THE STROKE MASTER
Phil Kenyon is one of the world’s leading putting coaches. Michael Catling caught up with him to discuss the stories behind some of the game’s best strokes.
Leading putting coach, Phil Kenyon, reveals the secrets of the game’s finest putters.
Schooled by the original “putting doctor” Harold Swash, Phil Kenyon is the director of Harold Swash Putting – a “school of excellence” at Formby Hall. He boasts a client list that reads like a who’s who of former World No.1s and multiple major champions. Henrik Stenson’s name has been on the roster for years, as has that of Justin Rose, who teamed up with Kenyon a few weeks before winning Olympic Gold in 2016. More recently, Francesco Molinari recruited Kenyon into his team of specialist performance coaches. An Odyssey ambassador who uses high-speed video, a SAM Putting Lab, Quintic Ball Roll software and a hydraulic putting green to glean every last detail about a stroke, Kenyon takes a high-tech approach to improving the performance of his amateur and professional clients. So what’s the secret to his success – and can he help you?
When did you gravitate towards putting coaching as a career?
I graduated with a Masters degree in sports science before I turned pro but I was exposed to coaching at an early age. I learned a massive amount from Harold Swash [who coached many great players, including Nick Faldo, Padraig Harrington,
Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, and invented the famous Yes! C-Groove putter]. He was a good friend of my dad’s and when I stopped playing, he offered me a position to work alongside him. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I was doing.
What is the most challenging aspect of coaching putting, as opposed to, say, the full swing?
If a pro hits what he considers to be a good drive, 99 times out of 100 he will be on the fairway. But he can hit what he thinks is a good putt and the ball will regularly not go in. It can be difficult for a player to assess why that is happening. My job is to help them valuate that and put a perspective on it.
Has putting coaching been heavily influenced by technology?
Integrating science and technology into every lesson is a big part of what we do. We try to measure every single aspect of the ball, putter and body and we use high-speed video to create a qualitative measurement of everything.
What are the recurring issues you see?
On the whole, with Tour and elite players you are dealing with more minutia and focusing on developing skillsets as opposed to larger techniques with amateurs. The analysis procedure doesn’t change, though – the only difference is that elite players have a greater adaptability and hand-eye coordination to do what is asked of them quickly and effectively.
Who is the most talented putter you’ve worked with?
If I had to pick one, David Horsey would be up there. I started working with him when he was 18 and his putting wasn’t a particular strength. We’ve now been together for 14 years and it’s been a really nice journey to watch his development. He’s played Walker Cup, won multiple times on the Challenge Tour and the European Tour, and established himself as a really good putter. Matt Fitzpatrick is another one who came to see me as a teenager. He’s as good as anyone on the green.
MATT FITZPATRICK IS AS GOOD A PUTTER AS ANYONE.
How much of putting is mental?
A large part is mental, but unless you have some decent technique, it doesn’t matter how positive you are. If your putter’s face is open at impact, the ball isn’t starting on line. You’ve got to have some resemblance of technical ability before you layer in the mental stuff. A golf coach has to do their job first before a psychologist can
help fine-tune things.
What’s the best way to improve your putting…fast?
It amazes me how so few amateurs take putting lessons – and have never been custom fit. There are a lot of myths about how certain head shapes suit certain strokes that largely are not true. But length and lie of the putter can affect certain aspects of set-up and technique. Alignment configuration and head shapes can also influence aim. There are many aspects to a fitting that play an integral part in any lesson.
Alignment is obviously crucial. How do you get it right?
I’ve worked with Tour players who use alignment lines on balls and others who ignore them. If you struggle to aim the putter but you class yourself as a pretty good green reader, using an alignment line can be a very useful tool. But if you’re not very good at green reading by sight and rely a lot on feel, a line can be very constraining.
What’s the biggest fault you see?
The biggest fault I see is too much body movement and too much hand and arm movement, but then every player is different. Ultimately, you’ve got to get help which is relevant to you. Once you’ve done that, it all comes down to the quality of practise.