Speed and Direction
From Golf Past 50 by David Chmiel, Kevin Morris
You may have noticed over the years
that you don’t judge speed as well as you once did. You have a tougher time
getting a solid read on the putt, and you’re having difficulty making the short
ones. You may have one or more symptoms, all of which may appear periodically
or together. It may seem elementary, but it’s important to get regular eye
exams—for your everyday life, certainly, but especially for your golf game.
Once you get those peepers checked out, talk to your doctor about contact
lenses or even the laser surgery that has been so popular among players on the
senior tour. Hale Irwin and Tom Kite are the latest players to get the laser
treatment. Both have said that after a short readjustment period, they’ve never
had more confidence that their eyes wouldn’t play tricks on them. If the
thought of anyone coming near your eyes with anything stronger than eyedrops
makes your skin crawl, check out the latest development in lineless bifocals,
which should help keep things in perspective as you look down at a putt.
Once you get the eyes fixed, you’re ready to concentrate on how exactly you’re
going to eliminate those nasty three-putts. Dave Pelz, the man with the
encyclopedic collection of putting and short-game data, the man most touring
professionals turn to when they’re losing sleep and their minds (not
necessarily in that order) over their short games, says comfort is the first
key to improvement on the greens. “You must be comfortable to be a good
putter—practice and good mechanics will follow.” Pelz asserts that at least 80
percent of amateurs miss their putts on the low side of the hole, never giving
the ball a true shot at going in. He asserts that a big part of the problem
stems from players who favor an open stance for putts, which he says is certain
to create pulled putts. He notes that some of the problems might also be the
result of improperly fitting equipment. “Too many guys try to make their
address fit their putter,” Pelz says. “This produces address positions that
make a good fundamental stroke exceptionally difficult.”
Again, as we stress the root of all that is evil in poor putting—glancing
contact—you must do everything possible to groove that solid, repeatable
motion. Concentrate on a solid, simple pendulum motion, keeping the putter
square just before, at, and immediately after impact. Pelz and teaching
professionals around the globe also stress the importance of building a habit
similar to the ritual that a basketball player grooves for foul shooting or the
series of actions that a field-goal kicker executes before making the kick that
counts. By making the preparation and stroke second nature, you will take
nerves, uncertainty, and unwanted results out of the equation.
Check out "Tempo" from Golf Past 50
The articles at GolfFitnessProducts.net
are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute
for direct examination and exercise prescription by the appropriate
health professional. It is strongly recommended that you do not
perform any exercise program without the consent of your personal
physician.
