Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

Let’s discuss some things that should help one’s putting.

1. Alignment: It is paramount that one’s putter face be 90 degrees to the target line. Proper alignment is such a basic need to putting well that one shouldn’t bother practicing putting at all until this is achieved.

Wal-Mart or Big 5 sell ball line markers that place a stripe on one’s ball to aid in this critical step. All PGA and LPGA players do this, so why not you? Just kneel down behind the ball and point the stripe on the line you wish the putt to roll, then place your body parallel to the stripe and you’re good to go.

2. Body set-up or posture: A line from one’s eyes should intersect the inside edge of the ball. Just let your arms hang easily from your shoulders so a line drawn from them intersects with your hands. The shaft should line up with the inside of your forearms. This is facilitated by gripping the putter more in the palm of the hand rather than the fingers.

3. Centeredness of contact: An absolute must to start the ball rolling on line and to control the pace of the putt. Try putting two tees in the ground slightly wider apart than your putter blade and place the ball slightly in front of them and allow your putter blade to go through the tees without contacting them.

Another thing to try is putting with just one hand. Few tasks in everyday life are done with two hands. Hold the putter in your dominant hand and swing the putter back and forth, allowing it to swing naturally in a slight arc, always accelerating through and past the ball while keeping the lower part of your body and your head absolutely still.



Rules Teaser:

A player, before teeing off on the first hole, realizes he has 15 clubs in his bag and removes one and lays it on the floor of the golf cart and declares the club out of play. Ruling?



Answer to last teaser:

A player concedes a hole on the basis of an invalid claim. Then the claim is discovered to be invalid. He may cancel his concession, true or false? Answer is false, once a concession is made it cannot be reversed.



John Lucas is the golf professional at Sky Ridge Golf Course and can be reached at john98382@olypen.com