Give golfers the right putting task to accomplish – and they will improve their putting.

by cristina photographs under CC BY-ND  with WPSEOPix

 

 

While at the PGA Equipment Show I was able to take the Science and Motion Sports (SAM) PuttLab Level 1 Certification class from Christian Marquardt – developer of the PuttLab, but also an expert in golfing performance improvement.  He said something during the class that I had heard before from another performance improvement expert – Mike McFadden, a talented golf instructor in Germany.  But it continues to be one of my favorite sayings, and I am going to make business cards with just these word on them:

The Task Leads To The Solution.

Learning Is The Repeated Attempt To Solve A Task,

NOT The Repetition Of The Solution For A Specific Task

The power of these thoughts hit me on the head again recently – when I was doing some SAM PuttLab putting stroke testing and evaluation.  When putting, golfers in fact are working to perform a very specific well-defined task – hit the ball on a specific line to make it go into the hole.  We get very focused on that task, and so "find a way" to get the putter face as close to square as possible at impact with what we believe is a good stroke.  

When a golfer has a severe inside-to-outside stroke path, and he is able to get the putter face close to square at impact, he has to manipulate his putter face so that it is closed to the path at impact.  And the opposite – with an outside-to-inside stroke path, face close to square at impact, he has to manipulate the putter face so it is open to path at impact.

Now you might say "duh Tony, of course this is what has to happen."  And at one level you are correct.  But what is interesting, and shows how we are all capable of learning new things, is when we work on accomplishing a new task to improve our putting strokes.  When that golfer who has a large outside-to-inside path knows it, and works on the task of creating a slightly inside-to-outside stroke, and gets feedback that he is doing so – he Immediately creates a stroke where is face is either square or slight closed to path.  

To me this is such great news – about how golfers of all skill levels have the exquisite ability to learn to become good putters.  Find a putter that fits you, learn good stroke fundamentals, find a way to know what you are really doing in your putting stroke, and then work to accomplish tasks – with the right feedback – to accomplish and learn so that stroke becomes a habit.  We can all – and all deserve to – be great putters.

The Fit Is IT!!

Tony