Hammer hands

Have you ever watched some golfers who can hit the ball great, can chip lights out, are great out of the bunker and then when you watch them putt, they look like their dad was a blacksmith?

Their stroke is not fluid, they hit at the ball and everything looks so hard and mechanical. You can`t help but see the wheels turning over every putt.

The following tip will help you learn a more controlled putt that primarily uses the shoulders and that will help eliminate ‘hammer hands’.

First, address the ball as you normally would. Be sure that you are comfortable with a stance that is shoulder width apart with your eyes over the ball.

Next, place a golf club or umbrella just under your elbows so that your arms are pressed to the body preventing the object from falling to the ground. (Now, if you are like me, your stomach will keep the object in place, but that is another article).

With the object positioned, notice that the shoulders, arms and hands form a triangle. Now, take a stroke or two and do not let the object fall to the ground. If you make the proper stroke you will notice that the shoulders move up and down keeping the triangle or pendulum in place during the entire stroke and your umbrella or golf club stay put, too.

Keep the training aid in position and begin stroking putts from tap-in distance. Once you can make 10 in a row move back another foot and make 10 in a row from there. Each time you miss one of the 10 you must move back to the distance before.

Once you get eight feet away from the hole make 8 out of 10 and reduce your ‘must makes’ by one every five feet as you continue to move out.

You will be amazed how the training aid combined with this repetition drill will create confidence in your putting stroke, ultimately breaking you of those ‘hammer hands’.

*Check out www.theroyalgolfclub.com/academy/lessons-and-packages