Putting - Swinging or Pushing?

[chrisf60526]

So it's about to snow 5-9 inches here in the Chicago area and golf is way off.  I am watching the Farmer's Open and noticed a lot of players putting left/right hand low.  I started to think about if most use more of a pendulum (free swinging) putting stroke or more of a push type strokle? 

 

I think over the years that I really use the more swinging feel as when i tried a right/left hand low it always felt too stiff.

[RichieHunt]

Putting stroke can be a push or a swing.  Depends on lots of factors.  Some try to force themselves to swing when they should push and vice versa.  My stroke is really meant for both arms/hands to power the stroke and it's really a swinging motion, but I tend to use too much left arm/hand and I have to feel like I'm using more right arm/hand to counteract my natural tendency to use the left arm/hand.

 

Left hand low helps square up the body to the target better, but can be overdone if the lead shoulder gets lower than the right shoulder.  The shoulders should be level with a little bend in the lead arm.  I personally could never get used to lead arm low.

 

 

 

RH

[Aviador Naval]

Putting consistently is weakest part of my game and at this point my inability to get out of my own way mentally is probably more to blame than any fundamental/technique issue.

 

That said, I putt my best when swinging the head freely and barely moving the handle ala Utley.  When things trend a bit south for a few rounds, a few sessions of hitting puts right hand only puts me back on track.

[oukeith]

I am very trail hand dominant, and it feels a bit like a push.  The intent is not too different from Monte’s short game toss, with the exception that I lock in my wrist angles during the putting motion.

[Obee]

Never thought much about this distinction (swinging vs. pushing) but noticed a while back that I definitely have a bit of a "push" motion.

[tjcarsillo]

I would say I favor the “push”. I find I putt best when its a little of both if that makes any sense whatsoever

[Barfolomew]

I hit the putt, even the softest is a hit.  I am in control all the time, never a disconnect like a pendulum swingin on its own

 

I might tell a complete rook that has no touch to try a pendulum until they get better and then they can take over when their touch develops

[golfsticks]

Applying top spin, draw bias from deep, with a butter knife is money.  And no, my knives are not for sale.

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by golfsticks

[chrisf60526]

8 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

I hit the putt, even the softest is a hit.  I am in control all the time, never a disconnect like a pendulum swingin on its own

 

I might tell a complete rook that has no touch to try a pendulum until they get better and then they can take over when their touch develops

 

Huh?  Not sure I understand.  You hit (which would imply you swing) but then below you say you'd tell a rook (define rook?) to try a pendulum.

[chrisf60526]

14 hours ago, Obee said:

Never thought much about this distinction (swinging vs. pushing) but noticed a while back that I definitely have a bit of a "push" motion.

 

Agree.  LH low (or RH for us lefty's) feels like a push.  Not really swinging but guiding.

[tthomasgolfer605]

On 1/30/2021 at 3:13 PM, chrisf60526 said:

So it's about to snow 5-9 inches here in the Chicago area and golf is way off.  I am watching the Farmer's Open and noticed a lot of players putting left/right hand low.  I started to think about if most use more of a pendulum (free swinging) putting stroke or more of a push type strokle? 

 

I think over the years that I really use the more swinging feel as when i tried a right/left hand low it always felt too stiff.

Where are you from near Chicago?

 

[tthomasgolfer605]

15 hours ago, Obee said:

Never thought much about this distinction (swinging vs. pushing) but noticed a while back that I definitely have a bit of a "push" motion.

Worked for Jack Nicklaus. Why people don't set up like he did I don't understand. 

[jplroper]

  I like to hit the ball, a pop stroke that is accelerating into the ball. Putts hit that way to me seem to have eyes and head for the hole, pushed or guided putts never appear to have that authority  .

[dmecca2]

I would stay far away from the word "push" as describing something positive in a putting stroke. That word generally has negative a connotation. I would say its more a roll, like shown in the video above with Dufner. 

[Obee]

4 hours ago, dmecca2 said:

I would stay far away from the word "push" as describing something positive in a putting stroke. That word generally has negative a connotation. I would say its more a roll, like shown in the video above with Dufner. 

 

Hey, bud. 🙂

 

I actually don't mind that term at all when applied to putting. I think a "push" is a completely valid type of move with the putter. To me, putting is definitely not "golf," it's like a completely separate activity, in my mind. In fact, one of the things that helped me greatly improve my putting is that I started to view it as just that: a completely separate game unto itself, with different rules, methods, goals, etc. Even if that's only partially true, it helped me to "compartmentalize" putting and (almost!) completely remove the outcome (whether or not the ball went in the hole) from my process.

 

I can't begin to explain how much that helped me as a putter -- and, ironically, by extension, as a golfer.

 

Here's my stroke, such that it is. Definitely feels a bit like I "push" or "shove" it on its way. These were both from my "95-yard challenge" video, which was so fun to do. Looking forward to doing another once the days get longer.

 

 

 

[Krt22]

4 hours ago, dmecca2 said:

I would stay far away from the word "push" as describing something positive in a putting stroke. That word generally has negative a connotation. I would say its more a roll, like shown in the video above with Dufner. 

Yeah I would tend to agree with that. Push only makes sense if you can have a legit SBST stroke, but that requires lots of hand manipulation to carry out in reality. Just about all good/great putters have some arc to their stroke, with the face opening and closing, which make it a swing in my eyes. 

