Hit Impulse Putting Drill

Video Transcript

This segment is to help you identify the hit impulse that you have in your putting stroke. Some of you might call it a jab, some may call it a yip, but this is a drill that can help you make progress in that area. When we are striking an object like a golf ball there is a tendency for us to want to try to hit it or to help it. Actually we want to allow the energy that we built up, or the inertia that we built up, to run into and through the golf ball, we don't want to try to help it along. When we help it along we actually change the rate of acceleration of the putter head and we also change the loft of the putter so the putter comes in with a different loft each time and a different direction so it is going to be different every time and it makes putting very difficult. I have some wiffle golf balls here, they are not real, and I have one real one. The goal is to put these down and now make some swings at these and just allow the putter to swing back and through with no hit impulse to them. Just allowing the weight and inertia of the putter to swing. I am transferring the energy right to the ball. When I get to the real ball I work on making the same stroke so there is no sense of trying to hit at the golf ball. I am just allowing the putter to swing and hit the ball and send it down to its target. You can practice this drill in your office, in your home or even on the golf course. It will pay tremendous dividends from your consistency, repeatability of your putting, the solidness of contact and it will make some inroads towards getting rid of that stroke that might be a little bit yippy or a little bit jabby. Give it a try.

Laird Small
Pebble Beach Golf Academy
1700 17-Mile Drive
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
Tel: 831-622-8650

Laird Small is Director of The Pebble Beach Golf Academy and is listed as one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers and Golf Digest's #23 instructor in the world.

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