Instruction
Wrist action: The No. 1 killer of good putting
The lack of control of the lead and rear wrist actions during the putting stroke causes more problems for golfers on the putting green than anything else.
In my putting academy, I use several high-tech systems in order to analyze peoples’ putting strokes — for this article I will use Advanced Motion Measurement’s 3D Motion Analysis System and Science and Motion Sports’ SAM Puttlab, these systems will help golfers understand the motions of the wrists during the stroke.
Wrist Articulations
Grab a putter, make a few normal strokes and monitor your wrist motions. Now, make a few exaggerated strokes — open the blade, close the blade, flip your wrists back and through — and what you will see is that the wrist joints can move in many ways allowing you to make strokes of all different types. It is with this process in mind that I would like to discuss and explain the articulations of the forward and rear wrist joints and what positives and negatives they accommodate during the putting stroke.
The lead wrist controls the aim of the putter face, and when the forward wrist bounces around golfers will not be able to control the ball’s starting direction. The trailing wrist controls the loft of the putter head, and if the rear wrist is “slapping” at the ball golfers are adding loft to the blade during impact. When this happens, it causes the ball to jump into the air and the ball tends to come up short. Therefore, we must understand how to control the wrists individually as well as together, because when one moves uncontrollably the other follows suit.
Let’s examine in greater detail the articulations of the wrist joint. Hold the putter in your lead hand out as if you were going to shake someone’s hand. In this position, golfers will see that you can make the following three motions:
- Flex and Extend (from front to back and back to front).
- Cock and Uncock (from top to bottom and bottom to top).
- Pronation and Supination (rotation from palm up to palm down and vice versa).
Examine the motions of PGA Tour players today, and you’ll notice that they have very solid wrist motions back and through. It is an absolute necessity on the super-fast greens they play on from day to day. Their “solidity” helps them to move the putter back and forth with control and allows them to overcome their emotions and funnel their focus into making a solid, repeatable stroke when it matters most.
Flexion and Extension
When the forward wrist flexes or extends from front-to-back or back-to-front, it creates “wrinkles” where your arm and wrist meet on either side of the arm (relate the side of your arm to either the watch dial side or the watch clasp side). These wrinkles can help determine which motion is occurring: If the wrinkles are on watch dial side of your arm, then you are “extending” your wrist. And if the wrinkles are on the watch clasp side of your arm, you are “flexing” your wrist. This is a side-to-side motion and will be shown as: (F) flexion and (E) extension.
Cocking and Uncocking
When the wrists “cock” (also called radial deviation), the thumb side of the wrists move closer to your arms. And when the wrists “uncock” (also called ulnar deviation), the pinkie side of your hands move closer to your arm. This is an up-and-down motion, not side-to-side motion as commonly mistaken and will be shown as: (R) cocking and (U) uncocking
Pronation and Supination
The wrist “pronates” when it rotates from a palm-up condition into a palm-down condition. The wrist “supinates” when the palm moves from a downward condition into a palm-up condition. Remember that when you are carrying a soup bowl or a tray your palm must supinate in order for you to balance the item on your palm. This is a rotational motion only and will be shown by: (S) supination or (P) pronation.
Shaft Face on Angle
The putter shaft can be in one of two positions during the stroke: lagging or scooping. A lagging motion (L) occurs when the grip is in front of club head or scooping (S) position, when the grip is behind club head during the stroke.
The 3D Analysis Model: Address (15 Handicap)
The Address Position in Putting: The leading wrist positions are on the left and the trailing wrist positions are on the right of the above graph.
Leading Forearm Flex and Extension: 15.9E
Leading Forearm Rotation: 80.2P
Leading Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 38.4U
Trailing Forearm Flex and Extension: 4.2F
Trailing Forearm Rotation: 72.7S
Trailing Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 37.3U
Shaft Lean at Address (lag or scoop): 0.2S
Issues
Flexion/Extension: Look at your forward wrist and you will notice that its position helps to influence the club shaft’s vertical position in space, or your “forward press.” The lead wrist places the club shaft into the proper position at address — one that is not too backward leaning or too forward leaning.
