Instruction
Push or Pull: What’s your power source when putting?
A big mistake that many amateurs, and even some professionals make when putting is to use their hands to deliver the putter to the ball. These types of players have made it a habit to use hand action to power the putter, which causes very mixed results on today’s faster green surfaces.
Your lead hand controls the face angle at impact; thus, if your lead hand is breaking down or bending, you will never be able to control the direction of the ball as it leaves the blade. To illustrate this point, take your putter and stroke putts with your lead hand only using a slapping, wrist-bending type of motion and you will notice that the initial starting direction of your putts will be scattered. Consequently, if you do the same thing with a firm left hand, your putts will begin more consistently in the direction you’re aiming.
Your rear hand controls the dynamic loft of the blade at impact. Therefore, if your rear hand moves from a bent condition at address into a flat or even arched condition post impact, then you will find that you will increase the loft of the putter. Whenever this happens, it affects the way the ball leaves the blade and tends to create excessive backspin, which actually launches the ball into the air. Obviously, if you add loft to your putter, you will have issues with your speed control. Try hitting putts with your rear hand only, and do not let the angle between your hand and your forearm change. This will keep the loft from changing relative to the setup position. If that angle does change, however, you’ll see how the loft changes, thus adding inconsistencies to your speed.
Our main line of defense to strengthen our consistency on the greens is to improve the quality of our impact alignments and to learn how to power the stroke in the best way for each individual. The best way to check to see if you have quality impact alignments and a sound putting stroke is to look at the hands when they stop moving during the follow through, and check the conditions of your wrists. If the lead wrist is bent and the rear wrist is flat with the club head passing your hands, then you have too much hand action during the putting stroke.
Now, let’s identify which type of putting stroke you tend to have: a push or a pull.
My keys to building a better stroke
Are you a lead-arm puller or a rear-arm pusher? If you don’t know, you will always have trouble controlling your impact alignments during the putting stroke.
If you’re a lead-arm puller then you tend to enjoy faster greens, have a long and flowing putting stroke, better speed control, and better impact alignments. If you’re a rear-arm pusher then you will be better on slower greens and have a more aggressive putting stroke. Most of your problems will come from speed control due to faulty impact alignments.
How do these two sources of power work to create better alignments?
Lead-Arm Puller
The first type of power source comes from the angle formed between the lead upper arm and the lead shoulder during the backstroke. As this angle moves from an acute condition to an obtuse condition during the downstroke, it is deemed a lead arm pull stroke. The pulling action is a result of using this type of power source and is mostly felt in the back of the lead hand.
When you use this type of stroke — usually reserved for faster greens — your rear hand will remain bent and will always react and be pulled through the stoke by the motions of the lead arm. When using this type of stroke, you will find that a slower tempo is the key — long and flowing putting strokes are usually a result of this type of putting power source.
Players such as Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson (from the left-handed side) and John Daly exemplify this type of stroke pattern. The only problem with using this type of power accumulation during a putting stroke is that if the greens start to slow down, most players have a hard time advancing the ball to the hole.
Rear-Arm Pusher
The second type of power accumulation involves moving the rear arm from a bent condition into a straightening condition through the impact zone with a bent rear wrist: the rear arm push stroke. The rear arm is never fully straight during impact, but it is straightening and is only fully straight long after the ball is gone. When the rear arm starts to straighten, with a mandatory bent rear wrist through impact, it powers the putter shaft and transports energy to the ball preserving the effective loft of the putter head. Anytime you keep the rear wrist bent through the ball using the rear arm push stroke, the loft of the putter becomes more consistent through the ball and your speed control will be better.
This type of putting power source is best used when you have a tendency to “slap at the ball” with your rear hand, or for people who tend to have poor speed control. More aggressive putters who putt with less break tend to use this type of stroke for a stronger feel through the ball. Players using this type of motion on Tour include Brandt Snedeker and Nick Price.
