One of the challenges coming into the Open Championship is putting the greens. After playing in the States on lightning fast greens at Muirfield Villlage, the Olympic Club, and Congressional, the slower speeds here will mean taking bigger strokes than players are used to. But that can be a problem in the strong winds they are likely to see. The wind can blow the putter off line during a big, smooth pendulum stroke. The Point Putting method can help solve the problem.

By extending the index finger of your right hand further down the shaft of the putter, you get a bit more leverage and therefore a bit more power in the stroke. So you don’t need to make as big a stroke in the wind.

As the putterface impacts the ball, the slight push you give with your index finger adds a bit of “pop” to the putt. This gets the ball going more quickly, holding the line better over any slight bumps, with a little bit of extra pace. That’s especially helpful when putting uphill and directly into the wind.

Decades ago when greens were even slower and bumpier than today, the “pop” putting stroke was pretty much the standard. The Point Putting method gives you the benefit of the bit of “pop” without the wristiness of the old putting styles.

How key elements of the Point Putting Method help when putting in the wind

The index finger of your right hand (for right-handed golfers) extends further down the shaft of the putter. Hold the putter grip with a bit firmer pressure, locking in the set-up position of putter, hands and arms. That helps to keep the stroke on line in the wind.

As the putter head approaches the ball, press your index finger a bit more firmly against the shaft, as if the index finger is pushing the putter head through the ball position and down the line. That also helps keep the stroke on line in the wind.

The main energy of the stroke comes from the rocking of the shoulders on a vertical plane. There will be almost no movement of the rest of the body for short putts; a little bit of natural movement of hips and legs will occur on longer putts – in response to the shoulders rocking, not leading them. The head position should be steady for all length putts. The more steady the body, the less the effect of sudden gusts of wind.

The ideal routine for using the Point Putting Method

1. Read the green. Determine the full line the putt will take, from the ball to the hole. It is critical to have a clear commitment to your choice for the starting line of the putt. Get a sense of how much the putt is uphill or downhill, into or with the grain, into or with the wind.

2. Get a feel for the pace. Imagine the ball rolling all the way along the line of the putt, as if you had actually putted it. Take a practice stroke or two that you feel is the size of the stroke you need to make for the ideal pace. You can make the practice strokes behind the ball, swinging down the line or across the line, or make them next to the ball. Holding the finish at the end of each practice stroke will help your judgment of how firm a stroke to make, as well as being good practice for holding the finish of the actual putt.

3. Set up to the ball with the putterface square to the line on which you want to start the putt. Think to yourself, “I’m done with direction.” Make a strong commitment to yourself that you will stroke the putt along that line.

4. Take a long look down the line toward the hole, and picture the speed for the distance, uphill or downhill, into or with the wind. When you look back down to the ball, bring that picture of the putt to mind focusing especially on the speed it needs to roll. Think to yourself, “Just roll the ball into the picture.”

5. While keeping the picture in mind, make your putting stroke, using the index finger to give a little “pop” to get the ball rolling as the putterface impacts the ball. Keep pointing your index finger along the intended line of the putt as long as you can, with the sense that it is pushing the putterhead to “chase the ball down the line.”

6. When the putterhead has stopped moving forward, only then turn your head to look down the line to see how the putt turned out. Reflect on the picture you had, and how the actual putt was the same or different from the picture. If it turned out differently, look around the green to see how you could have judged the pace and the break more accurately. In this way you learn from every putt.

© 2012 Dr. Joseph Parent