Then we steadied my head.īelow is Tiger practicing before his round - right, left, then both hands. As Tiger says in the vid, the putter gets behind your hands (the grip doesn't move much but the putter head does) and then you let the putter head fall on the ball. The shoulders move enough to allow the soft arms to move. I was still moving my shoulders too much so John did a few things to show me how to limit their movement. See Tiger discuss his mini-lesson with Ben Crenshaw below. John discussed having soft arms and light pressure on the grip. It's just a different way of striking the ball and moving the shoulders that makes a difference as opposed to a right-hand dominant golfer. If you were left-hand dominant, John would give you a different method for the stroke as you'd be pulling the left hand. Takes faith to have that little pressure. But I had about a "5" for pressure in my right fingers, and about a "2" in my left fingers. I am left-handed but play right-handed, so I guess this says do not assume anything. It was a little odd at first (newish) but by the third round of 3 balls with each arm, he said I was good with both, but I was right-handed dominant. He was attempting to see if I was right hand or left hand dominant. John asked me to putt with one hand, first with the left, then the right. So if you want a better, tighter roll, or are sufficiently intrigued, please read on. What John showed me gave me a tighter role on the ball with less dispersion. You can rock if you want, Me? I've studied Utley and Faxon for years, and wanted to try something more athletic. The first question you may have is "Must I change my stroke? I've done this for years." No, this is the way John fits to find the specs of the putter that you will swing well. More on moving that putter head in a second. "That's not what I'm talking about either." Then he hit the putter head against his shoe with a firm strike. He said when you hear Touring Pros talk putting, they talk about "the strike." Then he rammed a putter head hard against his shoe - he said, "that's a hit, not a strike." Then he hit the putter head gently against his shoe. Then we discussed soft arms, the athletic stroke, and the strike. After his explanation, when I pulled a putt, guess what? The lead shoulder was the culprit. He saw my shoulders moving too much and when that happens, they can cause a putter to get stuck going back (push) or the lead shoulder can cause a pull. John stopped me after a few putts and we discussed what he saw and what I could do to help my putting and the fitting. He commented that I have the ball forward in my setup - yep, it is, inside the left heel. He did not say anything about my grip or my address position, which is square. John asked me to go through my routine for about 3-6 putts before handing me an Artisan. I was intrigued because I agreed but had not met a professional who taught a more athletic approach. ![]() We then discussed how putting instruction has trended to a mechanical stroke, taking out our athleticism. We also brought Ben Crenshaw into the conversation as well as Tiger. John asked me about great, athletic putters and must have said something else because I mentioned Brad Faxon and Stan Utley. And when John started talking Tiger, I shut my mouth and listened. Remember, John had worked with Nike, and Tiger was a Nike guy. John explained that we were going to discuss my stroke, and make adjustments so he could fit me for the putter. We walked to the green at their neighbor, Leonard Golf Links (an impressive range and practice area), which afforded us shade and well-conditioned practice green. John carried a bagful of putters and asked me to take two of the five that I had brought with me. Walked into Artisan and out the door with John Hatfield, who fits and makes your putter. Let's talk about an Artisan Putter fitting.
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