Putting Line vs. Putting Arc

Video Transcript

I would like to talk to you a little bit about the target line in putting versus the path of the stoke because they are really very different. I have a couple of yard sticks that I like to use when I am practicing and teaching and I think that they can help you as well. First I am going to demonstrate getting set up to the ball. The yard stick really helps me get the clubface square and get my feet square to the line. Now I am going to practice my putting stroke just for you to see. As I swing back and through a little above the ball I want you to notice that the face naturally opens and that the swing is a little bit of an arc and then the face closes a little bit. That is the proper path in the putting swing. A little bit of an arc swing just like your big swing. Probably one of the most common mistakes we see out on the golf course is that golfers really think that their path has to be straight back on the target line. That closes the clubface. It is interesting to see where the ball goes when you swing straight back on the target line, the ball started to the left. We also see the other side of that where people are really trying to get their stroke to go down the target line and that usually creates a push out to the right. So practicing your stroke with a little bit of an arc is really the best way to get the ball to go straight down the target line. if you want to practice that arc a little more you can take your ruler and a couple of tees and make your own arc. I can practice above the arc here and really see that the face stays square to the arc line, that is a great visual to see, and I can actually fit my putter in here and get the kinesthetic feeling of the putter making and arc and that is going to be great help. It is also a really cheap way to build a great practice tool. You do not always have to go out and spend a lot of money to have a great teaching tool to practice and make your putting stroke better. So remember, there is a difference between putting line and path in putting and you are going to make your putting stroke a lot better.