If you’re facing a putt outside of 50 feet, you’ll need to adjust your approach a bit to find success.
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Golf instruction is always changing, but the best advice is timeless. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting the greatest advice from teachers and players in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we’re looking back at our April 1985 issue where Ben Crenshaw explained his secrets to lag. For unlimited access to GOLF Magazine’s digital archive, join Inside GOLF today; you’ll enjoy $140 worth for just $39.99 per year.
Sure, we’d all like to get it close to the pin every time we hit the green, but unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. That’s why it’s important to be a good lag putter.
Being a good putter from distance has huge benefits on your scorecard. If you can complete three putts, you’ll be surprised how quickly your scores drop. And, without the pressure of grinding on four feet all day, it makes the game a lot more fun.
When faced with these long putts, it’s important to make a few key adjustments to your stroke for success. For more on that, we look back at the April 1985 issue of GOLF Magazine where two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw shares his secrets.
Ben Crenshaw’s lag puts the keys
If you have a long putt, stand tall on the ball. This increases the width of your swing arc so you can develop more power needed for the stroke without swinging too fast or using too much arm action.
Take a wide stance, which will allow you to make a long stroke without moving your head over the ball. And, as you’ll see later, there should be leg action on long putts. A wide stance allows you to move your legs correctly without swaying, a flaw that makes hard hitting difficult.
For an extra long putt, don’t be too careful with the line. Most important is the speed of the putt. The more of these putts you can land within a foot of the hole, the more you will hole.
To help you do this, visualize a four-foot circle around the hole. Then try to make the ball finish inside the circle.
Below is a step-by-step guide to my lag-putting technique.
To step back
Swing the putter back with the arms. Allow your shoulders to respond to the movement of the arm to turn, bringing the club back inward. Note that the putter blade opens in relation to the target line. However, this is not something you should try to do; it results naturally in the rotation of the shoulder.
Use enough hand movement to keep the action fluid. You’ll also find that the slight hand motion helps you make a smooth transition from backswing to downswing.
GOLF Magazine
Regarding backswing length, Bobby Jones made a good point when he said to always take the backswing “long enough.” A long backswing gives you enough power in the turns without having to change tempo. A consistent tempo on all putts is essential for a good putt. The longer stroke also gives you a smoother stroke.
The leg action on the backswing is similar to a chip shot of the same length. There is a slight weight shift on the right foot, the right leg remains rigid.
Decline and impact
In the downswing, the key is to swing the arms and club through the ball. The shoulders react to this action, bringing the club back from the inside of the ball, then back inside the follow through.
In the same way the shoulder turn opens the blade in the backswing, so the shoulder turn closes the blade with the ball. When it hits, the blade is on the way to close, so it turns slightly over the ball. I catch the ball above the equator, and it starts rolling quickly. If you hit the ball too hard, it will slide a long way before starting to roll.
GOLF Magazine
With such a long stroke, you need less leg action during the forward swing. If you tried to keep your legs still, you’d stab the ball rather than hit it smooth. By letting go of the right leg to the left, there is no chance of you turning the ball with your wrists and pulling the ball to the left of your target.
Follow up
If you compare the length of my follow through on this putt to the length of the back putt, you will see that they are mirror images. This is done on purpose.
When I stroke the putt, I try to feel like I’m part of the metronome: I go back to the count of “One,” to the count of “Two.” This slow, even stroke keeps my stroke smooth and rhythmic.
GOLF Magazine
Conversely, if you try to accelerate the putter with the ball, you shorten the backswing and run forward. With short putts you can sometimes get away with this. But it is deadly on long putts. You lose your natural tempo and touch, leaving the ball short or over the hole.
A quick summary. For long putts, stand up and be wide. Draw a four meter circle. Turn back with arms and shoulders. Use a “long enough” recoil with a small wrist. Then swing your arms and shoulders, letting go of your right knee. Keep the swing as smooth as possible with the beat of the metronome. Then you, too, will bring out your share of “monsters.”
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