Putting Arm Motion

Video Transcript

If you want to be a great player, you have to be a great putter. Now this same little arm motion that I have been showing you for all the other shots is important in putting also. You can see my arms are going around my body. Watch as I hit a couple of putts. You will see my right elbow go back in my backswing and the left elbow retract as I go through. Just trying to get some consistency in the way your arms work around your body can lead to a repetitive, correct putting stroke impact. So if you take your two arms and you rub your sides back and forth that would be a good way to start to feel this. Then take your two hands together and move your arms from side to side around your body. If I take that position there and I start to bend over, you can see how I can get into a putting setup and be on-plane to swing the putter on a correct arc. If my elbows are going around my body, that would naturally pull the club to the inside on an arc just like it would for any other golf shot. As I bend forward to hit my golf ball, you can see that there will not be any air between my arms and my body. My left arm will extend a little bit as I go back and my right arm would extend a little bit as I go through, matching all the other shots that we have done, chipping, pitching and full swing where the arms are working around the body. If we can get consistent at this, we have a better chance of keeping the face square to the arc during the whole stroke. It will help you, too. Best of luck.

Mike LaBauve
Kierland Golf Club
15636 N. Clubgate Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Tel: 480-922-9283

Mike LaBauve is one of the world's greatest short game instructors and teacher to LPGA phenom Grace Park. He is listed as one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers and Golf Digest's #31 instructor in the world.

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