Dr David Cook, noted sports psychologist, has recently introduced Face-On Putting. Dr Cook calls it “the Future of Putting”. This remarkable putting method has several significant advantages over conventional putting methods.
To learn more about this method and see the grip, setup and putting stroke demonstrated watch the video in this sites Video Library.
Long putters have been growing in popularity over the past few years. Professionals on all tours are now using them to improve their performance, especially on those pesky 3, 4 and 5 footers.
To understand the features and benefits of long putters watch the Long Putter demonstration video in the Video Library section of this site.
Loft on the face of a putter can cause a significant directional error of the putter is not soled properly. If a golfer’s putter does not fit them properly, ie either the heel or toe is up at address or during the stroke, then loft on their putter face has to cause a directional error based on physics.
To see this effect dynamically demonstrated watch the video on this subject in this sites Video Library.
By watching the video you will also learn how to minimize this error causing effect.
Open frame mallet head putters are growing in popularity with amateurs and professionals for several reasons:
All of the above lead to a higher performing putter.
The open frame design allows weight to be removed from the center of the putter head and concentrated at the rear of the putter head. This raises the moment of inertia and helps reduce twisting of the putter head on impact with the ball. It also helps keep the putter slightly”tail heavy” which produces dynamic loft and improves roll.
Concentrating the weight in the rear of the putter head allows for a wider range of adjustable weights to be used.
The open frame structure is perfect for the addition of sight lines to simplify alignment. And, by if spaced the width of the golf ball they will assist in proper setup for consistent striking of the ball for best distance control.
Finally, by moving material from the center of the putter head there is room for a center mounting shaft design. This will allow for a mechanically simple lie angle adjustment design which can be made to conform with the USGA rules of golf. The rear mounted center shaft also promotes a straight back-straight through putting stroke for maximum accuracy.
You can hit the ball longer, guaranteed!
Are you tired of being the “short knocker” in your group, tired of not being able to reach par 4’s in two, par 5’s in three? How would you like to gain 10-30 yards or more off the tee without buying a new $400+ driver?
This report reveals the secret used by a 68 year old retired aerospace engineer to regain the driving distance of his youth. He has driven par 4 holes in one shot and reached par 5 holes in two shots. He regularly putts and chips for birdies and eagles instead of pars and bogeys. Even though he only stands 5’ 8 1/2” tall, has arthritis in his hands, wrists, elbows and knees and has vision limited by glaucoma and astigmatism he can routinely drive the ball 250 yards and still occasionally hits the ball over 300 yards
His secret was developed over a 12 month period of experimentation using many different driver and shaft combinations and modifications. The secret will work with all drivers. Here is his amazing, but simple, story.
“I began my quest for increased distance a little over two years ago at
age 65. My distance with the driver had fallen off 20-30 yards over the
past few years and I had begun to struggle with hitting five iron and
sometimes four iron into greens where I used to hit a seven iron.
Self evaluation told me my swing length was getting shorter and my club
head speed was dropping like a rock. I had begun to increasingly have
discomfort and flexibility loss in my joints. Especially my knees,
hands, wrists and shoulders during and after a round of golf.
This report was written to help you easily and quickly make significant improvements in your driving game. After a review of distance producing factors, you will then learn how the following keys will all work together to unlock the Longest Driver You Can Be. ”
This report will present 3 Keys to Longer Drives
Key#1 - Golf Swing Considerations
Elements that can work together to increase distance.
Key#2 - Golfer Health Considerations
Factors that can help reverse or minimize the distance robbing effect of aging. And, even a suggestion that can help your financial health as well.
Key#3 – Golf Club Considerations
The essential elements of driver design that can help best match your driver to your potential for maximum distance.
The Final Answer-
Learn how a simple combination of two proven technologies can give your driving distance a turbo boost.
The REESO Driver Turbo Kit
The Final Answer in kit form so you can achieve your goal of increased driving distance. All for less than the cost of dozen golf balls or a round of golf.
