“Dead hand” strokes for putting and chipping

Dave Pelz recommends using “dead hand” strokes for both putting and chipping. Figures 1 and 2 show his recommended pure-in-line stroke (pils) for normal size and long putters, and Figure 3 shows his recommended stroke for chipping. Figures 1 and 3 also display what he calls putting and chipping triangle. He emphasizes the importance that “… your putting triangle remains intact so the elbow and wrist angles don’t change during the stroke…” There’s one way of strengthening this triangle and it can be easily demonstrated. Try this experiment: Without the club,
1) Bend forward from the waist and let the arms hang relaxed in front of you.
2) Point your left thumb down so that it is inline with your left arm.
3) Reach across with your right arm and grasp the thumb with your right hand.
4) Pull down on the thumb so that you feel muscles tightening in both arms.
You’ve just strengthened the putting triangle.
Now in actuality, when using the putter, in step 3 you would be grasping the putter grip instead. In step 4, you would be pulling down on the club, but the results are the same, whereby the putting triangle is strengthened.

Attached Images

Dead hand strokes.jpg (13.4 KB, 38 views)

Interesting idea. Anything that can help keep the face square to the target line is good! Oddly enough, I get told that I look very stiff when putting. I stand tall (just a shade shy of lock-kneed), bend at the waist to get my arms clear, stretch my arms waaaay down, and rock my shoulders with soft elbows. I'm a SBST putter, and feel that I do a very good job of putting the ball on the line that I wish to start it on. (This whole square face thing). Now I just need to learn how to read a green!

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A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

I was taught years ago, that the closer you get to the hole, the less moving parts you have...ie.. full swing everything moves, pitch shot, weight and lower body don't move much, chip shot just the arms and shoulders, no weight shift, no wrist. Putting just the arms with a very little shoulder, absolutely nothing else moves.

Dave's advice is good. What he
is calling "dead hands" is a grip
not too tight, not too loose, with
no wrist action.
One of the basics of allowing the
putter to have a mind of its own,
so to speak, is the notion that a
well designed putter will tend to
stay on the pendulum track, square,
if it is allowed to swing with minimum
interference from pesky, error prone,
humans. So, a lot of pros putt with
what we might think is a loose grip.
But, beware: too loose is one of the
deadly sins of golf.

I've always enjoyed reading Dave
Pelz. He has a wonderful gift for
self promotion. While most experts
wait around until their book is
recognized as "the bible," Dave
went right to it and titled his
book The Bible. He has a television
commercial going now that opens with
legendary short game instructor
Dave Pelz.
I'm not saying these things to pick
on showmanship, but rather to make a
point, which is, you have to develop
your own game. You have to be
comfortable with the method you arrive
at. That thought has been echoed through
the ages of golf by the best players of all,
guys that could actually play, and it's on
display on TV every weekend.

Having become a sort of high priest of chipping,
Dave Pelz, with his brilliant analysis, lures
students into a sense of total trust
and immersion, not unlike a witch doctor.
I have no doubt he has helped a many,
but be careful not to get drawn into the
hype.

Yes, the one piece arm and shoulder
method is great. It produces a pendulum
stroke. But a pendulum stroke can also be
produced by swinging the arms from
immovable shoulders.
Two of the great PGA putters of the
1930's provide evidence. Paul Runyan
used the one piece style Dave Pelz
advocates in his article. Playing
right along with Runyan at the time,
was wedge and putter wizard Johnny
Revolta, who putted by swinging his arms
from shoulders that were part of his
stationary base.
Different styles come into fashion at
different times, you might say. Well,
yes, they do, but the enduring principle
is that you must find the method that
works for you.