PuttingZone Webinar : Four Putting Skills – 2. Stroke

1. PuttingZoneWebinar: Four Putting Skills – 2. Stroke

3. Sun Wind

4. Geoff Mangum’s PuttingZone™ The Show begins at the end of 3 minutes of music. Let’s get this show on the road! Fleet Foxes, Sun It Rises

5. Welcome to Geoff Mangum’sPuttingZone Golf’s most advanced putting instruction – combining the best techniques from golf history with modern sciences of physics, anatomy, biomechanics, motor learning, and especially neuroscience for brain-body perception and movement for reading greens and putts, aiming the putter and body, stroking the ball where aimed, and controlling distance and pace of the ball for capture at the hole. Brain science for instinctive putting at the highest level.

6. Welcome to Geoff Mangum’sPuttingZone™ PRESENTATION OUTLINE • Overview of Putting • 4 Skills • Touch • Stroke • Read • Aim • PuttingZone Drills for Skills ✔ Today’s Webinar – 1 hour Brain science for instinctive putting at the highest level.

7. B. 4 Skills ✔ • Touch • Stroke • Reading • Aiming

8. Rolling the ball Roll the ball where the putter aims.

9. B. 4 Skills -- stroke ✔ • General principles • Setup • Stroke movement • Stroke geometry • Limited value of “true roll”

10. Rolling the ball General principles

11. Rolling the ball – The simple act without rules • A good online stroke is merely one that starts the ball off the same direction the putter face aims at address. • If the golfer starts the ball rolling straight along these first 3 inches in front of the putter face, that is all any stroke requires or can accomplish. • No golfer is ever forced to learn and then use ONLY ONE technique, and ANY LEARNED TECHNIQUE can be completely ignored at will so long as the golfer knows he merely has to start the ball online, anyway he feels like it. • “The golfer is never “prisoner” of his technique.”

12. Rolling the ball – limits of technique • A good technique is simple and easy to perform, repeat and understand. • Performing the technique correctly is no substitute for rolling the ball where intended. • Technique is optional; line and distance are not.

13. Rolling the ball – value of straight stroke • The only golfers who receive meaningful, accurate “feedback” about their aim of the putter face are those who roll the ball the same direction as the aim. • A stroke that is always defined by the aim of the putter face is easy to repeat, with or without refined technique. • A straight stroke precludes non-conscious compensating habits in the stroke that engender streakiness and slumps.

14. Rolling the ball – Only “square” impact matters • The thru-stroke path does not have to mirror the backstroke path. • The path through the impact zone must remain straight and square online – 1-2” before the back of the ball for another 1-2” in front of the ball. • Putter face squareness is 5 times more important than path and takes priority over centering impact also.

15. Rolling the ball – “Swing the meat, not the metal.” • The arms weigh 10-15 pounds in total, and the putter weighs only 1.5 pounds – the meat weighs 6-10 times more than the metal, so that 85-90% of what the golfer “swings” is the meat. • The center of gravity of the putter plus arms and hands is between the forearms. • Shape the arms and hands and swing more from the top of the body than from below the center of gravity between the forearms.

16. Rolling the ball -- stroke mechanics & Timing • Distance control sets the timing pattern of the stroke for tempo and rhythm, NOT stroke mechanics. • Using tempo and rhythm is how the body knows “what is supposed to be where when”. • A mild tempo and equal “swing” rhythm reduces / limits the forces of the stroke that HARM line control.

17. Rolling the ball -- putter designs and stroke • In physics, all putter designs swing like bats because the putter head is farther away than the center of gravity. • Adding “toe flow” so the putter hangs down at 45 degrees when balanced on the finger makes matters worse. • But with the minimum required muscle tone, the bad putter physics is neatly eliminated! Don’t grip the putter like a little girl! “Man up” and swing it square online, no matter how dumb the designers!

18. Rolling the ball -- squareness error • Face error out of square cannot exceed 1 degree on a 10-foot putt or ½ a degree on a 20-foot putt, as this angle error misses a target by ½ the width of the hole. • Swiveling the toe end of the putter “open” the mere width of a single grass blade is more than enough to miss the hole on a straight 10-foot putt. • Swinging the toe of the putter “open” about 1/16th of an inch re-aims the putter face from 8 feet about 1 ball to the outside – same bad whether by aim or by stroke error.

19. Rolling the ball -- Angle error in stroke

20. Rolling the ball -- Angle error in stroke Mis-stroking by 1 dimple misses the line by about 9-10 degrees! Crichey!! That’s 15-20 inches off line from only 10 feet away – be careful.

21. Rolling the ball -- trueness of surface • Trueness of surface: whether surface irregularities cause rolling ball to deflect left-right off line. • Trueness of surface is more important on Tour than surface speed. • In general, most greens have about 1% dispersion – a 100” putt (8.3 feet or 3 meters) will likely end up somewhere 1” left or right of dead straight 90% of the time, even if the stroke is perfectly straight.