Section One-Driving Distance Factors
Lets talk about distance. The scientists tell us that ultimately ball speed,
launch angle and spin rate are factors that the golfer can control to
maximize potential distance. Other factors like the wind, slope and
hardness of the ground,length of fairway grass, humidity, and
temperature are out of the golfer’s control.
Proper selection of a driver loft, head design, shaft type and flex will
help the golfer maximize the factors he can control. Swing improvements
to get the club going down the target line for the most solid contact
will minimize distance and accuracy robbing side spin. Maximum ball
speed is achieved when the club head speed is maximum AND the contact is
solid with a minimum of back or side spin. Somewhere between topping the
ball so it runs on the ground and skying it (Fore God!) there is an
optimum launch angle for the conditions being played in.
And as evidenced by more and more professional golfers adopting physical work out programs, building up major muscle strength and flexibility will obviously help gain distance. However the average golfer is either not inclined to put in that much physical time and work or unable to due to age created limitations. So other answers are needed.
The driver is more difficult to hit than a three wood because of its
lower loft. For that reason, in recent years club manufacturers have been making drivers with more loft. Some years ago, drivers with 7 to 8 degrees of loft were common; now the more common lofts are in the 9.5 to 12 degree range. the reason your driver shaft length is longer than your three wood shaft is so you can develop more club head speed and hit it farther.
The type of shaft in the driver is VERY important. It must match your
swing characteristics or else you will not achieve maximum distance. The
shaft is much like the engine in a car. In addition to shaft length both
shaft flex (degree of stiffness) and the flex point(low, mid or high)
affect performance.
Driver club head design in the past year or so has seen amazing advances
in geometry and fabrication techniques that allow club makers to reduce
and/or reposition weight to maximize performance. Positioning weight as
far back behind the face and as low as possible has made drivers more
stable (higher moment of inertia) and increased the launch angle while
reducing distance robbing backspin.
Golf ball design has come a long way in the past few years. So now more than ever it is possible to gain distance by selecting the right ball for your swing.
First of all, many golfers think that playing a “pro” ball will help their game. When in fact, it will actually rob them of valuable distance in most cases.
Titleist and Callaway for instance make great “pro” level balls like the Pro V1, ProV1x, Hex Tour and Hex Tour 56. Truth is if your swing speed with the driver doesn’t exceed 100 mph you are giving up distance. My experience and testing has shown that it takes a certain minimum amount of club head speed to adequately compress such balls.
For the average, non-pro, non-low handicap golfer, quality golf balls like the Maxfli Noodle or Callaway Hx Hot or Titleist NXT Extreme are much more capable of producing maximum distance.
Now yes it is true these balls won’t spin as much as the “pro” balls, but they will certainly spin well enough to score with. Besides, how many times do you hit the ball past the hole anyhow?
Section Two-Key #1 Golf Swing Considerations
It is beyond the scope of this report to try to improve your swing. You should consult with your local PGA professional if you are having basic swing difficulties or just want to map a plan for improvement.
In order to achieve your maximum driving distance potential you will need to make sure of three things as a minimum:
Your grip must be proper- For a right handed golfer, you must grip the club in the fingers (not the palms of your hands) and your left thumb position must be to the right of center on the grip. Think of the butt end of the grip as a clock face and position your left hand such that the left thumb is between 1:00 and 2:00 o’clock. Generally speaking, the vee’s between your thumb and forefinger on each hand should point between your chin and right shoulder.
You must do everything you can to reduce tension in your hands, arms and shoulders to achieve maximum club head speed. Your grip should be so soft that when you start your back swing, the club head lags behind or almost lags behind initially. If you gauge grip pressure from 1 to 10 with 10 being the tightest, then you should try to start with a grip pressure of only about 4. Of course, there will always be some increase during the down swing. But, if you don’t start tension free then you will fall way short of your distance potential.
You must swing through the ball not hit at the ball. The ball must just get in the way of your swing, not be the focal point.
Section Three - Key #2 - Golfer Health Considerations
When I started my quest to regain some of my lost distance, I began a series of very light physical stretching workouts to help regain some of my lost flexibility. This did not take much time and also led me to make sure I do brief stretching to warm up before playing golf.
