Putting and Chip Putting

Putting and chip putting are not coordinated strokes, they involve only the vertical plane, no horizontal movement or turning.

We only need use our terrific capacity to perceive distance. When dealing with short game shots, the two Ds, distance and direction, we are most focused on distance. As golfers, when our putts or chip putts are not near the hole, it's because they are too short or long, almost never a good distance away from the left or right. Speed, distance, feel, perception, all these, not only affect distance to hole, but also direction. The speed we strike a putt or chip putt drastically determines the line.

To be sure our putts and chip putts are accurate we need to remove two common variables and replace them with two constant factors. We can gain the two constants by not letting our lead arm, left for right handed players, break at the wrist. When we maintain extension, which means not bend our left wrist at all, the grip and shaft of the putter stay in line with the left arm like a splint. Now we have the two repeating factors. Our putter face will not go off track, change club face direction, change elevation or open and close! It will also remain on track. Isn't that great!? Often you hear instructors say the putting or chip putting stroke is a pendulum: not true. It is similar except, we are standing to the side of the shot, not over or straddling the line, so how can we approximate a pendulum? The putter head will absolutely demonstrate a small amount loft change, path inside to out movement and speed adjustment, that's the sport of it, but it remains a constant. When we decide to chip putt rather than putt, we merely change clubs. The stroke is the same. Whether you choose a 7 iron, 3 wood or other club, we stroke. A big hint is to feel that you stroke the ball and truly attempt to putt, NOT LIFT, the shot. Don't worry, the ball will go up slightly and carry over the green's collar because the club you've chosen has loft versus the putter which has close to zero.

This putting technique is only for putt chips, not regular or longer distance conventional style chips.

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