22. Rolling the ball -- face squareness & the ball • The putter face should be centered and squarely aimed thru the center of the ball. • The putter face aims straight out the front of the ball’s equator at a point exactly opposite the point on the back equator of the ball. • Golfers don’t pay close enough attention to the FRONT of the ball, and carelessly aim the face off line thru the front. • Using a line on the ball, or a spot in front of the ball on the line, might help.

23. Rolling the ball Setup

24. Rolling the ball – setup “by the numbers” The golfer walks the arms and hands out to the poised handle and sets the lead hand onto the handle with the required minimum muscle tone. The golfer places the rear hand onto the grip for support without dominance. The golfer rotates the lead elbow slightly inward and sets the same level of muscle tone of the grip into the forearms and upper arms and across the pectoral muscles of the chest. • The putter’s sole sits flat as aimed, presenting the handle poised in the air (the lie should match the golfer). • The golfer aligns the throat / neck line to the leading edge of the putter face as aimed, hence aligning the shoulders parallel to the aim and start line for the stroke (neck erect). • The golfer bends and hangs the arms and hands naturally and fully in gravity, setting the base of the neck at a specific height above the ground that will not alter.

25. Rolling the ball – Setting neck & shoulders

26. Rolling the ball -- putter face & muscle tone • Weld the putter into the body. • Flatten the thumb onto the handle to match the putter face aim to the shoulder alignment. • Minimum and steady muscle tone passes control and concern from stroke path to body control thru impact. • The chest and shoulders control the putter face thru impact.

27. Rolling the ball -- muscle tone in hands & arms • Lift and squeeze technique for finding minimum grip tone. • Infuse the forearms and then upper arms and pectoral muscles with this same tone. • Check that the last three fingers of the lead hand are fully engaged towards the opposing thumb pressure. • Let off slightly in the pressure of the rear thumbprint on the handle to reduce dominant hand influence.

28. Rolling the ball – arms-hands & putter lie

29. Rolling the ball Stroke Movement

30. Rolling the ball – stroke “by the numbers” • Set lead hip stationary. • Set flatness of thumbprint with minimum muscle tone. • Set line of the throat / neck over midline / bottom of stroke. • Shove lead shoulder to move putter head back and up. • Re-square shoulders over hips with coordinated rhythm. • Allow putter head trajectory to lift shoulder and roll neck / face.

31. Rolling the ball -- visuo-physical stroke planning • Visualize stroke action while viewing ball-putter. • See the leading edge of the putter face; see the perpendicular line of aim of the putter face thru the center of the ball out the front equator; project this line along the grass 3-5” in front of the ball; intend to roll the bottom of the ball ONLY along this small strip of familiar grass blades immediately in front of the ball. • Forget all the rules and accomplish this simple little task with whatever movement happens – at this point, “there are no rules”.

32. Rolling the ball – causes of pulls • Pulls are 90% of the problem. • Pulls are caused by: • overspeeding the thru-stroke, • rotating the shoulders closed thru impact, • the rear hand grabbing as the lead armpit opens thru impact while the rear upper arm conflicts with the side of the chest and rolls the forearm closed.

33. Rolling the ball – avoiding pulls • Pulls are 90% of the problem • To avoid pulling putts: • don’t power the stroke -- use smooth, graceful rhythm; • don’t rely on the rear hand -- use a “dead hands” or “steady grip pressure” action thru impact at least 3” thru the ball; • firm up the lead elbow; • swing the lead hand and arm down the line as a unit; and • hold the throat / neck line steadily perpendicular to the putt line thru impact and allow the putter and arms to rock the lead shoulder up vertically without rotating horizontally closed, and allow this up-rocking to “spin” the neck line in place so the head and face turn slightly down the line.

34. Rolling the ball – causes of pushes • Pushes are no more than 10% of the problem. • Pushes are caused by: • Allowing the hips to rotate closed in the backstroke without returning the hips to square in the thru-stroke (“getting stuck”); • Overspeeding or “casting” the arms/hands in the down-stroke from inside-to-out; or • Exaggerating the rear shoulder move so the shoulder moves rearward in the thru-stroke [very uncommon].

35. Rolling the ball – avoiding pushes • Pushes are no more than 10% of the problem. • To avoid pushes: • keep hips steady and don’t allow the hips to rotate in the backstroke; • stay rhythmical and smooth and don’t “cast” or overspeed the arms in the down-stroke from inside-to-out; and • always re-square the chest / shoulders 1-2” before the bottom of the stroke.

36. Rolling the ball – causes of face opening • Putter face opening is caused by: • Too lose a grip that allows the inherent toe-heavy physics to open the face in the backstroke; • Rolling the forearms/hands closed in the backstroke to “arc” the stroke path but failing to “un-arc” the forearms/hands coming thru; • Overspeeding the thru-stroke to lag the hands out of coordination with the arms and shoulders; or • Shoulder rotation in the backstroke that does not return to square, although the path of the stroke is online.

