| To keep the ball in the
aperture of the putter on the backswing, you must make the handle go
down to keep the putter-head low to the ground (and so immediately we’re
back to the value of the exercise I demonstrated on the previous page).
In other words, simply spending a few minutes rehearsing the Reflex
drill, or stroking a few shortish putts with the Zen, reinforces this
specific feature of a correct, repeating stroke.
Here’s another thing. When you know that you are going to get
a pure roll on the ball as it leaves the putter, the quality of your
path is exposed. The exercise you see me working on here (above) is
known as the ‘Release’, and it is designed to help you get
the path of your stroke running perfectly at the target.
In my experience, too many golfers go on thinking they are putting well
when in reality their stroke is hampered by a (usually) fundamental
fault which forces them into making compensations. |
Some days those compensations
work (hence players feel they are putting OK), but more often than not
their performance is inconsistent and the stroke is not a confident
one.
What I really like about the Zen Oracle is that, via these various exercises,
it basically teaches you the fundamentals and simply does not tolerate
compromise. In the case of the ‘Release’ drill, the quality
of your path through to the hole is immediately revealed. Because you
have eliminated the ‘hit’, the roll is true, and if you
miss the hole from this range (on a dead-straight putt), then clearly
the path of your stroke needs some attention.
The students that I have coached with the Zen – and they include
a number of good tour players – have been amazed at the way the
putter becomes their own best teacher.
It enables you to work on your stroke and groove solid mechanics..
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