Since when did not seeing the ball go in the hole from 6 feet become so imperative or essential. I have heard of great putters not seeing the ball go in the hole but I have never SEEN a great putter not see the ball go in the hole from the distance you are speaking of.
For some, I would suggest all, not seeing the ball go in the hole can cause a type of "phobia" and promote steering of the putter head. Your eyes enjoy seeing and while the center of the stroke (left shoulder or spine depending on the stroke involved) cannot move, the eyes have freedom. Freedom to see the plane line, freedom to trace the plane line along with #3 pressure point.
Don't get off the imperatives: Flat left wrist (or equivalent), Lag pressure point (distance control) and a straight plane line. Spend your time working on your hinge, your plane and distance control. Spend your time working on alignment, ball positioning at or near lowpoint, and set-up. Don't go chasing your tail when it is not based on geometry.
Happy New Year
Like every other concept in the game of putting, there is a need for people to hold images in their head. The idea of "hearing" rather than "seeing" won't actually keep most people from seeing the ball go in the hole. What it WILL do and what it is INTENDED to do is to get people to stop moving their heads during the putting stroke. Your mechanics can be otherwise perfect, and if you move your head during the putting stroke, you WILL MISS THE PUTT. That was the point to what I was saying. Moving your head causes you to decelerate, the same as having your head moving in a full swing is something that Mr. Kelley did not want to see. Deceleration causes the putt to wander off line, causes people to jab at the ball, etc. Whether you see the ball go in the hole with a 6 foot putt or simply hear it, the fact is, if you look to see if you made it before the stroke is complete, including a follow through down the line, you will see a missed putt. In that sense it IS an imperative.
ObiWunPutt
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read... G. Marx
Thank you for clarifying the difference between truly "hearing" it go in the hole and "kinda" hearing it go in the hole. As players and instructors we have an obligation to all golfers to keep our language very easy to understand and implement.
Thank you for clarifying the difference between truly "hearing" it go in the hole and "kinda" hearing it go in the hole. As players and instructors we have an obligation to all golfers to keep our language very easy to understand and implement.
Hi VJ,
I spent about 8 years training people to be instructors, which, as you know, is not the same as being an instructor . Your point about clarity is absolutely right on. One of the things that I always try to emphasize is that, as the instructor, the burden of communication is on YOU. One of the great difficulties with the written word when trying to communicate a concept that is "image and feel" is that you are not standing there looking at the person when you say something, so you don't always know whether what you just said is what was heard.
Take care, and I hope we can smack the spheroid together sometime,
Obi WunPutt
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read... G. Marx
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