Why a Long Putter is better than a Conventional length putter
At this time , I have just turned 70 and can honestly say that my putting has never been better. I am usually 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 custom-made game advance design. You may see this new Long Putter design by clicking here.
I have always been favored with good hand/eye coordination and the power to visualize creatively. During my earlier golfing days I was a very good putter and in fact remained that way until my early fifties. By then, less practice due to less time to play golf and a back that could not tolerate much time bent over had begun to take its toll on my putting results and therefore my 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 dreaded case of the “yips” had to be right around the corner. So, I decided that an effort to improve was warranted .
To start I obtained a golf putter with a wide face and long front to back lines to ensure that I was exactly aligning the putter face perpendicular to my desired target line. And, I made sure the golf putter was face balanced. Second, I changed my set up such that my eyes were right over or just inside the ball / target line. Third, I obtained , read and began practicing teachings 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 emphatically 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.
As an engineer, since I understood the principle of the pendulum I became intrigued by the long putter method . 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 dependably 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 dependably 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 abruptly . 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:
<b> Technique One-Rock the Shoulders</b> The first method (not recommended) keeps the arms and hands relatively fixed and just rocks the shoulders back and forth down the target line. This can create an undesired amount of body and head movement.
<b> Technique Two-Do Not Rock the Shoulders</b> The second method, the one that worked best for me, MINIMIZES rocking the shoulders but preferably anchors the butt of the club with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand with the left wrist held against the middle 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 maximal 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 and gives the best touch for distance control. The second method definitely produced the better results for me. You may see a video entitled Long Putter Use by clicking here. Tim Clark, recent winner of the Player’s Championship on the PGA Tour uses this method.
The first month or so, it seemed like judging distance was going to be a problem with the long golf putter . However, once I focused on keeping my head perfectly still during the putting stroke and MINIMIZING rocking my shoulders, then my touch on long putts actually improved over what I had most recently been used to with the conventional length putter. And, as I learned to concentrate on stroking through the ball rather than hitting the ball then my distance control further improved.
in the last analysis, 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 about three months of working with the long golf putter , I had again become a good putter. If you want to get a free personal fitting on line for a long putter go to Long Putter Fitting by clicking here.