(Note-always check with your doctor before starting any kind of excercise program, especially those with a purpose of having you exert more effort.)
After a couple of months I noticed a definite improvement and could even tell my small muscle control (handwriting) was improving. But, even though that stopped or at least greatly slowed any further loss of distance it did not help me gain back as much as I wanted.
The light excercise / stretching workouts also helped regain some lost muscle tone so I could swing harder. But, my aching stiff arthritic joints let me know they didn’t like the extra stress.
I did research and talked with a number doctors who recommended taking some form of Glucosomine/Chondroitin to increase my joint lubrication and encourage repair/rebuilding of damaged/aging joint tissue. I tried several different forms before discovering the most effective answer for me.
The answer, is a health supplement called OptimaFlex. It is an incredibly effective, easy to take product for helping regain lost joint mobility. The elimination of discomfort and improved mobility/flexibility in my joints has been very encouraging.
You may check out this product at: http://www.optima4golf.com/13039128
While there check out some of their other fine products, especially those known to help golfers. You may have seen some of their ads on the Golf Channel with Gary Koch as the spokesperson.
And as an aside, if you have ever wanted to earn some income from home while gaining the tax benefits of such a business then check out this site which will tell you how to just by sharing information about such products with other golfers: http://www.trivita.net/13039128
You can easily earn money and gain tax benefits to support your golf game, buying clubs and even golfing trips.
Section Four -Key #3 - Golf Club Considerations
There are three major components that make up the driver: the club head, the shaft and the grip.
Club Head
For maximum distance your driver club head should have as many of the following features as possible:
Face should be slightly (1/2 to 1 degree closed) to encourage a slight draw or minimize the effects of a fade/slice.
Weight bias should be neutral or slightly draw biased to encourage a slight draw or minimize the effects of a fade/slice.
Size should be 435 cc or larger for maximum forgiveness on off center hits.
Loft should be 10 to 12 degrees minimum to achieve a launch angle near the optimum of 13 degrees for maximum carry/roll combined.
Construction should be Titanium/Composite materials to minimize overall club head weight and allow achieving maximum club head speed.
Moment of Inertia (MOI) should as high as the limits allow to minimize distance loss due to the club head twisting on off center hits.
The Coefficient of Restitution (COR-spring like effect) should be as high as the limits allow to produce maximum possible ball speed.
The Center of Gravity (CG) should be low and back to help get the ball airborne without a lot of distance robbing backspin.
My current favorite is the Cleveland Hi-Bore XL but there are certainly other very similar clubs made by all the name manufacturers
If you decide you want to upgrade to a more current driver technology, there are plenty of bargains on eBay that will save you a lot of money.
Shaft
The type of shaft in the driver is VERY important. It must match your swing
characteristics or else you will not achieve your maximum potential distance. The shaft is much like the engine in a car. In addition to shaft length, both shaft flex (degree of stiffness) and the flex point(low, mid or high) affect performance.
For maximum distance your driver shaft should have as many of the following features as possible:
Flex (ie, Regular vs Stiff) must be soft enough for your swing to properly load maximum energy into the shaft on the down swing. Most golfers, especially senior golfers, are using shafts that are too stiff for their swings.
Material of Construction (ie Steel vs Graphite) must be as light as possible to maximize club head speed. Graphite shafts have come a long way in the past few years in terms of improved quality and consistency. You may give up a little control with a graphite shaft but for the average golfer the benefit of the distance gained will out weigh the slight loss of control.
Flex Point or Kick Point should be Low to Mid in order to help get the ball airborne with a minimum of distance robbing backspin. It sounds goofy, but a low kick point will hit the ball higher whereas a high kick point will hit the ball lower.
Weight should be as light as possible in the 55 to 75 gram range in order for you to achieve maximum club head speed.
Grip
The grip is very important because it is your only contact with the club. Your comfort level and degree of tension can be adversely affected if your grip is the wrong size or the material is too firm. The following factors should be considered in choosing a grip your your driver.
