SHORT PUTT
Not unlike his full swing, Scott’s address position and setup (pic 1) over this short putt on the putting green at The Players Championship is one to stick on the wall and mimic if you are employing the long putter as he does.
Scott looks athletic as he sets up to the ball even with a putter of around 50 inches in length, but is slightly further away than in 2013 and has a slightly more rounded upper back. These changes, undoubtedly made to ensure a lack of an anchor point and to make room for the butt of the club to move without touching his body, are very minor to keep the motion as close to the one he employed when anchoring.
Scott described his new unanchored stroke at the Australian PGA in November 2017 and again at this year’s Players Championship as being very similar to the one he utilised when the thumb of his left hand was pushed into his sternum.
“It just doesn’t feel much dierent at all than whether it’s anchored to the body or not. I mean, it’s doing the same thing it feels like to me,” Scott said. As Adam takes the putter away and returns it to impact (pics 1,2,3) notice how he
maintains his body positions and angles, one of the major benefits and characteristics of a stroke with the long putter, which has been lacking in recent years when he has used the short putter.
Once contact has been made (pics 3 and 4), Scott’s upper body moves up and to the left (pics 5 and 6) to make room for the putter and remain within the letter of the law. This is another of the slight changes in his stroke, which is most noticeable on long putts, but is perhaps of primary concern for the 37-year-old on the shorter putts that he has been known to be slightly shaky with. The change in body position potentially results in an open putter face and putts pushed to the right as well as strikes made low on the face, a mis-hit that can wreak havoc with a player’s speed.
Scott’s tendency to steer the putter regardless of length on short putts is one he has struggled with in recent years, the Queenslander noting that his return to a more reactionary stroke with the long putter has helped in this regard this year.
“It’s a feeling of ease, it’s a very much no thought, and the body just moves and the ball just goes. At times we have all felt like we steer the golf ball, whether it’s shots or putts, and the putting just felt very easy and free, like it just got in the way and, yeah, it was very much instinct. And I feel when I putted my best with the long putter, it was just easy as well,” Scott said at The Players.
One other key area that has seen a modification from Scott, albeit a slight one, since reinserting the long putter into his bag, is his right hand grip.
The enlarged photo (left) shows Scott’s grip in 2013, his hand positioned more on top of the grip, whereas this year Scott has his right hand almost entirely underneath the shaft with his thumb and forefinger the only contact points. This means his dominant hand is simply going along for the ride, a great feeling for anyone who gets a little jerky around the hole.