts and volume of research is attracting well over one and a half million visitors a year!