The grip on the shaft should match your hand size so you can grip the club in your fingers, not your palms.
You should not be using oversized grips unless your hands are quite large.
Even if you have some arthritis issues, there are new very soft grip materials available that will allow a regular size grip to be comfortable for many golfers. If your driver is acceptable in all other areas, it is simple and inexpensive to have one of the latest grips installed. Many golf shops like Edwin Watts or Golf Smith will do it while you wait.
Section Five -The Final Answer-The REESO Driver Turbo Kit
Since we have said that the shaft of the driver is the engine, let’s talk about giving it a boost.
A starting point is to consider lengthening the shaft of your
driver. Most standard drivers today have a length of 44.5 inches to 45.5
inches. Older drivers were in the 43.5 to 44.5 inch range so club manufacturers have recognized that they can give longer drives by increasing the length of the shaft. It is practical to safely add 1 inch to 1.5 inches more to the length of today’s drivers with a high strength shaft extender. If the extender is properly designed it can easily be installed into the butt of your driver shaft.
Your driver is longer than your three wood and your four iron is longer than your six iron to help achieve greater distance through increasing club head speed. Lengthening the shaft will make it a little softer and actually help most golfers load more energy into the shaft on the down swing. And, the longer club will help slow down the pace of your back swing so you can stay in better balance and control.
So lengthening your driver will theoretically increase its distance over its standard length. But, when you do lengthen your driver, it will significantly increase the swing weight and change the feel. Both of which could upset your swing and even cost you distance and/or accuracy. That is why most drivers are manufactured at their current lengths even though the USGA allows a driver to be up to 48 inches long. But, don’t worry there is a good solution to the feel problem.
There is another distance increasing technique gaining favor today
because it has been proven to both add distance AND increase
accuracy/consistency. The technique is called counter weighting. It adds weight to the butt end of the club to move the balance point closer to
the grip. Even the great Jack Nicklaus early in his career discovered
that adding a lead plug into the butt of his driver helped hit the ball
longer and straighter.
There are commercially available counter weighting products from companies like Balance-Certified Golf and Golf Smith that will easily add weight to the butt of your club. Counter weighting has several positive effects:
1) It smoothes out your hand action thereby helping to improve accuracy,
consistency and ball speed.
2) It also delays hand action so that less backspin is produced thereby giving a hotter ball flight for more roll.
3) It also helps increase club head speed by giving your large muscles a
little more weight to react to. My analogy here is that you can throw a
golf ball farther than you can throw a ping pong ball.
4) It also helps increase club head speed by allowing more energy to be stored on the back swing for release on the down swing. My analogy here is the example of a person sitting in a swivel chair who starts spinning around holding two dumb bells out with extended arms(the back swing). Then when they pull their arms back in close to their chest (downswing) their rotation
speed(club head speed) increases.
However, adding 20-30 grams of counter weight to the butt of a driver will considerably reduce the overall swing weight and change the feel. Again, both of which could upset your swing and even cost you distnace and/or accuracy.
If you haven’t already guessed the answer, using counter weighting in a lengthened driver will give you the best of both worlds.
What if a 1.5 inch driver shaft extender was available that had a weight of 25 to 30 grams? It would need to be made from a high strength material like aircraft grade aluminum and be sized to properly fit several different shaft inside diameters.
Announcing–The REESO Driver Turbo Kit
The REESO Driver Turbo Kit includes:
1) A weighted shaft extender precision machined from aircraft grade aluminum.
2) A premium regular size grip with the latest soft texture to help minimize grip pressure.
An Instruction Sheet that gives step by step installation instructions.
A printed, bound copy of this report for your reference and note taking.
5) One Premium Distance Golf Ball
If you have ever changed a grip on one of your golf clubs then you can easily install the Driver Turbo Kit. Otherwise, any local golf shop can quickly do it for you. And, if for some reason it just doesn’t work for you it is a simple matter to remove and go back to the way your driver was originally.
