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I have been working on my putting game. I found that a light grip works best for feel. However, I am not sure what to do with or what I should be doing with the putter head at address. When I set up for a put a place the putter head about an inche behind the ball and have it sitting on the ground. Or ground the putter as they say. Then before I swing I left the putter head off the ground. Should the putter head never touch the ground. I find with a light grip holding the putter head off the ground is a little unstable with light grip and tends to make my grip tighter to stabilize the putter head before a take my back swing. If ground the putter before taking the swing is ok. Then I am fine. Or at least I think. Just want to know if I am doing it right.

Putting is SO personal, it's hard to generalize. I can tell you that I GROUND my putter, placed about 5-6 mm behind the ball. (I don't like the looks of the putterhead too far behind the ball).

Here are some other thoughts on putting setup and drills, which may help:

Putting Setup - Here are my putting thoughts to determine your shaft length (if you use a conventional putter)

* Assume a comfortable stance with your putter.
* Bend over at the waist (keep your back fairly straight) until your eyes are directly over the ball (or perhaps slightly behind the ball)
* Allow your Arms to hang down comfortably (until your upper arms are vertical/perpendicular to the ground), let your shoulders relax.
* Hands should hang comfortably down (let Gravity do the work here!)
* Swing your hands inward towards the putter handle, and take your grip.
* Check the toe-up position of the putter when you get into the proper position. It should be parallel to the ground or only slightly toe-up.
* This stance will easily show you your correct putter length.

This allows your arms to hang more naturally, with a "V" formed by your arms (if you look at yourself in the mirror). Phil Mickelson looks great on his setup (from a front view). If your putter is too long, and you automatically grip the putter at the END of the grip, your arms will look "scrunched up", and I don't think it's possible to putt steadily.

I have a 35" putter, and when I setup like this, it shows about 3/4" of the butt of the putter grip showing, which tells me I should cut down my putter about 3/4" or so. Many people have unique putting stances, but I believe this is the best setup (for me) to easily and comfortably setup to the ball.


Putting Drills Putting is very personal and different for everybody, but here's some drills I do.........

* Always take the flag out, especially for short putts - I find it easier to relate to the "on-course" experience if I see the hole as I would on the course.

DISTANCE Control
* Focus on pendulum motion (same distance back/thru), with a natural putting arc. (like a small golf swing)
* Keep the same tempo for all putts, regardless of distance. (think "tick-tock" tempo)
* Visualize the shaft extending towards a spot on your left shoulder during the backswing, and the equivalent spot on the right shoulder on the follow-thru.
* Putt balls to various distances, standing in the same place. Sometimes, I focus on how far BACK I take the putter (Example: 24", 22", 20"……..8", 6", 4". all the way down to only 2" behind the ball for short putts)
* "Calibrating" your distance. After testing the various distances back/thru on your stroke, notice how far the ball will travel on the green after you stroke the ball, and pace off the distance. This will "calibrate" your putting, so you KNOW that if you pull the putterhead back a specific distance, the ball will travel a designated, consistent distance every time. Make sure you "calibrate uphill, downhill,and flat putts on the practice green, and that will set you up for the round.
* Place 5-6 balls spaced approx. 3', 6', 9', 12', etc. etc. away from the hole. Starting from the shortest ball to the hole, putt all the balls to the hole.
* Place 5-6 balls spaced approx 3' from the hole in a circular pattern (this is also known as the "circle" or "clock" drill), and putt all the balls to the hole. Expand the circle of balls to 3', 6', 9', 12', away from the hole.

TECHNIQUE
* "Push" the ball towards the hole with the putterface. Don't make a stroke, but rather use the putterface to push the ball. Helps alignment.

* String drill. I use two chopsticks with an ~8' string tied to each one. Place one chopstick ~4" behind the hold, align the string through the hole. When you place the ball under the string and are setup properly, the string should bisect the ball, and align with your alignment mark on your putter. Stroke putts into the hole, this will help your ability for short putts tremendously. From above, it should look something like this:

* Chopstick
- String
O Hole
@ Ball

*----O--------@-------*

* Left Hand Only - putt with left hand only. Helps your stability tremendously, and grooves your stroke.

* Right Hand only - putt with right hand only. Smooths your stroke out.

* Putt with right foot behind left foot (like Briny Baird) - encourages stability and balance.

I belive Dave Pelz over there said just about everything that could be said. The only thing I can add is try to visualize the ball rolling into the cup in your mind. For me at least this helps with those not so easy straight putts.

Nice post, SamT. I might have to bookmark that. I could use a lot of help on my putting. I feel like I change my grip every time I go out.