Be a Stud

Greg Ellis
Great Golf Academy
Goodyear, AZ
gellisdog@cox.net

More Information

While watching the Tour players recently, I watched with great interest the way they stroke putts on the putting green and they all had one thing in common; how solidly they made contact with the golf ball. With this in mind, I wanted to come up with a training device that any golfer could use to feel and hear what a solidly struck putt is like.

•  First get a 2x4 stud and cut off a 12 inch piece, cut a few extra for your playing partners. Lay the stud down on the green about two feet from the hole lengthwise. The object is to make solid flush contact with the end of the board.

•  Address the back of the stud so the putter face is flush against the end of the stud. Watch where your hands are when your putter face is flush. They should be ahead of the face at the impact position.

•  Next, make your putting stroke back and through so you make contact with the stud so that you feel the face of the putter make solid contact. You should hear a click rather than a thud at impact.  At impact you want to follow through so the stud is actually pushed toward the hole with your hands and arms doing the work.  If you flip your wrists and the leading edge makes contact first the stud will raise off the ground and it will sound like a thud and the stud will not move as much. Just like a putt, the more solidly you contact the ball at impact the better the ball will roll.

•  Finally, after practicing with the stud, leave the stud on the ground and place a ball in line with the back of the board and stroke a putt to the hole. Once again, watch your hands through impact. Your hands must go past the ball prior to impact to strike the ball solidly, just like hitting the stud.

Have fun and remember if you need help with this tip or any other, feel free to email Greg at gellisdog@cox.net. Be sure to tune in to the Bunker to Bunker Golf Show every Saturday morning from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. on ArizonaSports 98.7 or on the internet at www.arizonasports.com for more tips and updates on all of the week’s golfing news in the Valley and around the world. Join Greg, Jim Hill, and Marty Monaghan for a comprehensive look at the golf world for the week.