Ohio Golf Journal August 2019

O ne of the basic truths about golf is even when a putt is hit online with the correct speed it sometimes doesn’t go in. Don’t ask why just accept it and move on. This doesn’t mean however we can’t improve our chances by training ourselves to produce a stroke that will raise the odds. Simply Improve Your PUTTINGWith: The Putting Arc By Ed Travis Dave Hamilton of The Putting Arc renewed our acquaintance recently and sent me the current version of their very simple aid to teach ourselves a square-to-inside-to-square-to-inside stroke. In other words, an arc that returns the putter face to the proper line so all you must do is create the correct speed. The principle behind the Putting Arc is the stroke, is not, as many believe, straight-back and straight- through but an ellipse due to the tilt of the spine at address and rotation of the putter around the spine. When a normal putting setup is used with an alignment rod pointing on the target line the putter must be manipulated to keep it going on the correct line. That’s certainly possible to do but it is much easier to simply turn the shoulders and let the putter move naturally. That’s the beauty of the Putting Arc. It promotes a natural motion which means with a little practice it is relatively easy to ingrain. Notice we aren’t going on at length about a particular putting stance, grip, or other unnatural position that may be uncomfortable. Place your eyes directly over the ball, with shoulders parallel to the line and the Putting Arc will produce the proper stroke. An important point is to remember that the putter face is not travelling perpendicular to the target line, but perpendicular to the arc. Ohio Golf Journal Golf Instruction