Golf Tips from the Pro

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This Month's Tip from the Pro –
Let the “Iron Triangle”
Keep Your Stroke in Perfect Shape

The fastest way to lower your scores on a consistent basis is to lower your putts per round.  Obvious? Not always. If it was, I would see more players practicing putting than hitting drivers and I would certainly have more students asking for putting lessons than how to hit the driver farther. 

In this month’s Tip from the Pro, I am going to show you how to be a more consistent putter by improving your mechanics.  Once I show you the mechanics, the only way to improve is through practice. 

As some of you may already know, I am a huge John Dunigan fan.  John is a Master PGA Professional who I have been fortunate to study under and work with for the past two years.  He has taught me many things, but the most important is his “Iron Triangle Concept”.  This concept is crucial to becoming not only a better putter, but a better player.  Mastering this concept in putting will enable you to use the concept in all aspects of your game.

I ask each and every student that I coach in putting to take these important steps:

1. Grip the putter with their thumbs down the shaft and keep the arms relatively straight.  When you do this you will see that a triangle is formed by your two arms and an imaginary line across your shoulders.  THIS IS THE IRON TRIANGLE.  Learn it, love it, and master it!
2. Get your eyes over or slightly inside the golf ball.  How do you do this?  Well, it doesn’t matter exactly how; you just have to get your eyes over the ball, because it will enable you to see the line of your putt better.  If you are not sure if your eyes are over the ball, ask someone or get in front of a full length mirror and check it out.
3. Make sure your ball position is correct.  The correct ball position in putting is 1-2 inches in front of the center of your stance. 
4. Move the Iron Triangle and only the Iron Triangle.  Nothing else moves during the putting motion.  You don’t move your wrists, your body, or your head.  I want you to feel that your body is stuck in cement and you are unable to move it.  The more moving parts, the more inconsistent you become.  Think about any PGA Tour Player, you never see them moving anything but the triangle they set up with.  You never see a tour player break his/her wrists or see any movement in the lower body.  If they are doing it, don’t you think you should be?

You will notice in this article I didn’t talk about path or length of stroke or any other cliché that I see other in other articles for a very good reason. My students understand that if they move the triangle and only the triangle, the path of the swing is taken care of.  I think that my students also understand that the triangle must move further back and through for a 30 foot putt than a 3 foot putt.  This game is not as difficult as it is made out to be, so stop making it so difficult!

Archived Golf Tips:

06/08 – Distance Control When Putting
05/08 – If The Shoe Fits
02/08 – Sand Dollars
01/08 – Getting More Power Out Of Your Swing
12/07 – Winter Club Maintenance
11/07 – Hillside Lies
08/07 – Lift
07/07 – Hybrids
05/07 – Practice
04/07 – Golf Club Fitting
03/07 – The Iron Triangle