Rolling For “Dollars”
Putting Speed Control Is Critical!
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania there was a show I used to watch as a kid called "Bowling For Dollars." Well, as golfers speed control in our putting is a huge component of taking dollars from our golfing buddies. And many of us do not realize how much speed control we actually need to putt well.
When I completed my Edel Putter Fitting training about a month ago, one of the things that was emphasized was how speed control affects our ability to make putts. Based on AimPoint Technologies analyses, for a green with a stimp speed of 8, the optimum distance you should consider rolling the golf ball past the hole is about 8 inches. As your putts to farther and farther past the hole, the effective hole diameter shrinks more and more. When golf announcers say "he really needs to give this putt a chance," they should be saying that he should roll the ball just slightly past the hole to give it the best chance to go in.
But what is 8 inches in terms of speed control? Well, the diameter of a golf ball is about 1.68 inches, and when that golf ball travels one revolution it goes about 5.25 inches. ONE REVOLUTION! Just a little under the length of a dollar bill. That means that if you are working to hit the golf ball past the hole by 8 inches on all putts, you are talking about making that little sphere travel about 1-1/2 revolutions past the hole (well, you probably want it going INTO the hole but you understand!).
Having a putter that has the right weight and weight distribution for your stroke becomes critical to helping you get "1-1/2 Revolution Speed Control." If your putter is too light, most likely you will "adjust" and "try" to hit your putts easier to control speed, and the opposite holds for a putter too heavy. And having the right weight distribution – counterweight in the butt of the club or down the shaft – can smooth out your stroke and help you get the kind of feel that can let you control speed Instinctively.
Your goal – Achieve "1-1/2 Revolution Speed Control" – and win those Dollars from your golfing friends!
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony
