Putting Academy
Putting accounts for around 40% of a round of golf. Or 28-38 putts, depending how good you are on the greens and how good you are at hitting the greens. This is a fair portion of a round and is the reason why we place so much emphasis on it.
We use technology and coaching to help students perfect their technique. But more than that we train our students to approach putting with the right mindset. Reading the green and strategy are crucially important for students to excel in golf.
The 4 Key Putting Skills
We explain to our students that there are four key skills that underpin your ability to perform on the greens.
- Aim your putter accurately
- Start your ball where the putter is aiming
- Speed control
- Green Reading
Aim Your Putter Accurately
A player not only needs to be able to aim the putter well but perceive their aim to be correct. Otherwise, if ‘straight’ doesn’t look ‘straight’, this often leads to self-trust and commitment issues, particularly under pressure. The last thing you want is to be second guessing yourself over a five-foot putt for the win. You need to be confidence that the direction you think you are putting is the actual direction you are putting.
For example, if you are misaligned by two degrees from nine feet away, you will miss the hole. Tour level tolerance would be to less than one degree, but ideally half a degree or less.
We use a specialised laser along with our aiming process to firstly to check a player’s aiming bias. Secondly, we make adjustments to the players putter and stance to correct the bias. We also use this process to align the players perception of aim with the putter’s actual aim.
Start Your Ball Where the Putter is Aiming
This largely comes down to stroke mechanics but is influenced by the players concepts, setup and inbuilt biomechanics. We create individual blueprints for each player, which are based on the Bio-Swing Dynamics Screening and the original movement pattern.
We use the SAM Putt Lab, which plays a vital role in gathering data and feedback on any changes made. We also coach with specific training drills and aids (such as start line gates) to speed up the learning process.
Speed Control
In order to make a putt you need to pick the correct combination of line and speed.
The ball speed is affected by the way that the ball initially rolls (launches) off the putter. A lot of golfers tend to jump, negatively rotate, skid or bounce their putts down the green. All of which adversely affect the speed and consistency of the ball’s roll. The influencing factors in the balls launch are the stoke mechanics of the player and the putter fitting.
Once a player can roll the ball well enough, we can focus on speed control. Skill games and challenges, stroke tempo and timing are some of the ways we teach speed control.
Green reading
Green reading is traditionally a skill that golfers would rarely practice. However, once you have a suitable proficiency in controlling ball speed, this then effects how you read the green. Our green reading process is centred around:
- Learning how to identify break direction and amount of break
- Establishing fall lines
- Clock face theory
- Identifying slope gradients
As with all areas of the game, some students excel in different areas faster than others. At the academy, we monitor their progress in each area and adjust their programme accordingly. If we find that a player requires additional putting coaching, specialist consultants and Aimpoint workshops can also be arranged.
Contact us today
If you would like to know more about our putting coaching or if you think your child might benefit from the Junior Players Academy, then why not get in touch?