Develop a Putting Stroke Rhythm

A common trait about good putters is they have a consistent beat or rhythm to their stroke.  Now some of you who do not possess that presently, need to find that.  In putting and most shots in general, this would be our model.   I am not going to tell you what it is except it starts with a “P” and ends with an “endulum”.

Take your putter and hold it between your thumb and forefinger on the end of the grip at the end of the club shaft.  Allow the putter to gently swing back and forth along the putter path.  Once it starts in motion, the club will swing back on its own under the weight of gravity.

Now, if any of you out there think you’re more consistent force than gravity, I have a little information for you.  You are not.  I hate to break the news to you but gravity is the most consistent force in the universe.

So this is where we start our foray to find our pace and rhythm – with a pendulum swing back and forth using the natural weight of the putter against gravity.  If we start at the rate of gravity, we can add or subtract speed and strength based on preference and style.

Here’s a drill to help you judge your putting rhythm and pace.  Take a small weighty object and attach it to a ribbon.   You can use anything.  You can use an old padlock that you do not know the combination to anymore, a bolt…anything that is heavy enough.  Attach the ribbon to your bottom forefinger —the forefinger is closest to the ground.

The ribbon with weight on it should line up along the shaft of the putter as you hold it.  Get this object moving back and forth with the putter stroke.  Your goal is to have the ribbon stay in synch and parallel with the putter shaft as you stroke the putter back and forth.

Look in a mirror while doing this drill.  What you are trying to do if looking into a mirror would be to try to hide the ribbon behind the shaft of the club.  If you are out of rhythm, then you will lose the relationship with that swinging object.

The goal is to have the weighted object on the ribbon swing together with the putter shaft.  The more time spent letting this object swing back and forth and mimicking the motion, the better the rhythm of your putting stroke and golf swing.