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Dave Stockton's putting book

  • 06-12-2012 11:38pm
    #1
    Seves Three Iron
    Closed Accounts Posts: 308 ✭✭


    Just finished reading Dave Stockton's book, Unconscious Putting. As everyone knows, Stockton is the guy McIlroy turned to after his Augusta meltdown. Mickelson raves about him too. If anyone's interested, I've summarised the book into the most important parts (as I see them) below.

    (Before the mods get on, I have no links to this book and am not advertising it. Just think it may be helpful. Quotes are not directly lifted either - only my interpretation of them).

    * Good putters focus on feel, not mechanics.
    * No practice swing. Do it behind the ball if necessary (looking down the line and feeling the break)
    * Begin the putting stroke with a forward press. A la Mickelson & McIlroy
    * See a break in every putt and aim for a specific part of the hole - missing high or low still leaves you 50% of the hole on either side.
    * Speed is more important than line.
    * Grip pressure - pretend you're holding a child's hand. Loose but firm.
    * Your dominant eye should be directly above the ball. For most people it's the right eye. (Old school teaching says left eye should be over ball)
    * Ball too far back in the stance is better than too far forward.
    * It's a waste of time hitting 50 putts in a row. Practice a couple at a time from many different locations. Far better for improving green reading, visualisation and pace control.

    * AND LASTLY THE BIG ONE - Keep the left hand low after impact. Avoids the wrists breaking down.




    Getting stuck into Nick Bradley's seven laws of the golf swing at the moment. Be back to you in six months with that one.


Comments

  • #2
    spacecoyote
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,711 ✭✭✭spacecoyote


    Seves Three Iron wrote: »
    Just finished reading Dave Stockton's book, Unconscious Putting. As everyone knows, Stockton is the guy McIlroy turned to after his Augusta meltdown. Mickelson raves about him too. If anyone's interested, I've summarised the book into the most important parts (as I see them) below.

    (Before the mods get on, I have no links to this book and am not advertising it. Just think it may be helpful. Quotes are not directly lifted either - only my interpretation of them).

    * Good putters focus on feel, not mechanics.
    * No practice swing. Do it behind the ball if necessary (looking down the line and feeling the break)
    * Begin the putting stroke with a forward press. A la Mickelson & McIlroy
    * See a break in every putt and aim for a specific part of the hole - missing high or low still leaves you 50% of the hole on either side.
    * Speed is more important than line.
    * Grip pressure - pretend you're holding a child's hand. Loose but firm.
    * Your dominant eye should be directly above the ball. For most people it's the right eye. (Old school teaching says left eye should be over ball)
    * Ball too far back in the stance is better than too far forward.
    * It's a waste of time hitting 50 putts in a row. Practice a couple at a time from many different locations. Far better for improving green reading, visualisation and pace control.

    * AND LASTLY THE BIG ONE - Keep the left hand low after impact. Avoids the wrists breaking down.




    Getting stuck into Nick Bradley's seven laws of the golf swing at the moment. Be back to you in six months with that one.

    Nice post, cheers!!

    Think I've been suffering the piece I highlighted in bold. I was putting pretty solid last year, probably around 32-33 putts on average per round and never really thought too much about my technique. Just picked the line & committed to it.

    Went through a little bit of a rough patch early this year with the putter, and shifted my focus onto getting the mechanics right.

    Haven't ever really gotten back to close to last year, I'd say i'm at 36 putts average this year. Have my good days, but the consistent performance is not there.

    Maybe have to start looking at moving away from mechanics thoughts & get back to my old way of thinking again!!!


  • #3
    WHIP IT!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,886 ✭✭✭WHIP IT!


    Got a tip from a Butch Harmon book I read on hols back in September about putting. He said, for consistency, hold the putter so lightly you think it might fall out of your hands. It has really helped I must say. I'm not sure why, but it definitely results in a more consistent stroke and my speed on long putts (Achilles heel on the greens) has greatly improved.


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