Tip of the Month

This is actually a drill that I have recommended to my students for well over a decade. I'm not about to take credit for the creating the drill, because it was taught to me by Ron Miller, who I had the pleasure of working for in the mid nineties. I clearly advocate feel in the full golf swing. However, I believe feel holds undisputed, equal importance in the short game and putting.

All great putters have a strong grasp of two attributes. The first one is the ability to visualize the path the ball will take to the hole. The second is distance control. What is great about this drill is it encompasses both of these attributes to a certain degree.

It's easy! Begin with short putts in the 2-3 foot range. Just as it sounds; begin with your eye line over the ball as usual and allow your eyes to pan to the hole. Then while looking at the hole, make the stroke while holding your finish at the end until the ball comes to a complete rest in the bottom of the cup. After acquiring a good feel for the short ones, move into longer putts.

Perhaps you'll consider this new found "practice view" as a new dimension in understanding the path to the target. After all, the binocular view in this drill is completely different than the monocular view that we're all familiar with. What I really like about this concept is it takes the focus away from distractions like the putter head, the ball and the green below it. Think this sounds radical? Consider it this way; when is the last time you saw an NBA player stare at the basketball while shooting a free throw? Doesn't the Major League Baseball pitcher acquire his target behind the plate devoting 100 percent of his focus to that point during the delivery of a pitch?

I think you'll find as you work on this drill more and more, you'll see "the big picture of putting" much clearer. After all, the path of the ball lies in between the ball's starting point and the hole. So, try it and have fun!