Stan Utley

Has anyone read his book the art of putting??? He has some very different ideas.....feedback from anyone....I'm hoping to try to adapt his putting and chipping styles.

I have been trying the Stan Utley for about a month with mixed results. I think the method exposed a slice move that my old stroke must have masked. I need to "feel" closed and slightly hook the putt to make it track.

As you know several of the professional players take lessons from him. He has helped Sergio tons and also Jay Haas in his later years.

I believe he still holds the PGA record for the fewest putts in nine holes, with six. This is a testament to good chiiping and putting.

There is one important point to consider. He teaches the arc stroke, whereas Pelz teaches the pendulum stroke. As well as you having the natural tendency to favour one concept over the other, the choice of putter is key, otherwise you will be fighting the stroke. For the arc concept, you should have a heel shafted putter, and for the pendulum a center shafted, a possibly a center balanced, putter.

I always felt that heel shafted putters felt good to me, but did not comprehend the rationale. Then, I fell into the hype about center balanced putters and bought several. I struggled for a period, before realizing I could not feel comfortable making a pendulum stroke, and the center shafted putters did not suit my natural arc stroke.

Ted

My first try at the Utley approach was with a face balanced putter, which did not work at all. Then I got a 25 year old ping anser out of the garage and gradulally bent it flatter with more loft trying it out as I went. I finally got to 69 degrees lie (2 degrees flat)(I am 6'2") with 5 degrees loft which is starting to work.

I'm curious, do you now know for sure you are an arc putter, or are you still feeling your way through this?

I tried so hard to make my expensive highly touted face balanced putters to work for me. It was a waste of money and effort. I realized I was always an arc putter and I should have stayed with one of my original heel shafted putters. I was a reasonable putter, but saw the influx of the center shafted face balanced putters being used by a number of pros, and thought I could get better results.

Ted

I was originally an arc putter and for 10 years was using a face balaced putter trying the Pelz method. Like many golfers I putted my best as a junior with heel shafted and no thinking.

Right, just like me.

Ted