COLLEGE STATION - It's been an axiom of golf for decades: You drive for show, but putt for dough.
But is it true? A Texas A&M University statistics professor says yes, and he can prove it.
Those golfers who can hit a ball 350 yards off the tee to wow a crowd often are not among the leaders at the end of the round because they falter when it comes to the soft touch of putting, says Dr. Scott Berry, who has published his findings in Chance, a statistics magazine. Berry studied the play of 195 Professional Golf Association (PGA) golfers and examined putting, driving distance off the tee, driving accuracy, chipping, iron shots and sand play. Specifically, he wanted to see which skills differentiated them. Berry compiled a variety of charts, graphs and analytical tables. His conclusion: At the end of the day, those with the lowest score on the PGA tour are those who are good putters. "For professional players, the lesson seems to be this: If you can only be good at one part of your game, the most important part is putting," Berry says. The second most important aspect, according to his figures, is driving distance, while driving accuracy is third, iron shots are fourth, chipping is fifth and sand play is a distant sixth. Berry says there is a trade-off between distance and accuracy: it is more important to be pretty good at both than to be excellent at one. John Daly, for years the longest driver off the tee on the PGA tour with an average drive of 306 yards, has only a 55 percent accuracy rate of hitting the ball down the fairway. On the other hand, Fred Funk averages only 270 yards per drive but leads the PGA with an 81 percent accuracy rate (of hitting the fairway), Berry says. Tiger Woods, the No.1-ranked player in the world and the best all-around driver, has an average drive of 293 yards and a 71 percent accuracy rate, Berry said. The game of golf is comprised of par 3, par 4 and par 5 holes, with par being the number of shots it should take to get the ball into the hole. Each hole allows two putts for a par on that hole, Berry explains. On a par 4 hole, for example, it should take two shots to reach the green and two putts to achieve the par 4 score. Those two putts, Berry says, are what separate the average tour players from the great tour players. In his article, Berry notes that the old saying of "drive for show but putt for dough" would probably be more accurate if phrased, "You drive for dough, but putt for more dough." "The figures show that driving is not just for show, but it is less important than good putting. On the PGA tour, putting is the key part of a player's game." |
The Putting Pilot Pro!
The Putting Trainers were designed by Jim Brundage, an Engineer and an Aviation Pilot. The design blends the analysis of scientific motion with mechanical design. Our products strive to perfect all 5 of the basic putting elements. The information in this academy section is to help average golfers understand the concept of the basic elements to a repeatable putting stroke. Unlike every other putting training products on the market, our products offer 25 different on perfect plane settings.
Path and Face Angle!
From a “mechanical” point of view, putter path and putter face angle are equal in importance …
from a putting stroke point of view, they are not even close …
Most of a putter path error is generally forgiven; a small portion of a putter path error will affect the line of the ball.
A square putter face is the critical factor; almost all of the putter face error at impact is transmitted to the ball!
It is mechanically more difficult to make a path error than it is to make a face error!
Practice Indoors !
Develop the mechanical consistency of your stroke on a consistent putting surface … indoors on a smooth piece of carpet or putting mat. You must be able to differentiate between an error caused by poor stroke mechanics and a miss caused by an irregular putting surface … was it me or was it the green? Once you are mechanically sound as defined by your ability to repeatedly hit a straight 10’ putt, learning to apply correct strategies for different kinds of putts can be moved outdoors to a quality putting green.
Aiming Putts!
Putts that don’t break are aimed at the center of the hole. Putts that may or may not break are aimed so the outside edge of the ball is inside the edge of the hole .Putts that will definitely break are aimed so the inside edge of the ball is aimed at the outside edge of the hole … if a putt breaks more than one ball, then it is not a short putt.
 |
This Academy section is meant to provide some basic information relating to the golf putting stroke.
 |
 |
 |
Basic Laws of Putting!
Some players believe that effective putting is wide open to individual techniques and unsound fundamentals. WRONG; Putting is subject to the same laws of physics and fundamentals as a 300 yard drive… the size of a mistake is just a lot less apparent! There is a fundamentally RIGHT WAY to putt! When you ignore fundamental principles, you will pay a price sooner or later!
Check your Attitude!
The hole is bigger than it looks …you don’t need a perfect stroke to get the ball in the hole. See a path, not a line … visualize a 4” wide path leading to the hole … Putt using instinct … feel the perfect putt you have learned how to make. Believe the ball will go in the hole!
Groove Your Stroke!
Develop the mechanical consistency of your stroke on a consistent putting surface using the putting pilot… indoors on a smooth piece of carpet or putting mat. You must be able to differentiate between an error caused by poor stroke mechanics and a miss caused by an irregular putting surface … was it me or was it the green? Once you are mechanically sound as defined by your ability to repeatedly hit a straight 10’ putt, learning to apply correct strategies for different kinds of putts can be moved outdoors to a quality putting green. Putting Tip - Long -Lag Putts! Don’t even look at the hole … visualize a 3 foot circle around the hole. Short, long, left or right is OK as long as the ball finishes somewhere in the circle. Any putt that finishes in the circle is a great putt … any putt that goes into the hole is a great putt.
Perfect Putts Don't Always Fall!
Sometimes perfect putts don’t fall and sometimes bad putts do fall … a player with a positive mental attitude will make more than his fair share of both … the reason this works is because: Confidence relaxes your muscles, Relaxed muscles work more efficiently than tense muscles, Relaxed muscles allow you to have more “feel” than tense muscles.
Slow and Go!
A pendulum stroke is nearly impossible to master AND it is destructive to the mechanical goals you are seeking to accomplish. The length and the time of the back stroke are very different than the fore stroke. The back stroke is 1/3 as long and takes 3 times longer than the fore stroke. A fore stroke that is longer than the back stroke is proof that the putter head accelerated into and through the ball. Using the correct … SLOW AND GO … rhythm for the stroke is essential to causing the putter face to be square to the target path and to control the distance of the putt.
Back of the Cup!
Hit the putt hard enough to finish in the back of the cup (about 17” past the hole) “Slow and Go” …The backstroke is three times slower and is about 1/3 shorter than the forward stroke. At the limit of the backstroke, there is NO hurry to initiate the forward stroke this is the critical part of the stroke. The forward stroke is a free flowing, accelerating strike of the back of the ball.