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Patient: Male Age: 37 Current Handicap: 12 Lowest Handicap: 8 Has played golf for: 20 years Plays: About twice a month Practices: About once a month The symptoms: I get a lot of compliments about how good a putter I am, but there’s only one problem. I don’t make any putts. Sure, I make the short ones and I’ll drop the occasional 10-footer, but, for the most part, I just don’t make many. I’m around the hole. I don’t three-putt often. I burn the edges a lot. I put a nice, smooth roll on the ball; they just don’t seem to fall. It’s driving me nuts. What can I do? Dr. Golf’s prescription: Unfortunately, there is no known substitute for practice. The fact is, most people don’t like to practice their putting because they don’t get the same reward of hitting those long shots on the range. This tends to put a lot of pressure on you when you play, especially your putting. If your friends think you’re a good putter, you probably are. The reason you don’t make more putts can sometimes be found in routine, or lack thereof. So every time you step up to putt it becomes a must to make. Not good for your confidence or your stroke. Go to the putting green and play a game with yourself. It tends to make practice a lot more fun. Work on 4-foot putts and 30-foot lags. Corey Pavin takes a half dozen pennies and makes a circle around the cup using his driver and then places the ball at each position to make 50 consecutive putts before he quits. This builds confidence. Loren Roberts told me to practice short putts and practice long putts. Those 10- to 15-foot putts are not good practice because if you putt short putts well and lag long putts well, the rest just fall in. Patient: Male Age: 60 Current Handicap: 14 Lowest Handicap: 10 Has played golf for: About 37 years Plays: About once a week Practices: Never The symptoms: As I’m getting older, I feel like I’m getting shorter and shorter off the tee. I drive the ball about 230 yards off the tee, but I’ve lost about 30 yards in the last 10 years. I’ve read about a lot of these senior tour pros who are hitting the ball just as far if not farther than they did in their prime because of the equipment. I bought a new name-brand driver off the rack at the store, but it hasn’t helped yet. What’s out there to help me regain some of my lost distance? Dr. Golf’s prescription: You bring up one of the most important parts of the game that is generally overlooked by golfers — and that’s equipment. Having been in golf club and golf shaft manufacturing for a great part of my career as both a designer and developer, one of the most important parts of playing golf is having the proper equipment for your individual swing profile. The most important question you should ask is, “Do I have the right golf shaft for my swing?” Here is some criteria for choosing the right club: A lighter shaft creates more clubhead speed for greater distance. Look for a weight of 65 grams or so. If you hit the ball too low, go with a lighter shaft, softer flex and larger head size. If you hit the ball too high, do the opposite. The proper head design, correct center of gravity and proper shaft flex can make an unbelievable difference in your distance. Brad Storman can be reached at (951) 302-3850. Patients in need of help from Dr. Golf should e-mail their ailments to scpgamedia@aol.com. |
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