Joe,
While viewing older films of the pros’ putting strokes, I noticed that they used a lot of wrist action, unlike today’s players who say we are supposed to use very little or no wrist action at all. Why not, if it used to work in the past?
Pat
Hello Pat,
It is true, most instruction says to keep the wrists out of the putting stroke. One explanation I have heard is that the greens of yesterday were slower than the greens of today, so more wrist was needed. Another explanation was that the wrist action is more prone to The Yips, but not everyone gets these Yips. Some people have a better feel for distance control by using more wrist action. Although this is not widely used, my personal opinion is that you should have a contest on the practice green between your arm stroke and your wrist stroke and see which one wins. You will never know unless you try it, maybe you are not prone to yips. Even if it doesn’t work, at least you will have more confidence that you have proven your regular stroke is better. In my own contests, I have found that a wristy putting stroke can work almost as well as an arm/shoulder stroke if there are no other moving parts (the arm stroke sometimes causes my balance to shift). To help keep the arms and body still, I press my front elbow to my side. The grip that seems to work the best is the reverse overlap grip, which helps to keep the clubface square to the target, even with wrist action. However, the wrist stroke cannot be too quick or else you will lose distance control or twist the putter face off line. Make the stroke very slow and deliberate and concentrate on keeping the putter face on line all the way as you follow thru. Again, whether it is putting, chipping, pitching, or full swing, have those contests to see which type of stroke can stand up to the pressure of competition.
Joe
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Joe,
What is the worst advice you have ever heard in golf instruction?
Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I don’t like hearing or reading that you have to get worse before you get better, presumably because the theory says the correct mechanics take time to become ingrained, sometimes months. This may be true for those who can afford to have their swings monitored every day to make sure the mechanics are still correct and not lapsing back into older incorrect habits, but what about those people who cannot afford constant monitoring, what if they THINK they are performing the new mechanics OK but they really are not, that means they will never get better just by trusting a concept. I say this is bad advice for the average golfer, who will never be able to build any confidence while getting worse, with no idea how long it might take to see improvement. These poor people will have basically wasted months of lost enjoyment. That’s depressing. You cannot expect swing mechanics to be the same for everyone, you must first take into account a person’s body build and level of athleticism. Everyone is built differently with differing ranges of motion in every muscle compared to a better player, so it may not be reasonable to assume you will ever be able to swing exactly the same way as the better players. Sam Snead was so limber he could kick the top of a doorway while standing on the other foot (you can look up the photos), how many people do you know who can do that? If most people tried to swing like Tiger Woods with the same range of motions, I think they might sprain half the muscles in their bodies. Life is too short to waste several months getting worse with no guarantee that you will ever get any better. Find instruction that can show you simple ways to improve immediately, even slight improvements over time are better than getting worse first.
Joe
What is the worst advice you have ever heard in golf instruction?
Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I don’t like hearing or reading that you have to get worse before you get better, presumably because the theory says the correct mechanics take time to become ingrained, sometimes months. This may be true for those who can afford to have their swings monitored every day to make sure the mechanics are still correct and not lapsing back into older incorrect habits, but what about those people who cannot afford constant monitoring, what if they THINK they are performing the new mechanics OK but they really are not, that means they will never get better just by trusting a concept. I say this is bad advice for the average golfer, who will never be able to build any confidence while getting worse, with no idea how long it might take to see improvement. These poor people will have basically wasted months of lost enjoyment. That’s depressing. You cannot expect swing mechanics to be the same for everyone, you must first take into account a person’s body build and level of athleticism. Everyone is built differently with differing ranges of motion in every muscle compared to a better player, so it may not be reasonable to assume you will ever be able to swing exactly the same way as the better players. Sam Snead was so limber he could kick the top of a doorway while standing on the other foot (you can look up the photos), how many people do you know who can do that? If most people tried to swing like Tiger Woods with the same range of motions, I think they might sprain half the muscles in their bodies. Life is too short to waste several months getting worse with no guarantee that you will ever get any better. Find instruction that can show you simple ways to improve immediately, even slight improvements over time are better than getting worse first.
Joe
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Joe,
Do you and Jody ever discuss philosophy?
Pauline
Hi Pauline,
We are usually not on the same page. The other day Jody says to me: “Joe, why are we here?"
So I pondered philosophically for a moment, and then said. "I've thought a lot about this, Jody, and I think I have it figured out, everybody is here for a purpose. I think maybe we're here just to teach people how to improve their putting, how to swing better, how to achieve good etiquette. We're here to see the look on someone’s face when they hit their first good shot. We're here to listen to their problems and help them overcome slumps. We’re here to share their joy when they have cured their slice. We’re here to celebrate with them when they shoot their best score. We’re here to try to put a smile on their faces. We’re here to…”
And then Jody interrupts me and says “No, no, no, what I meant was, why are we here when your wife said to pick her up a half hour ago”?
Do you and Jody ever discuss philosophy?
Pauline
Hi Pauline,
We are usually not on the same page. The other day Jody says to me: “Joe, why are we here?"
So I pondered philosophically for a moment, and then said. "I've thought a lot about this, Jody, and I think I have it figured out, everybody is here for a purpose. I think maybe we're here just to teach people how to improve their putting, how to swing better, how to achieve good etiquette. We're here to see the look on someone’s face when they hit their first good shot. We're here to listen to their problems and help them overcome slumps. We’re here to share their joy when they have cured their slice. We’re here to celebrate with them when they shoot their best score. We’re here to try to put a smile on their faces. We’re here to…”
And then Jody interrupts me and says “No, no, no, what I meant was, why are we here when your wife said to pick her up a half hour ago”?
