Putting. It’s so easy. Just tap it in. Just tap it in. Look, it’s right there! How hard can it be?
Well, I’ve arguably tossed more golf clubs on the green than I have on the fairway or tee-off box. The green is a cruel mistress.
Richmond Golf and Country Club head pro Mark Strong and I put away the irons this week and had a quiet chitchat on the club’s putting green. But it almost turned into a math exam.
We talked about the Aimpoint putting system. I won’t go into too much detail about Aimpoint as you can research it yourself, but here’s a quick overview.
Basically, Aimpoint is a guide to how you want to approach your putt. You first have to understand the different degrees to which the green can slope. A six per cent slope is fairly steep. A one per cent slope is not.
Using the highest slope degree in the middle-third portion of your path to the hole, you hold that many fingers out to the edge of the hole. You then aim to the edge of the last finger. It’s more detailed than that, but that’s the basic concept.
I find I’m a generally good putter, but only when I take my time and understand the greens. To sound like a broken record: get to the course early and test out the greens.
Strong noted I tend to putt the ball more to the right. This has to do with my aim (obviously). It should be a fairly simple fix; just line up my shot better; step behind the ball and assess the shot and trajectory.
I can imagine some people are just plain bad at reading greens. I like to think I know my geometry, but, then again, one can’t get too comfortable. I think Aimpoint, if nothing else, makes you slow down your assessment and read the greens.
I asked what a typical golfer should be accomplishing on the green and Strong told me that 50 per cent of five-foot putts should be made for the average, bogey golfer. If you’re really good, make that eight feet.
There are basically two things to focus on in putting: speed and trajectory.
I find speed is all about rhythm and how you shift your weight, whereas good trajectory is accomplished by viewing the hole from behind the ball, setting your target and sticking to it.
Do I do this consistently? No, of course not.
So, I also asked about my putter. I have no idea where I got it from; I just use it, it seems fine.
Strong simply said, use what you have; if you like it, keep it.
Kind of like a hockey stick, I noted. But at least in golf, you can test it out at the store.
There are a wide variety of putters to choose from with different shaft lengths and club sizes. I personally like a putter with lines that help me aim.
