Hit and Hold to be a better putter.

February 1, 2005

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2 and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

Monthly Golf Golf Tips by the Mel Sole Golf School.

I play most of my golf with friends, students, or members of Pawleys Plantation, and the most common cause I see for missed putts is movement. Golfers (including myself sometimes) are too keen to see where the ball is going, and thus we "come out" of our original posture. Picture #1 clearly demonstrates what I see every week while taping students during the putting class. They are unaware and amazed at how much they move during putting. As you can see by my shoulder position, this "coming out" or "straightening up" makes the shoulders open up too soon, causing the putter head path to move to the left and resulting in a closed clubface. As a result, most putts are missed on the left.

Hit and Hold to be a better putter

Go to the practice green and consciously be aware of your posture position as you line up your putt.

Hit and Hold to be a better putter

After you have struck your putt, "hold" the follow-through for at least 6 seconds. Give yourself time to check the following factors:

Have you kept your original address position?
Is the putter head path still online to the target?
Is the putter face still square to your target?

Hit and Hold to be a better putter

If any of these three things are not present, you are losing shots due to missed putts. Next, work on my "push drill" until you can keep the putter working correctly. This "hit and hold" position will help you check if all is well with your putting stroke. Remember NO MOVEMENT!

P.S. Next time you are watching golf on TV, watch the Pros see what I am talking about.

Source: Mel Sole Golf School.

Thanks for reading - Hit and Hold to be a better putter. Do this, and you will be!

Monthly Golf Golf Tips by the Mel Sole Golf School.

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