[dmecca2]

19 hours ago, Obee said:

 

Hey, bud. 🙂

 

I actually don't mind that term at all when applied to putting. I think a "push" is a completely valid type of move with the putter. To me, putting is definitely not "golf," it's like a completely separate activity, in my mind. In fact, one of the things that helped me greatly improve my putting is that I started to view it as just that: a completely separate game unto itself, with different rules, methods, goals, etc. Even if that's only partially true, it helped me to "compartmentalize" putting and (almost!) completely remove the outcome (whether or not the ball went in the hole) from my process.

 

I can't begin to explain how much that helped me as a putter -- and, ironically, by extension, as a golfer.

 

Here's my stroke, such that it is. Definitely feels a bit like I "push" or "shove" it on its way. These were both from my "95-yard challenge" video, which was so fun to do. Looking forward to doing another once the days get longer.

 

 

 

Hi Obee, love love love that stroke. It raises my anticipation to get outside and play even more now, but we were just buried by 2 feet of snow, so that won't be soon. And even though I see it as a fluid swing, if thinking of it as a push is your mental trigger, power to you. 

 

Maybe I've just had some dark putting days, but when I think of "push", some thoughts and memories of bad putts during big moments enter my head. 

[tm3]

Geoff Mangum said that the most accurate putting comes from taking the putter back whatever distance is required based on the length of the putt and then letting it fall ie let gravity take over.

[Obee]

2 hours ago, dmecca2 said:

Hi Obee, love love love that stroke. It raises my anticipation to get outside and play even more now, but we were just buried by 2 feet of snow, so that won't be soon. And even though I see it as a fluid swing, if thinking of it as a push is your mental trigger, power to you. 

 

Maybe I've just had some dark putting days, but when I think of "push", some thoughts and memories of bad putts during big moments enter my head. 

 

Thanks for the love. 🙂

 

It's crazy, but the mental shift to putting being an entirely separate game in and of itself has helped me so much. I completely gave up on trying to be like anyone else -- or having a "pretty" stroke -- and focused solely on learning to get the ball to roll end-over-end before anything else. I knew I had to be able to do that to fix my mediocre putting.

 

The set-up you see there is what I had to do to be able to get the ball to roll end-over-end. And since I didn't care what I "looked" like, I just completely committed to it and honed it.

Edited February 3, 2021 by Obee

[dmecca2]

4 minutes ago, Obee said:

 

It's crazy, but the mental shift to putting being an entirely separate game in and of itself has helped me so much. I completely gave up on trying to be like anyone else -- or having a "pretty" stroke -- and focused solely on learning to get the ball to roll end-over-end before anything else. I knew I had to be able to do that to fix my mediocre putting.

 

The set-up you see there is what I had to do to be able to get the ball to roll end-over-end. And since I didn't care what I "looked" like, I just completely committed to it and honed it.

 

I wish I was as mentally strong as you. I fall under a rare camp that believes I need to look good to play good. Weird hill to die on, but here I am. 

[Obee]

3 minutes ago, dmecca2 said:

 

I wish I was as mentally strong as you. I fall under a rare camp that believes I need to look good to play good. Weird hill to die on, but here I am. 

 

That's strange to hear, but thank you. I'm one of those guys who probably got the least out of his talent over the years as a (amateur) competitive golfer. Choked away so, so many top finishes and wins by not being mentally tough. But we're never too old to learn, and I finally broke through about four years ago. 

[nvr3putt]

For my conventional putting stroke (trail hand low), I try to think of my trail hand as being 90% active in "pushing" the club and my lead hand being 10% active and providing directional support. 

Top spin, top spin, top spin.

[bilbry57]

23 hours ago, Obee said:

 

Hey, bud. 🙂

 

I actually don't mind that term at all when applied to putting. I think a "push" is a completely valid type of move with the putter. To me, putting is definitely not "golf," it's like a completely separate activity, in my mind. In fact, one of the things that helped me greatly improve my putting is that I started to view it as just that: a completely separate game unto itself, with different rules, methods, goals, etc. Even if that's only partially true, it helped me to "compartmentalize" putting and (almost!) completely remove the outcome (whether or not the ball went in the hole) from my process.

 

I can't begin to explain how much that helped me as a putter -- and, ironically, by extension, as a golfer.

 

Here's my stroke, such that it is. Definitely feels a bit like I "push" or "shove" it on its way. These were both from my "95-yard challenge" video, which was so fun to do. Looking forward to doing another once the days get longer.

 

 

 

Hi Obee,

 

Your stroke is great 2 questions 

 

1. What is grip pressure right hand 1-10 10 being firmest 

2. I remember you put left index finger down grip like Phil but do you turn left  hand to left (weak) on the grip 

[Obee]

22 minutes ago, bilbry57 said:

Hi Obee,

 

Your stroke is great 2 questions 

 

1. What is grip pressure right hand 1-10 10 being firmest 

2. I remember you put left index finger down grip like Phil but do you turn left  hand to left (weak) on the grip 

 

Grip feels like a five with both hands on fast or moderately fast greens. Maybe edges up a bit as greens get slower and putts require more of a "pop."

 

Left hand is relatively neutral. I struggle with it getting a bit weak. If it gets too weak, I try to bring it back a bit.

[Hawkeye77]

22 hours ago, dmecca2 said:

 

I wish I was as mentally strong as you. I fall under a rare camp that believes I need to look good to play good. Weird hill to die on, but here I am. 

By all accounts Custer looked good!