Every year, PGA Professionals partner with the Golfers' Charitable Association in order to offer an unparalleled Pro-Am experience in the Scramble for Kids Tournament. This section offers some instructional articles from some of GCA's partner golf professionals
Use Simple Household Items In Order To Putt Like Tiger
By: Chad Vaughn, PGA
Putting is the most overlooked aspect of most amateur's games. Fortunately, it's also one of the easiest to work on. Significant improvement can be had with very little practice time. One of my core beliefs as a teacher and coach is that the simpler we make the game, the more successful we'll be. To that end, I use two putting drills that utilize items that are likely lying around your home. Practice these drills for 10 minutes a day, three times a week and you'll be rolling your ball like a Tour Star!
Drill 1 – "Walk the Plank"
Item Needed – 2"x4" Board, 30" Long
This drill is always my first step in making a student a better putter. One of the keys to good putting is for the putter to travel in a straight path back and through during the stroke. A straight piece of wood makes this a breeze. Find a straight 6 foot putt on your practice putting green (or on a putting mat indoors). Place the 2x4 on its edge (2" side on the ground) and point it just left of the center of the hole (for a right handed golfer). Now rest the heel of your putter against the center of the board. Make slow practice strokes, concentrating on keeping the putter in contact with the board throughout the entire stroke. Now introduce the ball and roll some putts, again keeping the putter on the board at all times. This drill will groove that "straight back, straight through" stroke that will have you making those knee-knockers with ease!
Drill 2 – "Hit in on a String"
Items Needed – Two gutter nails (approximately 6" long), Thin cotton or nylon string (20 Feet long)
This drill definitely has great "Wow!" factor. I've seen students who were downright dreadful putters improve dramatically with this one. First, tie each end of the string to the top of each nail. Again, find a 6 foot straight putt on the green. Place one nail in the ground just beyond the center of the hole and pull the string taught and place the other nail in the green just beyond where you will place the ball (You can wrap the extra string around one of the nails). The string should now be suspended a few inches above the ground. Place the center of the ball under the center of the string and make sure you have enough room for a backswing. Place the putter under the string, directly behind the ball. If your eyes in the correct position, the alignment line of your putter (if it has one) will be completely obscured by the string. The goal now is to utilize that "straight back, straight through" stroke you grooved with the board. The putter should travel along the string during the entire stroke. If done correctly, the ball will travel under the string and roll right in the center of the cup. Once you mastered the straight 6 footer, extend the string and work on longer putts. The string is also excellent for working on breaking putts. Just move the nail nearest the hole so the string is pointing at the apex of the break. You'll quickly learn how speed and break are related and that is more than one line that will allow the ball to go in the hole.
Mastering these two drills can take at least six strokes off a 15 to 30 handicap golfer's game. No need for a new $500 driver. No crazy infomercial gadgets. Just sound technique, a few simple household items, and some time are all that's needed.
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Setting Yourself Up to be a Better Putter
By Evan Wilson, PGA
GCA Scramble for Kids Professional: 2008
All good putters have one thing in common, they roll the ball. When they make a putting stroke the ball rolls end over end, it does not skip, bounce or bobble. Putting is the most subject facet of the golf game. There are great putters with arcing strokes, straight back straight through motions, face balanced putters and blades, long putters and short ones. Regardless of their stroke and the putter they use, golfers who putt consistently well all putt a true end over end roll on the ball. At this point you probably have three questions:
1) Why is an end over end roll important?
When the ball is bouncing or skidding it is highly susceptible to being deflected offline and perhaps more importantly, having the distance it travels effected. You will not only miss more putts, but have longer second putts, leading to the dreaded “3 Jack”. A rolling putt will be significantly less affected by spike marks, small rocks/grains of sand or any other imperfections in the putting surface. Whether you’re putting on the greens at Augusta National or the freshly aerated surfaces of your local muni, a true roll will reduce the number of strokes on the greens and scorecard.
2) How can I tell if my putts are skidding or rolling?
Now that you are paying attention to the roll of your putts, it may be obvious to you that your putts are bouncing or being deflected offline. If you can’t tell do not worry, there is a simple test. First you need to draw a straight line on a golf ball if it does not have one already. Take this line and aim it at the hole while striking a couple putts. If you are putting a true roll on these putts, the line on the ball will continue to appear straight as it rolls toward the hole. Conversely, if your ball is bouncing or skidding the line will wobble and your ball will probably stray offline.
3) How can I put a better roll on my putts?
While hours of practice probably wouldn’t hurt, for most people, simply developing a sound setup will quickly and dramatically improve the roll of their putts. There are two main principles of the setup that will affect the roll of the putt: ball position and hand position.
