The best putting of your life... Putt better - Score better

So here's the deal.  Most of what you hear about putting is probably wrong.  True, the golf swing continues to become modernized as we adapt to lighter drivers, larger heads, irons and shafts that hit the ball higher, are easier to use, have a big impact on how the ball flies. The average golfer has a lot of help hitting the ball farther and straighter regardless of what his/her golf swing looks like.

But what about the putter?  Certainly there have been some improvements in technology, softer inserts, a higher MOI, more stability, less backspin.  And yet you still have a better chance of hitting a fairway with a driver, than making a 20 footer.

Here is why.  Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Sam Snead and someone you may not have heard of... Bobby Locke, were all amazing putters.  You couldn't rack up as many wins as they did (248 PGA Tour wins), on the greens they played on, if you couldn't putt really well.

And yet, the putting stroke that you see most amateurs and professionals adhering to now is quite different than the stroke used by the old guard.  Now, the new guard, use very little wrist, the hands stay ahead of the shaft at and after impact, the putter arc is small and the body stays dead still.

This modern putting stroke works in many cases, some of the time - despite the fact it is unnatural.  Perhaps that is why so many young golfers are needing to go with belly or long putters in order to compete and/or save their careers.

Compare the modern stroke to the stroke of the old guard - ignore the idiosyncratic nature of their setup, and study the putter path.  In every case, the putter head moves past the hands at and after impact.  It's just natural.

Try this: grab your putter and a ball, hold your putter in only your right hand, and try and hit the  ball into the hole - or a coffee mug - without letting the putter head pass your hands.  It's hard, it's unnatural, and it just doesn't work.

Now, hold the putter in your right hand, let the momentum of the stroke pull the putter head past your hands at impact and watch what happens.  You hit your target, the ball rolls  better and it is definitely natural!  Now try it with both hands on the club - it still works!
Like in the golf swing, you never want to sacrifice a natural athletic move for a band-aid fix.    Swing natural, putt natural, and score better!

Lee Tamburano - Ottawa Golf Guru