Putting Technique: Removing “The Flip”

As we discussed earlier, the main difference between professionals and amateurs in putting relates to “the flip” of the wrists at the bottom of the putting stroke.  Professionals remain very stable with their hands and use the big muscles of the shoulders and core to rotate in a pendulum “tick-tock” motion.  Many amateurs flip their hands in a hitting and pushing motion toward the target.  “The Flip” adds variables that are difficult to reliably account for.  It adds additional speed in a very short distance, relying on timing and the touch of a genius in very small muscles in the arms.  It also adds a large amount of rotation to the face of the putter in a short distance.  With “the flip”, we can have moments of brilliance that can fade away at a moment’s notice due to the vast amount of compensations required to square the face at the right speed.

One way to work on removing “the flip” is to put our consciousness into our left hand during the putting stroke.  When we set up correctly, the left hand is in a low position on the inside of the front thigh.  The wrist should be flat from the forearm to the back of the hand and there should be a natural angle in the wrist between the top of the arm and the thumb.  In a solid, rotational, shoulder-turn driven swing, the position of the left hand stays the same throughout the putting stroke.

Putting Drill – Left Hand

Take all this wonderful posture and fundamental setup we have discussed in previous sections and head out to the practice green or putting practice area. 

Practice hitting putts with just the left hand.

Focus on keeping the left hand stable (in the same position) through the entire swing.

Begin noticing the finish position you end up in.  If the left hand is broken down (there is an angle between the back of the hand and the forearm) or the left hand is high in in a lifting motion, you are adding arm effort to the shoulder turn.  When you notice this ending position, see if you can correct the ending position and take a few practice swings that just use relaxed rotation in the shoulders to power the pendulum.

Notes

Most players that are accustomed to flipping at the bottom the swing are used to creating power with this flipping motion.  When that flip is taken away, they tend to come up short with their putts.  Because you will be just getting your power from the swing of the pendulum, you may find that you have to train yourself to give a little more room for the pendulum to swing so you don’t feel tempted to hit at the bottom of the arc.  The pendulum doesn’t need any additional help.  No hitting motion at the bottom is required.  Just find the right “tick-tock” to cover the distance.