"It is not the will to win that matters, everyone has that.
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Tom's Featured Tip: Arm Lock Putting
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Arm Lock Putting
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
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Arm Lock Putting
Today's article was prompted - somewhat - by last weekend's PGA Championship when I watched Will Zalatoris putt his way around the course with an arm lock putting technique. I've actually been intrigued with that method since Bryson DeChambeau started using it.
Before I get into the topic of arm lock putting, it was a great PGA Championship to watch. I really like the three hole aggregate playoff, won spectacularly by Justin Thomas over Will Zalatoris.
I must also say that I felt some heartache for Mito Periera, a new player on tour who hails from Chile. He led most of the day until he dunked his tee shot into the water on the 18th hole and double bogeyed. He would have been a national hero for sure if he'd have won it.
Such is the game we love.
I've been fascinated with arm lock putting for awhile, and it came to a peak watching Zalatoris during the tournament.
An arm lock putter is usually 40-42 inches long, and has 5-7 degrees of loft. Compare that to a standard putter, which checks in around 33-36 inches in length with about 3 degrees of loft.
Rule 14-1b permits a player to hold his club against his hand or forearm in making a stroke.
How is the "forearm" defined?
For purposes of Rule 14-1b, the "forearm" is the part of the arm below the elbow joint and includes the wrist.
However, a player is in breach of the Rule if he or she makes a stroke while intentionally holding the club against any part of the arm at or above the elbow.
So today - Monday the 23rd - I swung by my local Dick's Sporting Goods Store in Batavia NY, and lo and behold they had the arm lock putter I've been dying to try on the shelf - an Odyssey Two Ball 42" arm lock putter, listing for $299.
This day in history I became the undisputed Arm Lock Putting Champion of the Dick's Sporting Goods store in Batavia NY!
Seriously, I couldn't miss a putt if I tried, and by the way I putted while looking at the target, not head down.
Here's what I really liked about the arm lock putting method
- The feel at setup. When you position the putter grip along your forearm, it has a good firm feel to it.
- The result of what that grip position does to your stroke - it locks your wrist out from any possible flipping at
the ball, so
the impact is solid at the strike.
- What it did to my back - nothing. I stroked putts for about 25 minutes straight and never felt any back tightening,
which often
occurs when you bend over more and putt for any length of time with a shorter traditional length putter.
- What it did to my stroke - it made it easy to execute a more straight back and straight through stroke with my
taller posture, and it felt very easy to keep the face square to the line.
- What else it did to my stroke - it made it easy to execute a pure pendulum feeling stroke when I played the ball forward in my stance and used my left shoulder as a fulcrum point for the stroke. That stroke felt unbelievably comfortable and smooth - no hit, all stroke.
If you are a good putter, you can decide if you want to invest in another putter.
I have quite a few putters, and I'm going to add one of these to my stable, but not the exact Odyssey Ten Two Ball Arm Lock that I tried out today.
Here's why: the model I tried out had seven degrees of loft, which is pretty standard for an arm lock putter. It has that much loft for players that set up with the ball center stance and the putter running along their forearm. Loft needs to be added because the putter is otherwise de-lofted at setup - see the image 2 above.
I prefer - and I teach - a setup with the ball very forward in the stance, so that the putter shaft is close to vertical at setup. If I had a longer shaft and a longer grip, it would probably look like an arm lock putter.
That requires no more than the traditional putter face loft of three or four degrees, if that.
So I plan on tweaking one of the long putters that I own and practicing more. Then I'll see if I can get an Odyssey Ten Two Ball putter with a 42" shaft and a headweight adjustment - the headweight on the Arm Lock is 385 g, the non armlock is 365g.
The quest for improvement continues.
If your putting is not up to par, try an arm lock putter, I think you'll like it.
Comments: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,
Tom
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All the best,
Tom Tucker
Teaching Pro, Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility
WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
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Cell: (716) 474-3005
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