The REESO Driver Turbo Kit has a MSRP of $59.95 but for a limited time we are offering it over the Internet for only $37.00 plus S&H.
To see the actual kit, select the Driver Turbo Kit link from the menu on the left side of the page at http://www.ReesoPutters.com
OR, if you are in the market for a great putter you can get a Driver Turbo Kit for only $18.50 as an option with any new REESO or REESO-COOK putter purchase made during this limited time offer.
Section Six -Summary
As of this writing, I am 68 and am pleased and blessed to still be able to enjoy golf several days a week. My driving distance has recovered to the point where I consistently out driver golfers years younger than me.
Over the past 30 months I have made 11 eagles on par four holes and numerous eagles on par five holes. These wonderful and fun experiences are attributed to my regained distance.
Imagine what your golfing buddies will say the first time you knock it past them off the tee?
Better get your REESO Driver Turbo Kit today before your buddies beat you to it!
Confessions of a Long Putter User
At the writing of this article, I have just turned 68 and can honestly say that my putting has never been better. I am generally recognized as a well above average golfer when it comes to putting. This is for two reasons. First I am using a 48 inch “Long” putter and second my putter head is a REESO VBG.
I have always been blessed with good hand/eye coordination and the ability to visualize creatively. During my younger golfing days I was a very good putter and in fact stayed that way until my early fifties. By then, less practice due to less time to play golf and a back that would not tolerate much time bent over had begun to take its toll on my putting results and hence confidence. I began to routinely have several three putts during a round and absolutely dreaded having a three or four foot putt in any kind of competition since my opponents couldn’t just knock it back to me as a “gimmie”.
My putting problems all grew from that lack of confidence in making three to four foot length putts. I had become so “handsy” that a full case of the “yips” had to be right around the corner. So, I decided that an effort to improve was warranted.
First I obtained a putter with a long face and long front to back lines to ensure that I was properly aligning the putter face perpendicular to my target line. And, I made sure the putter was face balanced. Second, I changed my set up such that my eyes were directly over or just inside the ball. Third, I obtained, read and began practicing concepts from the book “Putting Out of Your Mind” by Dr. Bob Rotella. in order to become a “positive putter”.
All of the above steps combined to definitely help my putting improve, but I was still not yet completely comfortable under competitive situations on three to four foot putts. My nerves were too hard to control when the “competitive juices” started flowing.
So, as an engineer, since I understood the principle of the pendulum I became intrigued by the long putter concept. After a few months of experimentation I was able to get a setup that I liked and boy did my putting improve even more. My test indicator was a plastic pipe about 2 inches in diameter that I would set up on a piece of carpet used for a test green in my garage.
With a standard length putter from four feet away, I could only consistently putt five out of ten balls into the pipe opening when I began my efforts to improve my putting. After the three steps above I was able to consistently putt seven out of ten balls into the pipe opening using a conventional length putter. With the long putter, I was able to consistently make nine out of ten and have a personal record of 32 in a row.
The single biggest advantage of the long putter was that it smoothed out my putting stroke on all putts, especially those in the three to four foot range.
Just the inertia of the long putter makes it harder to move quickly. With my confidence restored on the shorter putts, there was less pressure to get every long putt within a foot or two of the hole.
There are two stroke methods for using the long putter. The first method (not recommended) keeps the arms and hands relatively fixed and just rocks the shoulders back and forth down the target line. The second method, the one I recommend, DOES NOT move the shoulders but rather holds the butt of the club with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand with the left wrist anchored against the center of the sternum/upper chest area. Then the right hand/right arm pull the putter back and push it through on a straight line allowing for a maximum pendulum flow with a minimum of moving body parts. The right hand holds the lower putter grip in the vee between the thumb and forefinger rather than wraping the fingers around the grip. This minimizes any tendency to twist the putter face face during the stroke. The second method definitely produced the better results for me.
The first month or so, it seemed like judging distance was going to be a problem with the long putter. However, once I concentrated on keeping my head perfectly still during the putting stroke and NOT rocking my shoulders, then my touch on long putts actually improved over what I had most recently been used to with the standard length putter.