What to Do
When golfers are putting well, the stroke and its power seems to flow from both sources (push and pull) simultaneously, and the feels that are derived from this action seem to be very simple in nature; there is little need to focus on the individual sources of power. If you are having trouble with speed control, impact alignments, or fast greens, however, then try one of these two putting styles and you may see better success on the greens.
I usually try to keep my students thinking about as little as possible during the actual stroke, but on the putting green I try to get them to focus on the proper motions that each individual body part must make. This education of the hands and body will allow you to better understand your total motion, as well as the individual pieces.
The key to putting consistency is to understand what your impact alignments do in your stroke and how these alignments are transported based on these two power sources. Take the time to understand these alignments and use the drills listed above to see if you are a rear-arm pusher or a lead-arm puller on the greens. Then practice accordingly.
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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Dave
Jul 14, 2016 at 12:31 am
I’ve got the yips any suggestions besides stop golfing. It’s gotten so bad I don’t even know what direction the ball is even going. Oh ya I put left handed and have tried right hand low the claw the hook and every other thing you could imagine. Help
cr
Jul 9, 2016 at 4:33 pm
I tend to tug and heave
Stretch
Jul 8, 2016 at 8:18 pm
Pullers or throwers can both be great putters. Didn’t see throw throw and push push as options or my favorite pull pull. No matter if the wrist angles are maintained and the shaft planes the start line with the face square a lot of good happens on the greens.
Muscle memory
Jul 8, 2016 at 3:59 pm
Before this, shouldnt a person get properly fit for a putter? ..See a trained certified fitter who actually can explain the physics, get hooked up to a SAM Putt Lab machine, see your stroke tendencies, get the right putter to compliment your natural stroke.. then this?
cr
Jul 9, 2016 at 4:32 pm
No.
Justin
Jul 8, 2016 at 1:54 pm
This is a very good article that most people will ignore because they think they’ve got it all figured out. If you take the time to figure out what each hand is doing, it’ll be much easier to make them work together.
You don’t need a putting green to practice simple drills like this and become better. The real reason people do not practice putting with drills is not because they don’t have the time or the location, it’s because drills are not fun. Shooting lower scores is fun and you’ve got to do some boring stuff to get to that point. The same could be said in business or virtually any other stage of life. The people who put in the time reap the rewards. Mediocrity is a powerful thing.
Don OConnor
Jul 8, 2016 at 9:51 am
Evidently most of the comments made here are from people who have never practiced putting using one arm. This is a drill Stan Utley highly recommends and he asks new students in beginning which arm dominates their putting stroke. The reason most golfers don’t improve is because they think they know more than the highly successful teaching pros. Keep up the good work, Tom. There are golfers out here that actually want improve and appreciate your articles.
IHateGolfIsAwesome
Jul 9, 2016 at 11:11 am
Thanks for the plethora of comments on these articles.
larrybud
Jul 8, 2016 at 9:41 am
“Your lead hand controls the face angle at impact”
“Your rear hand controls the dynamic loft of the blade at impact”
Please tell me how you move one hand without moving the other at the same time, when both are gripping the club. lol.
cr
Jul 9, 2016 at 4:33 pm
exactly.
sukdeek
Jul 8, 2016 at 1:42 am
I prefer to pop hit it like Sneds and like they used to in the old days with a flick of the wrist
Christen_the_sloop
Jul 7, 2016 at 9:50 pm
I wouldn’t want to associate either the words ‘push’ or ‘pull’ with my putting stroke. What a terrible thought. Gag reflex induced.
juststeve
Jul 7, 2016 at 12:40 pm
My power source with the putter, as it is with all the other clubs, is the swinging motion of the club, which is neither a pull or a push.
Justagolfer
Jul 8, 2016 at 6:36 pm
Tell me how you get swinging motion into the club? If I don’t use muscle to move the putter, my putter is not in a swinging motion. I’m confused.
steve
Jul 7, 2016 at 12:23 pm
Same could be said for the full swing. Do you feel like your pulling through on the downswing or pushing through. For me it is pushing, when I feel like the front side is pulling through it feels like I’m fighting a hook.