Putting Keep Wrist locked?

[xiggy]

ok guys i have been playing since i was 5...im 15 now...but there is always new questions for me...my average is around 49 on 9 holes...but i still have a couple things to ask about the great thing called putting...

first off "YES" i do practice my chipping and putting a lot...through most 9 hole games i dont ever 3 putt...but lately i have maybe once simply becuase i switched putters and they are completely different in feel

(some mallet putter and now i have a odyssey center shaft 2 ball)

ok so now on to the questions lol

first off when i putt...i do the same speed back swing...and if i want to hit the ball further...i simply swing further back so the club swings a little faster through forward...i swing through the ball on every shot and i have since i was 12...which helps my putting consistancy a lot...now i was wondering...are you supposed to keep your wrists locked when going through teh ball or are you supposed to let your wrists break just slightly to keep the club face flatter with the ground past the swing? right now i just lock my wrists and use the left hand pointer finger going straight down over my right hand fingers which is a putting swing ment not to break the wrists (the local pro taught me)

also is there ne other tips about putting? thanks!

[GoNavy]

Re: Putting Keep Wrist locked?

The biggest thing with putting, is having a putter that fits you. You MUST, absoulutely have a putter that when soled correctly allows your arm to hang comfortably and has your eyes over the ball and line of the putt, otherwise anything you do will be compensating for the putter.

Has to wrists, depends on your putting technique, if you putt primarily with an arm/shoulder stroke, pendulum stroke, (which sounds like what you do now) then yes, lock the wrists. If you are more of a Ben Crenshaw type putter, stroke comes slightly inside the line, face opens then closes as you go through and comes back inside the line, use more wrists.

The problem arises when you try and combine the two, won't work.

[xiggy]

Re: Putting Keep Wrist locked?

yeh i just do a pendelum...thanks for the answers...and yes im glad i chose this putter (odyssey center shaft 2 ball with 35" shaft)...because it realllly fits me and feels very good when im putting

[GoNavy]

Re: Putting Keep Wrist locked?

yeh i just do a pendelum...thanks for the answers...and yes im glad i chose this putter (odyssey center shaft 2 ball with 35" shaft)...because it realllly fits me and feels very good when im putting

OK your 15 now, time to start spelling correctly and using good grammar, don't make me call your English teacher...lol,,,just kidding.

One other note, start learning the different grass type and grain, how they affect your putts, it will pay BIG dividends later. Always putt out, never take a gimmie, especially if you plan to play tournaments in the future. It is very easy to get in the habit of not putting those two and three footers, then in a tournament suddenly you miss these things and can't figure out why...duh...pay attention to the wind, it affects putts, much more then you would think.

You will not find any pros that don't do this...if you want to play like a pro, you must think like one.

By the way, shooting in the forties at age 15 is outstanding, keep up the good work.

[xiggy]

Re: Putting Keep Wrist locked?

hey thanks man...and yes i always putt out (coach made us ne ways in high school golf but i never have ne thing to complain about!)

and yeh sorry about my spelling i just type so fast that i tend not to correct things!

[LowPost42]

Re: Putting Keep Wrist locked?

Go easy on the spelling, Navy... it's the kids these days. I'm hearing from high school english teachers that papers are being turned in with 'texting' short forms (gr8, ur, ne, etc).

To me, putting is simple. Dead simple. Here are the two important things about putting: Line and pace. But you knew that.

Lets assume that you've already got line and pace concepts down. You already know that unless you have a line, you cannot figure out the pace. But the key - the absolute key - is being able to start your ball on your line. This requires you to have your putter face perpendicular to your line at impact. Open, and you push your putt. Closed, and you pull it.

All this to say that IMO, the less moving parts you have in a stroke, the less that can go wrong. Now, granted, I only average just under 36 ppr (and just over 2 ppGIR), but I would suggest finding a method that makes for a repeatable stroke. If it includes locking your wrists, great.

Mine is a shoulder-rock motion with my elbows close to my body and my eyes inside my line.

My issue is picking the wrong line. I don't often leave myself more than a couple feet for putt #2.

[xiggy]

Re: Putting Keep Wrist locked?

yes i get waht your saying very much...i can read lines very well and i know what my tempo through the ball is...just a slight acceleration to always keep the ball moving towards the target...and most of the time if im say 20 feet out i tend to try to hit it in but my main plan is to get it close enough for an easy 2nd putt because there is no point in missing it horribly for a third putt