Finally, the more upright stance required to use the long putter made it easier to visualize the “line” to the hole and I became more consistent in reading greens. The ability to practice putting for extended periods of time without my back hurting was also an added benefit.
After three months of using the long putter, I had again become a good putter.
And, now most recently with the development of the REESO VBG putter (www.ReesoPutters.com), I have the optimum putter head design for my long putter.
Vertical GeoGrooves are a new patent pending putter face design by Golf Lab, Inc for REESO Putters. This new performance enhancement technology offers softer feel and improved distance control by effectively increasing the width of the sweet spot. It has turned the sweet spot into a sweet zone.
The average golfer struggles with distance control due to impact inconsistency caused by failure to strike the ball with the exact sweet spot of the putter every time.
By using geometric spacing instead of constant spacing between the grooves, the impact softness of the putter face is varied to compensate for the change in impact effectiveness when the ball contacts the putter face on either side of the sweet spot.
Most golfers have heard of deliberately putting the ball with the toe of their putter on very fast down hill putts to minimize the impact force. The GeoGroove technology takes advantage of that characteristic to provide a more uniform impact force across a broader area of the putter face.
The vertical land areas between the grooves are what actually contact the ball. These vertical land areas perform like mini-tracks to give the ball a superior roll that is tracking as it leaves the putter face.
This remarkable new design concept may be seen at www.ReesoPutters.com
Face-On putting is a new putting style that has been developed by Dr. David Cook, noted sports psychologist. Here is how Dr. Cook describes this new approach.
“I have a great appreciation for the rich traditions of the game of
golf. Golf is a sport built on tradition. However, I also have a passion
for truth. Truth should always trump tradition, especially when it
involves performance. To understand where I am coming from, it is
important for you to know that I have spent my life playing this great
game as well as coaching those seeking answers to golf’s most baffling
questions.
Although my reputation has been built around my expertise in sport
psychology, I started my career as a competitive player in golf. I
understand deeply that the mind and body must integrate to create
performance.
Putting has been the topic of most distress in the players with whom I
have worked. Putting confounds, frustrates, and infuriates. By far, the
club that holds more players back from their scoring potential is the
putter. That frustrated potential has led my search for the truth about
putting. What I have found may surprise you. The fact is, tradition has
held us back from discovering the truth about putting. Tradition has had
an insidious hold on too many players. The stage has been set for truth
to emerge and with it, freedom for the many who have been held prisoner
by tradition.
Before I introduce you to the future of putting, let’s first look at how
the transition to freedom has already begun. Over the past two decades
the future of putting has begun to emerge, but its complete
transformation has yet to be unveiled. Until now. The long putter
introduced the idea of anchoring the grip to eliminate excess movement
in the stroke. It also introduced the concept of single-joint putting,
thus transferring all of the feel and movement to one limb. This mimics
other fine-motor skills such as painting or writing. The long putter
also allowed the player to stand taller, promoting better overall vision
of the putting line.
Left-hand-low putting emerged as an answer to the breakdown of the
wrists through the stroke. The belly putter established an anchor
similar to the long putter, while allowing the golfer to stay with the
comfort of having two hands on the club. The claw grip has many faces
but basically has rearranged the lower hand so that it hangs in a more
natural position, similar to a violin grip. How the player looks at the
hole has also undergone a few changes. Many have begun to look at the
hole while putting, thus capitalizing on putting to a target rather than
putting to a memory. Looking at the hole while putting follows other
similar skills like free-throw shooting, darts, bowling, and horseshoes.
There have been other methods for sure, but these variations in how we
look at the hole and how we hold the putter have introduced critical
pieces of truth in putting.
The one method not mentioned that came the closest to the future of
putting was used by Sam Snead. He called it “side-saddle putting”, which
allowed his body to face the hole although he continued to use the
traditional techniques of using a short putter and looking at the ball
while putting. He actually created the croquet method as well, placing
the ball between his feet. But the USGA quickly banned this variation.
