Six Fundamentals that All Good Putters Do

Six Fundamentals that All Good Putters Do

By: Patrick Stephenson

Mastering the art of putting requires focus on the small details. While swings can vary from player to player, great putters tend to share six key fundamentals. By refining these, you can develop a more consistent stroke and dramatically improve your performance on the greens.

1. Head and Eyes Still

One of the most common issues among amateur golfers is the tendency to move the head or peek up early. Great putters avoid this temptation. Keeping your head and eyes still is crucial for maintaining alignment and striking the ball consistently in the center of the face. Any unnecessary movement can lead to mis-hits, reducing the likelihood of hitting your putts on line with the intended speed.

By keeping your head steady and your eyes locked on the ball, you’ll train yourself to stay in the moment and avoid disrupting your stroke. One thing that can drastically help is to consciously stare at a spot on the ground after impact to make sure you don’t move until the ball is gone.

2. Constant Weight Distribution and Eliminating Unnecessary Movement

Consistency in putting is heavily dependent on your balance and minimizing excess movement. Good putters maintain constant weight distribution throughout the stroke, typically with their weight centered over the middle of their feet. Once you’re set up properly, focus on staying still from your core down to your feet. Your hips, knees, and feet should not move during the stroke, helping to eliminate any variability that could impact the ball’s path.

The more still your lower body is, the more control you’ll have over the putter head. Similarly to keeping your head still, focusing on balance and reducing excessive movement is key to striking the ball out of the center of the putter with the intended speed and direction.

3. 90/10 Use of Shoulders vs Wrists

A common debate in putting is the role of the wrists. While some wrist movement can contribute to feel and touch, the shoulders should be doing the majority of the work—about 90%. Your wrists, though not completely locked, should simply flow along with the shoulders during the stroke.

You create a more reliable and repeatable stroke by relying on your larger muscle groups. Overusing the wrists often leads to inconsistent distance control and direction, so focusing on shoulder-driven mechanics while also letting your wrists naturally move will help you develop a more dependable putting stroke.

4. Maintain a Consistent Elbow Angle

One of the often overlooked aspects of putting is the angle of your elbows. Good putters maintain the same elbow bend throughout the stroke, resisting the urge to straighten or bend their arms during the motion. Altering your elbow angle causes the putter to move vertically, leading to inconsistency in both strike and direction.

Maintaining the same elbow angle from start to finish helps prevent compensatory wrist movements. This leads to a more predictable strike and a smoother, more controlled roll of the ball.

5. Proper Setup: Creating a Repeatable Routine

The importance of setup cannot be overstated. Good putters nail their setup time and again, ensuring a consistent starting position that gives them a chance to hit a solid putt. Here’s a simple routine to help you establish your setup:

• Stand straight up with the putter pointed away from you, arms fully extended, and the grip aimed at your chest.
• Tuck your elbows against your ribcage, creating a slight bend.
• Bend your knees slightly and hinge at your hips until the putter head rests flush on the ground.

This setup encourages proper alignment and balance, reducing variables in your stroke. It also helps you naturally align your eyes over the ball, which is crucial for lining up your putts correctly.

6. Consistent Tempo: The 3:1 Rule

Great putters have a smooth and repeatable tempo, often following what is known as the 3:1 rule. This means the backstroke should take three times as long as the forward stroke. Research from Blast Golf and Brad Faxon shows that nearly all professional golfers follow this tempo, which promotes a rhythmic stroke and prevents the “yip” that comes from rushing the forward motion.

Additionally, it’s important to ensure that your backstroke and throughstroke are equal lengths during practice strokes without the ball. When striking a ball, the through stroke should naturally shorten due to the impact slowing the putter down, just like a pendulum would.

The idea that your follow-through should be longer than your backswing is a myth. Physics teaches us that a pendulum swing, when interrupted by an object, will have a shorter through-swing. Good putters allow the ball’s impact to slow down the putter head, promoting natural control over the distance the ball travels by changing the length of stroke, not hand acceleration.

Key Takeaways

Mastering the art of putting comes down to a focus on six key fundamentals shared by all great putters:

1. Keep Your Head and Eyes Still: By locking your head and eyes on the ball and resisting the urge to peek, you ensure solid contact and maintain alignment, boosting both accuracy and consistency.
2. Maintain Consistent Weight Distribution: Proper balance is essential. Keeping your weight centered over your feet while eliminating unnecessary body movement promotes control over your putter stroke and prevents mis-hits.
3. Use Shoulders, Not Wrists (90/10): A reliable stroke relies on shoulder-driven movement with minimal wrist action. Letting your shoulders do 90% of the work leads to better distance control and smoother strokes.
4. Keep a Consistent Elbow Angle: Maintaining the same elbow bend throughout your stroke helps prevent wrist compensation and promotes a more predictable, consistent roll of the ball.
5. Perfect Your Setup: Establish a repeatable routine by tucking your elbows, bending your knees slightly, and hinging at the hips. This setup ensures proper alignment and balance, reducing variables in your stroke.
6. Stick to a 3:1 Tempo: A smooth, rhythmic stroke with a backstroke three times longer than the forward stroke is key to success. Trust the pendulum effect, allowing the impact to naturally shorten your follow-through for controlled distance.

By honing these fundamentals, you can develop a reliable, repeatable stroke that will improve your putting performance dramatically.