Golf - 5 ways to advance from being an average putter to being a good putter – Let’s assume Golfer A and Golfer B have similar putting strokes and they can both read a green equally well, but Golfer A makes more putts and 3-putts less often than Golfer B. How can this be?
Golfer A uses a putter design that is weighted at the toe and at the heel, but not in the center. Golfer B uses a straight blade. Since they both have similar strokes, they both miss the sweet spot on the putter by the same amount. Golfer A gets better results due to a larger sweet spot.
Golfer A has confidence in the read and can concentrate fully on executing the stroke. Golfer B changes the read as he/she stands over the ball (why bother with the original read in that case?). This can result in a tentative stroke due to worrying about the read instead of execution.
Golfer A putts to a spot on the green on the way to the hole, a spot that is close enough to hit every time. Golfer B does not use an intermediate target.
Golfer A improves touch for distance control during practice by noticing how far the backswing goes for certain distances, and then steps off those distances. Golfer B just relies on feel without thinking about the exact distance. As a result, Golfer A’s second putt is usually 1-2 feet long, while golfer B’s second putt is usually 3-4 feet long.
Golfer A’s putter has a fat grip, Golfer B’s putter has a skinny grip. In both cases, any accidental hand rotation will cause the putter face to rotate off line. Golfer A’s putter face will rotate less than Golfer B’s putter.
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
Golf - Which is the best ball to use? If you are a low handicapper, you can try the softer high spin varieties. However if you are a higher handicapper, it probably does not make that much difference. You have probably heard advertisements from several different manufacturers claiming that their ball is the best. You also have probably heard that there are rules that limit a ball’s initial velocity, so it is likely that all the major golf ball makers are already at those limits. If they wanted to, they could probably make an illegal ball that goes much further. The pros usually have to play the ball of their sponsor, so how different could all these balls be?
That means if you want distance, any of the major brands will be OK. Some balls claim to have “high spin”. Sounds cool, but if that is true, you can expect to increase your slice or hook, which negates the value of being able to stop the ball on the green more easily. Trying to spin the ball on “public” greens may be futile, because those greens are usually not as soft as the greens on plush private courses, so the extra spin might not make much difference to the average golfer anyway. If you really really like spin, use a ball with a cut or scrape on it (just kidding). If you like more distance, line up the seam of the ball vertically along the target line (not kidding, this also promotes a better roll for putting - supposedly).
Some people claim they can feel a difference in the “softness” of the ball when they hit it. Don’t be fooled by this. Any ball will feel softer if you hit it on the sweet spot of the club, and the same ball will feel hard if you fail to strike the ball on the sweet spot. Some people say they can tell by the sound; gimme a break, does it go “doink” or “squish”? If you think any of these balls are soft, allow me to bounce one of them off your head, and then you can tell me how soft it feels.
They say hard swingers are supposed to use harder higher compression balls, yet some of them prefer to use the Lady Precept for its softer feel (no wisecracks from you perverts out there).
So the bottom line is this: Unless you are a low handicap golfer, it probably makes little difference which ball is better for you. The marketing hype is just playing on your mind. Pinnacle is a very popular ball, but it gets me no better results than a Top Flite. My heart tells me to use Titleist, but my scorecard says it’s no better than a Maxfli. However, the mind is a very powerful thing, so you have to feel confident with whatever ball you are using. If you feel luckier by playing Callaway or Nike, then go for it, the positive attitude will do you good. Me, I’ll just use whatever my ball retriever can dredge up from the nearest ponds, and save the ball money for some extra beers. One more thing, whichever ball you choose, use the same brand/type during a round, or else your distance control might be a little inconsistent.
That means if you want distance, any of the major brands will be OK. Some balls claim to have “high spin”. Sounds cool, but if that is true, you can expect to increase your slice or hook, which negates the value of being able to stop the ball on the green more easily. Trying to spin the ball on “public” greens may be futile, because those greens are usually not as soft as the greens on plush private courses, so the extra spin might not make much difference to the average golfer anyway. If you really really like spin, use a ball with a cut or scrape on it (just kidding). If you like more distance, line up the seam of the ball vertically along the target line (not kidding, this also promotes a better roll for putting - supposedly).
Some people claim they can feel a difference in the “softness” of the ball when they hit it. Don’t be fooled by this. Any ball will feel softer if you hit it on the sweet spot of the club, and the same ball will feel hard if you fail to strike the ball on the sweet spot. Some people say they can tell by the sound; gimme a break, does it go “doink” or “squish”? If you think any of these balls are soft, allow me to bounce one of them off your head, and then you can tell me how soft it feels.
They say hard swingers are supposed to use harder higher compression balls, yet some of them prefer to use the Lady Precept for its softer feel (no wisecracks from you perverts out there).
So the bottom line is this: Unless you are a low handicap golfer, it probably makes little difference which ball is better for you. The marketing hype is just playing on your mind. Pinnacle is a very popular ball, but it gets me no better results than a Top Flite. My heart tells me to use Titleist, but my scorecard says it’s no better than a Maxfli. However, the mind is a very powerful thing, so you have to feel confident with whatever ball you are using. If you feel luckier by playing Callaway or Nike, then go for it, the positive attitude will do you good. Me, I’ll just use whatever my ball retriever can dredge up from the nearest ponds, and save the ball money for some extra beers. One more thing, whichever ball you choose, use the same brand/type during a round, or else your distance control might be a little inconsistent.