So let me introduce you to the future of putting. I call it “Face-On
putting”. Face-On putting is the merger of the best of each of the
techniques mentioned above. However, the future of putting doesn’t build
on the side-on tradition; rather it establishes a new beginning. The
side-on approach to golf was established to create torque. In order to
strike a ball with velocity, torque is the necessary means of force. But
putting differs from every other shot in golf. In putting there is no
need to create torque. Torque is used for power, and putting has no use
for power. Putting has to do with accuracy. Accuracy is enhanced by
details such as free joint movement, binocular vision, straight line
pendulum movement, and looking at the target rather than putting to a
memory.
Face-On putting starts by facing the target, thus taking advantage of
three laws of physics.
First, it puts the one moving shoulder joint in position to swing freely
straight back and straight through, thus allowing the putter head to
stay on line throughout the stroke. Traditional side-on putting, by
contrast, puts the two shoulder joints in position to swing the putter
head in an arc.
Secondly, Face-On putting sets the eyes in a binocular position. Side-on
putting causes one eye to be closer to the hole.
Finally, Face-On putting allows the player to look at the target, not
the ball, while putting. Side-on putting teaches the person to putt to a
memory instead of to a target.
Face-On putting requires a long putter. The long putter allows the
player to anchor the top of the club, thus producing a pure pendulum
stroke. It is best to find a long putter with an oversized,
face-balanced head so that hitting the sweet spot is not an issue while
looking at the target. Secondly, you need to find a long putter that has
a rounded sole. Because the rules of golf require the shaft angle to be
at least 10 degrees in putters, you will need to slightly lean the
putter toward the toe to create a perfect pendulum. The rounded sole
allows for this slight adjustment.
Face-On putting uses one joint and one arm, simplifying the movement and
focusing the feel. The shoulder socket in the face-on position is free
to move in a perfect uninhibited pendulum motion when the putter is
gripped correctly. Gripped correctly, the thumb of the non-putting hand
will be on top of the putter as an anchor and hinge. The remaining
fingers are wrapped around the grip loosely. The hand is then placed
against the shoulder joint of the putting arm. To get into this position
with the putter on the ground and the eyes over the ball, you must lean
forward and toward the ball slightly. Your height, coupled with the
length of the putter, will determine the amount of lean.
The ball is played just outside and equal with the toe. The putting hand
is placed somewhere between one and two feet below the anchor hand,
creating a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint. The putter is held
between the thumb and index finger. The index finger is critical to
Face-On putting. It is the finger used when writing, painting, pointing,
and touching. It is the primary center for feel in our hand.
The eyes will remain focused on the target while the stroke is made.
Before the stroke, the eyes look from the target to the ball and back,
tracing a pathway for the putt. It is important for them to remain level
and in a binocular position. I have found that it takes conscious effort
to refrain from slightly twisting and turning the head.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is the future of putting. It
brings the best of all the putting techniques together and assembles
them around truth. Becoming part of the Face-On revolution will require
three things:
First, you have to value truth over tradition.
Second, you have to value excellence over acceptance.
Third, you have to commit to change, realizing any new skill requires
practice and a little getting used to.
While I can’t guarantee results, I can guarantee that you will increase
your probabilities for success because you will have physics and optics
on your side. Because your eyes are on the target and because you have
the freedom of an uninhibited joint, I believe this method is yip proof,
bringing hope to the thousands who suffer from this putting epidemic.
Breaking away from tradition is first and foremost a mental issue. It
requires a special mindset. I appreciate and applaud all those who had
the courage and confidence to break from tradition in the search for the
truth. Names that come to mind are Snead, Lietzke, Langer, and Phil
Rogers, followed by golfers in more recent years such as McCarron,
DiMarco, Calcavecchia, Singh, and Holmes.
It takes the heart of a revolutionary to bring freedom. Are you a
revolutionary? If so, welcome to the future of putting. ”
David L. Cook, PhD
Dr. Cook has teamed up with REESO Putters to introduce the REESO-COOK Face-On Putter especially suited to this new style. You may see the putter at www.ReesoPutters.com
Many golfers struggle with their putting for extended periods without knowing what to do to improve. There are a couple of quick self tests that can help a golfer identify the source(s) of their putting problem(s).
