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Drill Bits: Let Go to Putt Better

Putting Instructor Pat O'Brien

To get a grip on your putting stroke, sometimes you just need to let go. Such is the message behind the following putting drill shared by Pat O’Brien.

Pat is a familiar face here at PutterZone.com as well as on the PGA Tour, where he is the putting instructor to Masters champion Zach Johnson, as well as several other pros. He is also a consultant to the SeeMore Putter Company.

According to Pat, “putting is all set-up based.” In other words, if you take the right grip, and you address the ball correctly, the stroke will take care of itself. Pat’s blog features tips on each of these fronts.

But once you are in your proper setup, with the right grip, what should the stroke feel like? In the following drill shared exclusively with PutterZone.com, Pat reveals one of his simple methods for teaching stroke feel and distance control:

“One of my favorite things for students is to have them grip the putter in the fingers of both hands. Keep the heel or back pads of hands connected to the grip, but take the thumbs off. Relax the hands and let the weight of the putter swing. Now stroke some 20 to 30 footers and see how close you can get to the hole. This is a good way to develop a sense of what a pendulum stroke feels like. I believe you have to give up control of the putter by removing tension to actually gain control of your speed. Remember, it is a weight on a stick and it will accelerate through gravity and not force when you allow it to swing.”

Thank you, Pat! For more information, ready PutterZone.com’s interview with Pat O’Brien.

About Sean Weir

Sean Weir is the founder and editor of PutterZone.com, and the author of Putter Perfection, the definitive guide to putter fitting. Profile: Google+

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