Tom Tucker is the current Teaching Professional at the Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility, located at 5141 Batavia Elba Townline Rd, Batavia, NY . Mr. Tucker was formerly the GM at Fifty Four Flags in Akron, NY, the Teaching Professional at the Batavia Country Club , Batavia NY and was the Head Golf Coach for Genesee Community College from 2009 – 2011. Coach Tucker was named 2011 NJCAA Division 3 Region 3 Coach of The Year.
I am of the opinion that bad habits in the full swing can have a negative effect on
putting, and that bad habits in your putting stroke can have a negative effect on
your full swing.
I’m not sure which comes first – the chicken or the egg – but there’s definitely a
correlation, especially when it comes to flipping the club at impact.
This “hit impulse” swing flaw is also one of the most difficult to correct, and one
problem is that many golfers don’t know that the flaw has followed them into their
putting stroke.
For full swings, the problem manifests itself through a trajectory that’s
too high, usually with a slice, very little directional control, shorter than normal
distance for irons, and the occasional fat or thin hit.
For putting, it manifests itself with a lack of lag putting consistency, and pushes
and pulls.
When we flip through impact on our putts (the left wrist bends towards the target,
which is a cupping motion) we are adding motion (cupping the wrist) to stroke motion
(your putting stroke) which increases swing speed, which causes the putt to roll
out erratically. A putting stroke that is powered by the shoulders is my preference
because it will allow for a consistent roll out based solely on the length of
your backswing with a consistent tempo. Also, a stroke controlled by large
muscles (shoulders) as opposed to small muscles (hands) performs better under
pressure because it is less affected by adrenaline in stressful situations.
In the putting method that I use, I have the student forward press his/her
hands just prior to executing their stroke. This essentially places the hands in an
impact position for putting, and I don’t allow them to move their wrists from that position
during stroke execution.
I had a putting lesson today with a gentleman that had an overpowering hit impulse,
his forward hand was flipping dramatically during his putting stroke. We did some
setup changes to get him into a position to be able to stroke correctly, then we did
the following drill which absolutely worked wonders – after about 50 perfect repetitions.
The “Drag Through Impact” Drill
For “flippers” I have the student ground the putter properly behind a ball. Then I have
them forward press and execute a one foot forward stroke, dragging the club on the
ground all the way. No backstroke, just the forward stroke. The resistance from the
ground prevents any cupping of the forward wrist, the putter head does not pass the
club grip, and the student can actually feel how the angles should be retained through
impact during an actual putting stroke.
For what it worth, this “drag through impact” drill also works with irons – especially for
problem chippers – but try it for putting if your forward wrist breaks down during the stroke,
you’ll like it.
Enjoy, Tom