Most putting problems can be broken down into two basic areas: poor accuracy and poor distance control.
ACCURACY
The first test is an accuracy drill. Stick a tee in the practice putting green in a relatively flat area and then take four “giant” steps away from the tee (about twelve feet). Putt at the tee using about ten golf balls. For each ball go through your normal pre-shot routine just as if you were on the course. When you have finished putting all ten balls, note the pattern. How many were left and how many were right of the tee? How far to the side were the worst ones and how close were the best ones?
Most golfers will end up with a grouping more to one side than evenly distributed. This reveals an alignment issue that can be easily fixed with a little practice. Just by being aware that you have a tendency to be mostly right or mostly left you are on the way to being able to improve.
Repeat the drill and have someone stand behind you checking where your putter face is aligned just before you make your stroke. This will tell you whether you have a “right or left eye” dominance alignment issue. Many golfers are really surprised to find that on a 10-12 foot putt their putter face is not truly aimed at the hole like they think it is. Once aware that they have a visual alignment issue the golfer can begin to fix it by using a small compensating correction in the proper direction before making their stroke. There are some very good laser aiming/training devices on the market that make it easy to visualize the true alignment versus the “golfer” alignment. We will offer more about them in a future post.
If a golfer with an unven right/left pattern is aligning their putter correctly to start the stroke, then the problem is a stroke mechanics issue,ie, they are consistently pushing or pulling their putter face across the intended line. For putts inside 15 feet the most reliable stroke is one that goes straight back and straight through on the intended target line. If a golfer is pushing or pulling their putts their shoulders may be misaligned. If that is the case, the golfer can practice their putting stroke inside with the putter toe up against a wall. Or, just use a small straight board as a guide. And again, the golfer can have some one place a golf club across their upper chest/upper arm area to check alignment versus the intended target line.
If the shoulder alignment is good then the next area to check is head stability. On putts inside 15 feet it is essential that the head not move until the ball has been struck and is well on its way to the hole. In fact some of the best putters will concentrate on keeping their head still until they hear the ball drop in the cup. Again, you need someone to observe you while you putt.
The last area to check is hand/wrist stability. On putts inside 15 feet, you want the hands to remain passive virtually eliminating all wrist movement. Using only the shoulders and arms to move the putter back and forth will give a much more repeatable pendulum like stroke.
DISTANCE CONTROL
Good distance control is essential for good putting. Since very few putts are perfectly straight it is necessary to play some amount of “break” on nearly all putts. The amount of break the golfer allows for is directly dependent on how hard he/she plans to putt the ball. If the putt is stroked softly it will break more than if it is stroked firmly.
Most golfers would actually improve their overall putting if they spent most of their putting practice time on distance control rather than trying to sink putts.
A good distance control drill is to set up two tees about a foot apart like a small gate. Then from 10 and 20 feet hit multiple putts towards the opening . The object is trying to stop the ball as close to the imaginary line between the two tees as possible.
A similar drill is to putt towards the fringe of the green trying to stop the ball as close to the fringe as possible without actually going off of the green.
Distance control is controlled by length of putting stroke and tempo. The above practice drills will help the golfer improve both in becoming more “distance” aware.
Using a rear mounted shaft can give a face balanced putter design. If appropriate lie angle limit provisions are made, the putter can be a USGA conforming adjustable lie angle design which remains face balanced at any lie angle.
The ability to adjust the lie angle gives the golfer the opportunity for a perfect fit. The putter can be adjusted to fit the golfer rather than the golfer having to adjust to the putter. A lie angle adjustment feature will allow the golfer to make sure the putter head is soled properly(flat on the ground) at address while taking a correct posture.
If a putter offers an adjustable lie angle, the golfer can now be fitted for the proper length putter. Thus maintaining his/her desired position with eyes over the ball/target line.