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Mox · #15 (**permalink**) 08-13-2003, 01:29 PM

I'm not a pro - or even a specialist when it comes to putting, but here's my take on things.

The natural movement of the shoulders, the body, the arms and the wrist (most of which should not be used when putting) are all "hinged" movements, i.e. "turning on an axle".

This is why the "inside-square-inside" motion is the "natural" motion, and almost impossible to get rid off.

Ideally, I think "straight back - straight through" will definately produce the best and most consistent results, but doing it right seems incredibly difficult, and the slightest variation or mistake will make you miss your line.

So ... what I did was this:

I ditched my $19 rock hard face, lousy grip, no balance, discounted "brand X" putter, and went on a big search.

On a "par" golf round, half your strokes are putter strokes, so saving a buck or two on the putter is not the way to go.

Some - or even a lot - of the "modern" putters incorporate technology that will make it a lot easier to pull back and shoot through on a straight line. Some also incorporate new thoughts on lining up right.

I can honestly say, that spending a couple of hours on the putting green with a barrel of demo putters was a shocking experience. Some of these putters just "feel right" in your hands, has a balance that is symmetrical around the sweet spot of the contact surface, make line-up really visual and obvious and - very importantly - fills you with the confidence that the ball will actually go where you intend it to go.

I'm still not a great putter - I'm just a newbie trying to learn this crazy game - but I AM a LOT better now than I was before, simply because my new putter (I ended up with an Odyssey 2-ball) makes it a lot easier to be consistent - whether it's "straight back - straight through" or "inside - square - inside".