Pat O'Brien - Three Putting Myths Shot Down - www.golfdigest.com

Happy New Year.  What an incredible few years I have had working with players from Zach Johnson to Vaughn Taylor (and many others) on the PGA Tour, to so many great college players, mini tour players, and simply avid golfers who have traveled from near and far to meet with me here at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas.  And now to kick off 2009, Golf Digest has featured my simple putting theories in a 4 page article (pages 90-93 February 2009 Golf Digest, on sale now), called simply Three Putting Myths Shot Down.  A link to the Golf Digest article online follows below.  My teachings are all about bringing simple, repeatable fundamentals into the putting stroke.  I will talk a lot more about that in future blogs over the next few weeks, but for now enjoy the article from Golf Digest!  Would love to hear your comments.  And may 2009 be a great putting year for you as you chase your own personal goals.  Pat

excerpt:

Three Putting Myths Shot Down

by Pat O'Brien with Matthew Rudy source: Golf Digest.com 

Back in the day, golf course superintendents didn't have access to the agronomy techniques we do now. Greens were slower, so you needed to pop the ball pretty aggressively to get it up and moving.  Green conditions have changed since the 1950s, but the same putting principles are commonly taught, and they don't promote the more flowing stroke you need today.  Break the three myths shown here to take the hand action out of your stroke, and you'll make more putts.

'Grip it in the Lifeline'  - Instead: hold it in your fingers.  If you had to have surgery, would you want the surgeon to hold the scalpel in the palm or fingers?  If you follow the age-old advice about placing the putter grip along your lifeline, you not only rob yourself of feel, but you encourage a rotation of your left forearm under your right.  This affects your aim and prevents you from moving the putter on an arc. 

The fingers are where you feel is, and if you grip the putter in them, anchored under the pad at the base of your left palm, you have more leverage and control of your putter.  Your left and right thumbs should line up on the top of the putter grip.  From this position, your forearms are parallel to the target line, and your wrists are less likely to break down.

Read entire article here: Download POBGolfDigestHotList(c)

Article photographs by Joey Terrill

Find out more about Pat O'Brien On Putting DVD  Pat O'Brien is the director of instruction at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas, TX.