The shaft appears to be forward leaning as you look “down,” however, 3D Analysis shows this club shaft to be basically perpendicular to the ground (actually in a 0.2 Scooping Position). Thus, when the lead wrist is placed into a position that is not quite neutral or a more “pronated” position, the lead wrist will bend, altering your perception of the club shaft. When you look down, it always seems that the shaft is leaning forward, but most of the time it is not. Use a mirror to monitor this action and you will understand “the illusion of the club shaft.”
Rotation: As stated above, the rotation of the left forearm helps to influence the motions of the forward wrist during the putting stroke; however, several factors must be understood before golfers can completely control the actions of the putter. This rotation of the lead forearm helps to open and close the putter during the stroke — some putting styles advocate this motion, while others do not. The only key for you to understand: If your lead forearm is out of control, you will never consistently do either to a high degree.
This action of the forearm is influenced by several factors that you must understand:
- The lead-hand grip style.
- The lead-hand grip position.
- The type and size of the putter grip itself.
If the lead hand is in an overly strong or overly weak position, it will place the lead forearm in an over-rotated or under-rotated position. This will influence the natural actions of the forearm during the stroke. While the grip position can be “neutral” if you place the putter too much in the fingers of your lead hand, it can also alter the natural motions of your lead forearm causing it to over rotate through the impact zone if you are not careful. Finally, the size of the grip itself can also lead to lack of lead forearm control during the stroke. Thankfully all these issues can be controlled and monitored at the address position. It is up to the golfer to correlate these motions and audit what they are trying to do during the putting stroke.
Deviation: In reality, the “deviation or uncocking” of the wrists at address usually does not get too much out of control unless the club is placed too much in the fingers of the lead hand. That usually happens because the grip is too small. If you are having issues with the lead forearm rotation and it is linked back to the grip itself and its position in the fingers, you most likely will have issues within this area as well.
Positions
There are two points to remember while you address the ball; first, it makes most golfers very comfortable and much more successful when the thumbs of both hand are placed in a position where they run down the middle of the grip itself. This action usually places the forearms in a positive position in order to move back and forth. Secondly, you must train your forward hand and mind in order to lead and control the actions of the putter head and its subsequent face angle. The actions of the lead forearm do more to control the actions of the putter head/putter face than anything else within the putting stroke.
The 3D Analysis Model: Top (15 Handicap)
The Top Position in Putting: The leading wrist positions are on the left and the trailing wrist positions are on the right of the above graph.
Leading Forearm Flex and Extension: 13.5E
Leading Forearm Rotation: 83.2P
Leading Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 38.1U
Trailing Forearm Flex and Extension: 1.7F
Trailing Forearm Rotation: 72.2S
Trailing Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 39.4U
Shaft Angle at Top (lag or scoop): 8.3L
Issues
Flexion/Extention: The only real issue that can occur during the backswing in regards to the flex and extension of the lead wrist can be when the forward wrist “flexes” on the backswing, leading and powering the putting stroke. This is easily seen when golfers take the putter back. Their watch dial starts to point down at the ground, and the putter head appears to be “hooded” on the way back as well. This flexion makes it alsmost impossible for golfers to move back through impact without some physical manipulation to start the ball on the desired target line.
Rotation: Once the putter is in motion, the rotation of the lead forearm should happen naturally (based on the putting stroke you emulate: “arc” or “square-to-square”). However, this can be altered if the player begins to force these actions to happen. Whenever a player tries to guide his putting stroke, the rotation of the lead forearm is usually altered and misguided. When this happens, not only do golfers have a faulty putter position at the top of their stroke, but they will never be able to deliver the putter head consistently into the ball. The only way golfers will be able to make putts consistently would be to have super-human hand/eye coordination, and this by itself is a very complicated process at best to control.
Deviation: Whenever the putter is “picked-up” by beginning players, the putter tends to move up and outside of their intended path and this will cause radial deviation or a cocking of the wrists on the backswing on longer putts. Whenever golfers add a hinge to their wrists on the way back, they have added another putting power source and controlling distance will be very hard. Beginning player who fight this problem will find it much easier to keep the putter head “low to the ground” on the backswing in order to alleviate this problem
Positions
Flexion/Extension/Rotation: If left alone, golfers will find that this action/reaction will almost take care of itself, thus, if they don’t try and overpower the motion they will find that lead forearm rotation will take care of itself naturally. Flexion and extension on the backswing almost never happens unless golfers are leading and powering the putter with their forward wrist off the start. This only tends to happen, as stated, in the beginning player.
