Putting Tips – The Line or The Square Head
A quick quiz. What’s more important, getting the line right or making sure the putter head is square? The answer is the angle of the putter head at impact – a square putter head. Really?
Although it doesn’t seem to make sense, here’s the logic:
The line doesn’t matter if the putter head is not square at impact because the ball is not going to go where you want it to go anyway.
Be Square, Man
If you can consistently square the putter head at impact, your ball will go where you’re aiming. If your line is off, then with a consistent square impact, you can adjust to get the line right. It could be you’re reading the greens wrong or you are aiming wrong, but squaring the head first will let you figure that out.
There is a real good drill for getting the putter head consistently square using two balls. See Putting Drills – Use Two Balls for a Square Putter Head for the drill.
Once you have the putter head square, then begin working on reading greens and getting the line right.
Now, while putter head squareness to the ball and the path is important, you will see many golfers making putts without squaring the head to the ball path. What’s going on is that they’ve learned to compensate for the flaw in their putting stroke. The problem is that bad putting techniques catch up with you, particularly under pressure.
To putt consistently under pressure, when you’re tired and when you’re frustrated, your putting stroke must be practiced and mastered and absolutely grooved. However, to be a great putter, that stroke must be fundamentally sound and having the putter head square at impact every time is one of most important fundamentals.
Don’t confuse a straight putter path direction with a square putter head. They are not the same. Dave Pelz, Phil Mickelson’s short game coach, says in an article at Golf.com -
“Study the two factors of a solidly struck putt and you’ll discover that face angle determines 83 percent of the starting line while putter path direction determines 17 percent. In other words, a square face angle is five times more important to starting putts on line than putter path.”
The putter path can be absolutely straight, both back and forward, but because of set-up, grip or other factors, the putter head may not be square.
Summary
Create a fundamentally sound putting stroke with a square putter head to the intended path of the ball. The putting tips will help, but get out on the practice green and perfect a square putter head. Use the two ball drill to make it happen!