On The Tee with Hank Johnson

Putt Like A Tour Player
Line ControlEvery successful putt is a result of the proper combination of Line and Speed. You have to start the ball rolling on the correct line with the correct amount of speed for that line.The most critical skill required for good line control is the ability to accurately and consistently aim the putter face down your intended start line. If you have this skill and trust it, you will be able to focus only on speed as you make your stroke.Almost without exception when someone come to me with putting problems, they have lost confidence in their aim and stroke to control line and they are trying to hit the ball on line rather than using their stroke to control speed.The best device to improve your aim and stroke for line is a simple chalk line. Find a putt on your putting green that has no break to the left or right. Slightly up hill is fine. Snap a chalk line that’s at least ten feet long and runs through the center of the cup and a foot past it.Place the ball on the chalk line about three feet from the cup. Check to make sure your putter face is square and practice rolling the ball down the chalk line and into the cup. Keep moving back until you are a foot from the end of the chalk line. You want a bit of the line behind your ball for visual effect.I’m an advocate of using a line on the ball to aim with. If you use one to do the chalk line practice it will greatly improve your line control in your putting. Another good way to practice line control is to putt down a yardstick. You can do this at home.

Speed ControlEvery successful putt is a result of the proper combination of Line and Speed. You have to “pick” the right line and then give the ball the correct amount of speed for that line. That being the case, job number one is to develop a “feel” for speed.The only way that I know of to develop this “feel” is through practice and a lot of it. I’ve found it helpful to isolate practice to “feel for speed” only.For example if you stretch a ten foot piece of string across a relatively level area of your putting green and then “lag” putts to it, that focuses your mind and your stroke on “feel for speed” only. You don’t worry about line because the target is ten feet wide so you can focus on “feel for speed only”.Lag putts to the string from different distances to represent different lengths of putts. Your goal should be to get every putt in a space between the string and one foot past the string. You can put down a second string if it’s helpful.Variations on this drill would be to do it with your eyes closed and predict where the putt finished before you look up. This technique will enhance your “feel for speed”.You can also do this “string drill” looking at the string rather than the ball as you make your stroke.There I nothing that I know of that will help your putting more than having a good “feel for speed”. In fact if you have this one thing in your putting, you need to develop it before you work on anything else.

Hank Johnson, PGA
July 2011

Chip Like a Tour PlayerEvaluating the LieYour ability to accurately evaluate the lie of the ball is essential to good chipping. The lie is “the boss” in determining your options, especially in chipping and pitching. You can break your evaluation of the lie of the ball down into four elements.Slope: If the ball is on a slope it will affect your stroke your balance and the behavior of the ball. Uphill and downhill lies affect trajectory. Side hill lies affect direction. You have to practice to determine the change it makes for you.Space under the ball: If the ball is actually against the ground you can swing down on the ball and use the ground to “squeeze” the ball against. If there is space between the ball and the ground you need to make a more level swing to get solid contact.Grass behind the ball: Grass between the clubface and the ball will “cushion” the strike against the ball and cause a loss in distance. The more grass, the more it “cushions” impact. You just have to practice to get a “feel” for this condition.Grass in front of the ball: Grass in front of the ball requires you to get the ball up more quickly. Use a more lofted club and plan to carry the ball farther up on the green than the shot might call for. Again, practicing from this condition is the only way to get a “feel” for this condition.Remember, the lie is “The Boss” and it will dictate your options in chipping. You just have to be really good at “evaluating the lie” before you make your choices. Sometime the shot you would “like to play” isn’t available and you can’t force the issue.
Distance Control through Solid ContactAs with all areas of the short game, distance control is the primary issue in good performance. You just have to have good touch and feel for distance and to do this you must be able to hit the ball solidly. If you are getting inconsistent club/ball contact then you can’t have good distance control.The two typical miss hits in chipping are a little bit fat or thin. Both are caused by the same error. The low point of the stroke occurs BEFORE impact rather than after impact as it should. In chipping, the club should brush the ground AFTER it hits the ball.I believe you should chip from a narrow and slightly open stance. The ball should be played off the inside of your back foot. Your head and hands should be over the inside of your front foot. It’s fine to grip down on the club for control. From this set up you can brush the ground even with your front heel AFTER you hit the ball. This ball first, ground second contact is critical to solid contact and good distance control.Because the stroke in chipping is so small there’s no time for a weight shift to your front foot so just leave the weight there through the whole stroke. To accomplish this raise the outside edge of your back foot off the ground at address and keep it there during the stroke.Another practice technique I like is to spread a towel on the ground and put the ball two ball widths in front of it (toward the target). The object is to miss the towel and then “bump” the ball against the ground. This will give you consistently solid contact and help you control distance on your chips.
Hank Johnson, PGA
July 2011