Deviation: There is no real worry on the deviation side from address to the top.
The 3D Analysis Model: Impact (15 Handicap)
The Top Position in Putting: The leading wrist positions are on the left and the trailing wrist positions are on the right of the above graph.
Leading Forearm Flex and Extension: 21.5E
Leading Forearm Rotation: 83.9P
Leading Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 38.5U
Trailing Forearm Flex and Extension: 5.9F
Trailing Forearm Rotation: 67.2S
Trailing Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 40.5U
Shaft Angle at Impact (lag or scoop): 0.8S
Issues
Flexion/Extension: Whenever the putter begins at a certain position in regards to the shaft angle, it would stand to reason that if it does not return to that exact same position at impact that the effective loft of the putter would be off. As you can see from the above photo, the shaft angle at impact is 0.8 scoop, while it began at 0.2 scoop at address. This means that the putter shaft is slightly “backing up at impact,” and when this happens the lead wrist is breaking down and flipping, adding loft to the putter at impact. This causes a golfer to lose control of their impact alignments.
Whenever the lead wrist breaks down, the effective loft of the putter will be increased!
For example: If you were using a TaylorMade Daytona, which has a factory set loft of 3.5 degrees, and you added the above 3 degrees of loft (as shown on the right side of the graph in red), then your dynamic loft at impact would be 6.5 degrees (3.5 + 3 = 6.5). With that much loft at impact, the ball will be launched into the air adding even more inconsistency as it bounces, skids and then finally rolls.
Rotation: Monitor your directional control and how the putter blade is influenced and you will find that the forward wrist and forearm basically control this activity. Whenever the lead forearm under-rotates, the ball will be shoved right (for a right-handed golfer) and when the lead forearm over-rotates the ball will leave the blade to the left. Eighty-three percent of the ball’s directional control is affected by the face angle of the blade at impact. Only 17 percent of the ball’s direction is influenced by your stroke’s path!
As you examine the lead forearm in the address position and impact, it should be very close to the same number depending on what type of stroke you use as well as your ball’s position. In this example, you will see that at address the lead forearm was 80.2 degrees pronated and at impact it was 83.9 degrees pronated. That shows that the lead forearm has become too active during impact, thus the blade is pointing too far left and “pulling” the putt to the left.
Now that we understand that the lead forearm was too overactive, I’m going to explain what happens to the putter head’s rotation as well.
The above graph shows the rotation of the club head at the top of the backswing (open 7.9 degrees) and into the full-finish position (closed 18.1 degrees). This gives us a total putter head rotation of 26 degrees (18.1 + 7.9 = 26) on the average. As you can see, a very SMALL over-rotation of the lead forearm really causes the blade to shut!
Deviation: When golfers hit putts with a putter that is too long and too upright, or a longer putt, the tendency is to “stand up” in order to make the putter fit more effectively. When golfers stand up, there is some ulnar deviation or an un-cocking action of the wrists during impact. This activity is directly linked to a putter that does not fit, and 90 percent of putters today are too long and too upright.
The extra length and overly upright putter lie of most putters today causes the toe of the putter to sit too high. This action will cause the body to “stand up” during the putting stroke and create too much ulnar flexion.
Positions
There are three things that you must note at impact in order to control your lead wrist and its control of the golf ball during impact.
- Flex and Extension: The flex and extension of the lead wrist during impact controls your putter’s dynamic loft and the putter’s angle of attack. If either of these actions is out of control, then you will never have a consistent “roll” off the face of the putter and this will make consistency non-existent.
- Rotation: The lead forearm and wrist control the amount of putter head rotation on the way back and through. Depending on your stroke type (“arc” or “square-to-square”), you will want to monitor and or eliminate these actions.
- Deviation: If a putter does not fit a golfer, he or she will almost always “stand up,” altering address-to-impact wrist cock. If golfers change this angle, they will create an off-plane impact position with a high rear forearm!
When you “stand up” during impact you will create too much ulnar flexion and a high rear forearm results!
