tgm and putting

[Bagger Lance]

John,

I would like to turn this into it's own thread, but you asked about putting. So let's keep it there for now and drill down.

First, let's talk about preliminary address. That is scoping out the putt. You are looking at basic conditions. As you walk up to the green and looking at your lie, what are some of the things that you key on?
Let's assume you are closest to the hole, but have a challenging 8 footer. What is going through your mind as you watch your opponents and then take your turn?
As you replace the marker with your ball, what is the routine?

Others?

We are talking about preliminary address here. We'll get into address later.

Thanks,

Bagger

[john riegger]

nothing is going on in my mind.maybe watch the speed of the other players if they are on my line.i don't start thinking until it is my turn to play.
after i put my ball down all systems go.i read the green from both sides of the hole,then i get behind the ball to start my routine.which by the way is really simple,,,,,3-f-5 and go...that's it,where you expecting more,golf is hard enough so don't sweat the small stuff.just remember KISS,this was payne stewarts favorite saying.he won a few majors keep it simple stupid(kiss)

[bray]

bagger you are right on.i spent 4.5 hours at scotty camerons monday.

John,

Can you comment on what going to Scotty's Studio does for you.

How does he go about finding the best putter for you???Static and Dynamnic Fit??

What does he use to size up your stroke??? Cameras?? Lasers??

What comments did he make on your personal stroke???

Does he have any knowledge of TGM???

Good luck this next week, and thanks for your replies.

Sorting Through the Instructor's Textbook.

B-Ray

[pluthb]

John,
How much pressure do you feel in your #3, does it change on the length of putt?
Where does your putting power come from? Do you feel your are a arms putter, hands putter or shoulder putter?

[john riegger]

scotty uses cameras from all angles.probably the best video setup i have ever seen.my path on my stroke was good,i was getting to much roll going back and through.he beleives the same as vj the putting arc is the way to go.thanks vj for my putting arc.it is helping me trmendous amounts.
scotty has know understanding of tgm,was trying to explain to him but was not to interested.

[EdZ]

....nothing is going on in my mind.maybe watch the speed of the other players.....

John - one of the areas I noticed in watching you at Henrico was how good your speed/distance control is, especially on longer putts.

What types of drills do you use when you come to a new course to get a feel for the speed?

What types of visual images do you use (spot vs line/track)?

[strav]

Putting is one of the best ways to learn the feel for the pressure points in your hands.

Left hand only - PP#2

Right hand only - PP#1 and PP#3

'click', 'click', 'click'....

Edz per 6-C-1-1, In your putting grip is PP#1 against your Left Hand thumb or the Clubshaft and where on the Clubshaft do you feel PP#2 and PP#3 in your putting motion?

[john riegger]

the putting drill i use for speed is,look at the hole and hit a few putts.then i hit a few more and close my eyes at impact and try to guess where the ball finished.this is a great drill to learn feel.i do not spot putt nor think of anyhting other than where i want the ball to go in the hole.by this i think of the hole as a clock.on a putt that breaks rt to lt a fooot lets say.i would see the ball going in at 3 oclock.thats how simple i make it.as far as the stroke is concerned i work on letting my right arm straighten down and out,just like my driver swing.i zero out #3 power accm. so now i have angled hinge action,tracing a straight line.thats it pretty simple for me anyway.

[EdZ]

Edz per 6-C-1-1, In your putting grip is PP#1 against your Left Hand thumb or the Clubshaft and where on the Clubshaft do you feel PP#2 and PP#3 in your putting motion?

In my putting grip PP#1 is against the side of my left hand thumb, and a bit of the side of the thumb pad. The 'feel' in my case is that the 'heel' of the right hand is PP#1 if using a right hand only stroke for a drill. Usually when I am focused on PP#1, I tend to focus on the entire forearm, with a bent right wrist staying constant.

For PP#2, the 'feel' is the last three fingers of the left hand, the 'pads', not the finger tips, are distictly pulling, on the 'back' of the shaft (3 o'clock, if the top is noon at address). I suppose technically it is more the groove at the upper most finger joint, so it is a bit of the middle section of the finger as well.

PP#3, the same as for any shot, the first section of the index finger.

Keep in mind when I say 'back' of the shaft, it is on plane at 90 degrees to the motion, which is not the same as exactly straight back from the target, (unless you somehow had a pure verticle plane, which anatomically is difficult if not impossible).

John - thanks for the response - I too find that imagining the clock really helps me see the overall line.