37. Rolling the ball – avoiding face opening • To avoid putter face opening: • Set and keep the minimum muscle tone in the hands and arms required by the putter and the stroke; • Reduce any “arcing” path in the backstroke to a mild minimum; • Use muscle tone on either side of the elbows to reduce or eliminate forearm rolling in the backstroke; • Reduce the separating of the rear upper arm and elbow from the side in the backstroke; • Keep a smooth and even rhythm back and thru; • Make sure the shoulders are back to “square” before impact.

38. Rolling the ball – geometry of a straight stroke For a 6’ male and a 9’ Circle, the putter clears a golf ball only after 13” back – so for a 2-feet span left-right of the bottom, the sole of the putter is lower and closer to the ground than 1.68”. Right thru the impact span 3” either side of the bottom, the sole of the putter is closer to the ground than the thickness of a coin. Stroke low & flat thru impact zone Two feet flat(ish) thru the bottom Respect and accept this flatness thru impact – don’t “lift” the putter off the circle and don’t stick the putter lower than natural – focus instead on a no-hands stroke that transitions from down to slightly up exactly at the bottom of the stroke arc for time and space.

39. Rolling the ball – geometry of a straight stroke The sole sits FLAT to whatever surface slope there is beneath the ball, and the forward stroke has the sole flatten out in the same address starting position immediately before impact. Then the flatness of the sole “leaves the surface” the same way the wheels of a jet leave the tilted deck of an aircraft carrier’s runway – 2 wheels off the deck at the same time. Not flat = Mis-aim PLUS mis-stroke Putter low & flat thru impact zone • Addressing the ball with toe-up or heel-up mis-aims the stroke due to the positive loft on the face. • AND failing to flatten the sole and stroke to the slope acts just the same as it does in a ball-above or ball-below lie in the fairway – failing to conform the sole to the slope sends putts “downhill” to the “amateur side.”

40. Rolling the ball – Roll the “tire” not a ball • The flat slab of a putter face can contact only one point on the back, where the tangent plane of the ball at that point coincides with the loft of the putter – only a putter with “zero” loft at impact can contact the ball on it’s equator; only a ball with “negative” loft can contact the ball above the equator on the top quadrant of the ball; only a ball with “positive” loft can contact the ball below the equator on the bottom quadrant of the ball. • A ball rolls whenever the beginning of impact of the putter face points directly at the center of the ball, but then changes loft so the force is redirected slightly above the center of the ball, and this dynamic rolls the top of the ball over the bottom, like rolling a tire along its aim. • A putter face that does not arc slightly up thru impact imparts a “knuckleball” blow only thru the center of the ball, and tends to launch the ball off the ground or start the ball with unnecessary skidding.

41. Rolling the ball – geometry of a straight stroke Balls roll on surfaces, not in gravity. The bottom of the ball interacts with an area of surface at the bottom, and not at a single point at the bottom. The “tire” of the ball rolls on the surface slope (top disk), not upright in gravity (bottom disk). Ball’s “tire” runs flat along surface Yes No The top ball heads straight and takes all the break; the bottom ball takes less break and heads a bit downhill by the stroke and is less predictable.

42. Rolling the ball – “True-roll” is not worth it No special putter or stroke needed. The green transforms any skidding into only rolling once the initial speed of the ball has slowed by grass friction to 5/7ths its initial speed – and this always happens no matter what the putter or the stroke within 15-20% of the total distance of the putt. The transition is faster and shorter when the grass has more “grab”, but is only slightly shorter when the golfer adds “forward roll” to the ball at the start.

43. Rolling the ball – “True-roll” is not worth it No special putter or stroke needed. The green almost always transforms the worst-case “backspin” start into the best-case “forward spin” start within 2-3 inches. All the “true roll” effort concerns ONLY the first 2-3 inches of the putt, when the ball is rolling with greatest force over the grass. SKIDDING is NOT the problem, and “true-roll” putters and strokes are NOT the cure. Best-case: 1st ball lands at 2” with 30 degrees forward spin and then grass adds forward spin to 45 degrees at 3”. Worst-case: 4th ball lands at 10” with 30 degrees back spin and then grass changes back spin to over 45 degrees forward spin in 2” at 12” mark – a 75-degree difference wiped out in 2”. The REAL problem is LAUNCHING balls off the putter face.

44. Pause for Summary Next: Details about Reading Wynton Marsalis, I’ll Remember April.

45. PuttingZone™ Thanks for your time and interest! “Roll ‘em and hole ‘em!” -- Geoff

46. Geoff Mangum’s PuttingZone™ • For MORE information and to receive future tips and news from the PuttingZone, visit or contact: • Geoff Mangumwww.PuttingZone.com518 Woodlawn Ave, Greensboro NC USA 27401+001 (336) 340-9079 mobilegeoff@puttingzone.com • Join us! If interested in becoming a PuttingZone Certified Coach, contact Geoff for more details --17 Academies and 80 Certified Coaches in 16 Countries Worldwide and growing strong. Click to restart the show Jerry Garcia Band