The 3D Analysis Model: Finish (15 Handicap)
Whenever the lead wrist breaks down the effective loft of the putter will be increased!
Leading Forearm Flex and Extension: 33.1E
Leading Forearm Rotation: 76.0P
Leading Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 34.6U
Trailing Forearm Flex and Extension: 13.2F
Trailing Forearm Rotation: 63.3S
Trailing Forearm Deviation (cocking and uncocking): 37.6U
Shaft Angle at Impact (lag or scoop): 32.6S
Issues
Flexion/Extension: Examine the photo above and numerical values, and you will see that through impact the body stalled and the “hand slap” took over. This is the reason why we see the big breakdown of the lead wrist after impact. This is not of too much concern unless the impact alignments and shaft angle really begin to scoop.
Rotation: Reduced forearm rotation into the finish (for this player only) causes “curly-q’s,” which are the subconscious mind’s way of trying to fix a faulty putting stroke and guide the ball into the hole.
The inconsistent ending position and direction of the putter shows the lead wrist and forearm trying to “make-up” for poor positions during the entire stroke. This is a guiding action by the lead forearm and wrist, but it is too late.
Deviation: If your head position rises through impact, check to see if your putter is fit correctly. If not, ulnar deviation will occur.
Positions
In order to reduce the amount “hand slap” or lead wrist breakdown within the stroke, golfers must educate their hands and body to allow the shoulders and arms to lead and power their putting stroke all the way to the finish position. Whenever the lead wrist breaks down, the shoulders have stalled and the slap occurs.
Not only does this slap cause poor directional control, but it also causes poor loft control at impact. When the rear wrist follows the lead wrist in its slapping motion, then the effective loft of the putter is altered as well. Too much wrist action adds loft to the putter and this will cause golfers to launch the ball into the air and leave the ball short too often.
Finally, monitor the putter head’s alignment into the finish. If the putter head is overly open or closed based on the stroke type golfers are using, then they will find that their lead forearm is out of control as well. Control the lead forearm’s rotation and the blade will follow suit.
What 3D Motion Analysis Has Told Us
- Very small changes of the rear wrist’s flexion and extension during the stroke causes almost a 2:1 change in the position of the lead wrist’s flexion and extension with the tested pupils.
- The rear wrist can be controlled rotationally during the backswing by allowing the elbows to separate (width wise) as the club moves to its top position.
- Address versus impact pronation of the lead wrist influences the putter’s face angle at impact (rotationally).
- When the rear wrist supinates from the top of the backswing into impact, it is doing so in order not to allow the putter head to close too rapidly based on the motion described above.
- Lead wrist ulnar flexion (uncocking) occurs as golfers “stand up” during impact on longer putts.
- Increasing ulnar flexion (uncocking) of the rear wrist from the top into impact places a golfer’s rear forearm in a position that is off plane and too high, which tends to close the blade through impact.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Andrew Cooper
Dec 20, 2013 at 10:14 am
So many great putters have had fairly wristy, or certainly a soft hands, type of putting action, that to say wrist action is the no.1 killer in putting is a bit misleading. Bad wrist action maybe, but not wrist action per se. Conversely I’ve seen very few very good putters who’ve a real stiff wrist action. Scientific models would suggest less movement would help consistency and precision-but the best putters certainly look very comfortable and relaxed, with a soft look-allowing the putter to swing a little. Even among tour players, the relatively poor putters often look stiff, locked-as if they’re over trying to control the movement-trying really hard not to use their wrists.
I really think this emphasis on not using the wrists screws up a lot of golfers. Standing over a putts with the thought of “don’t use the wrists” isn’t going to help-in fact it’s probably the first step towards developing the yips.
All the science is clever-but ultimately it’s a stick and a ball and a very simple task. Over thinking it is dangerous.
tom stickney
Jan 15, 2014 at 4:01 pm
It’s all about stability not immobilization for sure
Tom
Dec 19, 2013 at 1:58 am
Personally, for me, this is waaaaayyyy too technical and scientific. I read Brandt Sneeeedeker’s putting instruction in GOLF magazine? or Golf Digest? a few months ago and haven’t looked back. He advocates a wristy stroke with the head of the putter striking firmly through the stroke and traveling further through than the butt of the putter. VERY wristy and has freed me up on the greens. I currently use Brandt’s style of short, sweet, and wristy feel stroke, coupled with my preference putting while looking at the HOLE. Have never putted better. Think less, let if flow, play better. My experience, at least.