Ball Position - I would venture to guess that just about everyone reading this article has been told that your eyes should be directly over the ball, or just inside the ball. You have probably been told to take your setup, and then take a golf ball, hold it between your eyes and drop it and where it lands is the proper ball position. I will concede that your eyes need to be on or slightly inside the line of the putt; however, if you follow the procedure just mentioned, your ball position will be too far back in your stance. If you have the ball too far back, you run great risk of hitting down on it, driving the ball into the ground and cause it to bounce. I would much rather have golfers follow the same procedure only drop the ball from next to your left temple (for right handed golfers). By having the ball slightly forward in your stance, the path of the putter will be arcing upward at impact, promoting and end over end roll.
Hand Position - Now that you have properly placed the golf ball in your putting stance, you are half way to putting a true roll on your putts. However, if you get your hands pressed too far forward or too far behind the ball you still run the risk of stroking a wobbly putt. Putters are built with between about one and four degrees of loft. If you press your hands too far forward, your putter will effectively have negative loft and you again run the risk of driving the ball downward into the green. If your hands are too far behind the ball, you will have too much loft. Having too much loft will impart backspin and can cause the ball to jump into the air off the clubface. In either case, you will have difficulty controlling how far the ball travels and/or the direction it travels.
A good way to check where your hands should be is to place the sole of the putter head squarely on the ground or floor. The shaft of the putter will be nearly vertical if it has only one degree of loft or lean slightly forward for each additional degree of loft it has. Regardless of the case, place your hands on the grip and address the ball, without manipulating the shaft angle. If you are able to do this while keep in mind the proper ball position, you will immediately begin rolling putts with greater efficiency.
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Pre-Shot Routine As A Reaction Trigger:
How To Develop Instinct In A Static-Ball Sport
By: Mason Champion, PGA
GCA Scramble for Kids Professional: 1998-2000, 2004-2010
Golf is unique as a "static-ball sport." There is no reactionary component inherent to the game - no instinct that dictates your movement. The ball is not being thrown to you; you are not throwing it to anyone else; nobody is running at or around you. In effect, nothing happens until you swing the club - and you are in complete control of the game in that regard.
There are a few instances in other sports where situations like this occur: In baseball, a pitcher on the mound has complete control of the game - nothing happens until he decides to throw the ball. A tennis player serving is also similar in this regard - as is a basketball player at the foul line.
If you examine athletes who excel in these areas - successful free throw shooters, successful pitchers, and successful servers - you will notice a common incorporation of a pre-shot routine. It is this routine that acts as a trigger for reaction. Effectively, the athlete begins to react instinctively to the pre-shot routine that he has established. Without the routine, the athlete is merely acting blindly and fails to establish true consistency.
Golf is very similar. As a static-ball sport, it yields complete control to the player - nothing occurs until the player decides to swing the club. Developing and consistently incorporating a pre-shot routine is therefore essential to proper development of repetition and comfort. The inception of a reactionary trigger via the anchoring of a pre-shot routine is as vital to the success of a golf swing that it is to an effective serve, free throw or pitch.
One need only to watch a televised PGA Tour event in order to witness the importance of the pre-shot routine. The best players in the world recognize how vital it is to their success - and have incorporated it into their on-course disciplines and methodology.
As you develop a pre-shot routine, bear a few things in mind:
1. Make it repeatable. It should be a routine that you can repeat over and over again without fail. Therefore, you may want to refrain from including a lengthy series of actions that may potentially be forgotten or improperly executed with ease.
2. Keep it on pace. Although a pre-shot routine is essential, slow play is not. Do not permit your routine to unduly delay the pace of play. Keep it to 10 seconds or less in length from inception to shot execution.
3. Always begin from behind the ball. The routine is yours to create - but one thing that must occur is your observation of the target from behind the ball. This is necessary so that you are able to view the target clearly, and with both eyes.
4. Incorporate a practice swing. This assists in reinforcement of your swing mechanics, as well as the associated feel of the shot you are about to play.
5. Be confident. Convince yourself during the routine that the shot you are about to play is the absolutely best option available to you, and that you are going to execute it with precision. Confidence is a must - and you have the length of your routine in order to incorporate it.
Should your routine be interrupted at any point for any reason...stop and start over. Remain sensitive to the pace of play, but also remain committed to the execution of the shot through executing proper sequence of your pre-shot routine.
Take control of your game by incorporating this reactionary trigger - its inclusion in your game will no doubt yield consistency, focus and ultimately, confidence.
