Flip on the Golf Channel for 20 minutes and you’ll get conflicting opinions about the shape of a good putting stroke. Dave Pelz, a well-respected short game coach, will tell you to move the putter straight back and straight thru with little or no clubface rotation. Then, Stan Utley, another short game guru, will suggest that you move the putter in an arcing fashion with the clubface rotating open and closed like a door hinge. I think I speak for most golfers when they say “Ummmm… what?”
Now, I’m not saying that I know anything that those guys don’t. Utley holds the PGA tour record for least putts in 9 holes (6. Are you kidding me, 6?!?). Pelz used to work for NASA for heaven’s sake, so he’s 1-up on me on the first tee box. But the fact remains that both styles can work. Players will tell you their preference as well, usually citing that one or the other feels “unnatural” to them. Well, here’s why that might be.
Most coaches agree that a good putting stroke is controlled predominantly with the shoulders, rather than the hands and arms. Your shoulders can really only move in one direction: perpendicular to their pivot point, the top of your spine. Therefore, the shape of your putting stroke is largely controlled by the tilt of your spine at address. In the picture to the right you’ll see Dr. Paul Hurrion, a UK-based putting instructor who coaches many European tour players, including some big names. He advocates the straight back straight thru style, and encourages it by getting his players to set up with a horizontal spine. This presets a shoulder move that is essentially vertical, allowing the hands and arms to swing straighter back and thru. (Read his entire article here). If you’re a player who prefers to putt in this way, you likely already set up like this.
Alternatively, if you prefer to putt with a more arcing stroke, you likely set up with a more vertical spine angle. This causes your shoulders to move in a more rotary fashion, creating a stroke with more arc and more clubface rotation. Setting up in this position will also make it feel as though your “natural” stroke is an arcing one.
The lesson here is that regardless of which type of stroke you’d prefer to make, your posture has to match. As I mentioned, you can hit good putts with either method. Just take care not to try and mix & match. Attempting one style from the other’s address position is unlikely to produce consistent results.
At the end of the day, its all about the big 3 in putting: good roll, good speed, and good line. Get those right and you’ll make putts. Period.