Dave
Dec 19, 2013 at 8:19 am
It is a bit strange to look at the target, only because MOST don’t. When I do look, more times than not, It had a closer look than not. An open stance works best for me if I do look. At the very least usually a tap in Our brains tell us what to do. Same goes for basketball, football , billiards, archery, and pretty much all others where aim is crucial. Imagine Driving your car without looking at the road, or just text for a few seconds. That goes without saying not good. In the moment, you see it, trust it, feel it, swing to it. Firm grip for me is best. To each his own, we own it. I’m big on adjustability. My own breed of putters allows undeniable tweaks to find perfection fit. Undeniable, the face must be aimed at the target regardless of techniques used to get the job done. The ark we all have varies. Where the ball is positioned and where the ark is back at intended aim dictates direction, and was our interpretations reads spot on. 18 one putts is my goal, unachievable in reality however 22 is my personal and average 27. Not alway the case till I tried every possibility.
Tom
Dec 19, 2013 at 10:20 am
Looking at the hole while putting solved my 2 biggest problems: 1)tightening up and freezing over putts 2)being mentally affected when my takeaway mirrored a Jim Furyk fairway swing! I am totally free of those 2 issues looking at the hole. A couple other benefits have been – greatly improved distance control and a noticeable reduction in 3 putts. My putts are short of the hole MUCH less now. Had tried this looking at the hole method a few different times over the past 3 years or so but I’m sticking with it now, together with the wristy-pop Snedeker preached stroke(the shorter wrist hinged takeaway reduces my chances of the club drifting off line). You’re right…to each his/her own and this has freed me up mentally on the greens, which has been the most important gain for me. Putting is fun again, period.
Mike H
Dec 26, 2013 at 9:47 am
I’ve got a similar story as you Tom. After reading the Brandt Snedeker article I changed my putting stroke to more of a “pop” stroke with a lot more wrist action. Every facet of my putting has improved…better lag putting, better from 6 feet and in, less 3-putting. Wrist action isn’t the number one killer of putting. The number one killer in putting is the same as the number one killer in the full swing, inconsistent stroke/swing.
joro
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:52 am
I disagree. Look at the number of wristy “pop” putters on tour. This long flowing stroke stuff does not give you the control a wristy “pop” style does. Just look and see what best really do. Short backswing and a strong short stroke gives you direction and distance control.
They have been feeding this long flowing stuff to us for years until we have bought it. Try the wrist stroke and make your own decision.
Joe
Dec 17, 2013 at 7:19 pm
It would be nice if you offered some solutions. Whats the point of doing analysis if you can’t offer any recommendations.
Tom Stickney
Dec 18, 2013 at 2:38 am
Once again this article is a research piece not a golf magazine article offering simple quick fixes….
Joe
Dec 18, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Well aside from your snide reply, this article is found under teh path for INSTRUCTION(Home > Instruction > Wrist action: The No. 1 killer of good putting).
So if it is simply a research article, then put in its proper location! Don’t put it under “Instruction”.
JM
Dec 18, 2013 at 6:41 pm
Well.. you did bill wrist action as the #1 killer of good putting but really it was a research piece. The title suggests you conclude that wrist action destroys good putting which makes people assume you believe it is a direct cause of bad putting.
The article only describes bad and good wrist movement and does to prove whether wrist action is a root cause of bad putting or simply something that occurs in people who are bad putters as the result of compensating for other mistakes in their stroke. There is correlation, but is there causality?
I
Dave
Dec 18, 2013 at 10:51 am
Putting is physics and physical player manipulations. Angles dictate every aspect of the stroke as well documented here. No one makes every putt and never will. Yet we keep trying. Im still in! All problems addressed here could be partially putters that may not fit the player precisely. A putter with set parameters is what it is, get use to it. Sure you can change how you play it, however you will be altering something else that was perhaps a strength in aim or whatever. I can set the loft, shaft offsets, length, even a grip offset feature. One tweak doesn’t alter another. Total adjustability can and will find better performance on a personal level. Arrowhead Putters seeks to let the golfer have choices to compensate for physics, angles, and players preferences, to help take the flaws out of the equation. The information article here is spot on. Just implement it, paired properly, and hopefully the player can be spot on.
Alex
Dec 17, 2013 at 3:04 pm
I can´t quite understand these articles that deal with putting as if it was a matter of science.
I know this guy who takes the putter away very short with firm wrists and he just hits the ball with his right hand unhinging. The move looks strange but beautiful, his right hand always perfect towards the hole. He must be the best putter at my club.
Eagle006
Dec 17, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Very interesting article. Not sure I understand all the negative comments. Yes, it’s a technical piece, but some people respond well to and learn from information presented in that way. Ultimately the author is trying to help. If you don’t like it, go and read something else. And if you don’t have anything good to say……
Tom Stickney
Dec 17, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Thx Eagle…it’s a research piece not a magazine article.
mullidan
Dec 17, 2013 at 11:03 am
Would just like to point out the image sizes make it almost impossible to use which makes the information in this article much more difficult to digest. At least for those of us who like to see something visual with our content. However, even though the content was very technical in nature I think it helps point out just how important it is to have consistent wrist positions/angles from address to impact to improve putter consistency. Overall, enjoyed the article but make the images larger please.
j
Dec 16, 2013 at 10:05 pm
lot of technical info in this article, not the easiest to digest.
so we have nailed down that wrist action should be limited/passive if possible
do you think wrist action is the source/cause of the problem or is the wrist action simply a reaction/result of trying to compensate for other problems in the players stroke?
do we work on eliminating wrist action or do we look to the source of why the wrists are behaving the way they are?
Scooter McGavin
Dec 16, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Not going to lie… I couldn’t get halfway through this. Zzzz…
Eric
Dec 16, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Brad Faxon, one of the best putters in the history of the game, disagrees with this article. He clearly states that there is wrist action in a good putting stroke.
Abu Dhabi Golfer
Dec 17, 2013 at 10:38 am
Exactly – Faxon is clear about this. And when looking at him putt, it is as though his lack of fear allows his wrists to get involved.
This contrasts against players who have fear and are trying to control their wrists just the right amount or who try putting with their shoulders while locking their wrists. Recipe for the yips.
And, look at kids who tend to be fearless and effective putters. Their putts are often like mini swings with a lot of wrist involvement.
Keith
Dec 17, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Dave Stockton is a proponent of some involvement of the wrists as well. It’s obviously more about making a consistent and confident stroke whether it involves any hinge or not.
Eric
Dec 16, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Scientific study, over-analysis with computers, facts, figures, exhibits, spreadsheets and diagrams…?
…..the number one killer of the pleasure of golf.
Tom Stickney
Dec 16, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Eric and Scooter–
This article was done from a research standpoint thus the length and depth; sorry you didn’t enjoy the article. If you want simplicity I would suggest my youtube channel.
Bret
Dec 16, 2013 at 8:00 pm
I agree 100% with all the findings of the study. I have always had a problem with my wrists breaking down in the putting stroke, although I did not understand until reading this article all the science involved. My solution which is working great for me is the Arm Lock putter and associated method which takes the wrists out of the stroke. I wonder why more people are not going to this.
paul
Dec 16, 2013 at 7:48 pm
The number one killer of good golf is my wife not wanting me to play to much. (once every three weeks) how am i supposed to get better?
DB
Dec 17, 2013 at 9:51 am
I concur with Paul’s expert analysis. We need to study why playing every 2-3 weeks is perceived as “All the time.”
Keith
Dec 17, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Well, it’s quite obvious how you get better….although it will be expensive and involve the division of assets!
paul
Dec 17, 2013 at 11:44 pm
Lol. I cant get away now. i am comitted.
playing once every 3 weeks being perceived as all the time comes from a wife who is over loaded with work. so if its 9pm and i am not busy or i am relaxing then i am a bad husband. playing golf is considered wasting time. if i have time, its wasting money. (1200 a year, play and equipment) she has no fun so i shouldnt either.