BRANDT SNEDEKER – PUTTING

How his ‘pop stroke’ can work for you.

Many experts think my stroke is one of the best on Tour. My secret? I ‘pop’ the ball, rather than putt it. It’s old school.

Players needed more ‘oomph’ at impact back in the day when greens were slower, but it works on slick greens, too, because it gets the ball rolling sooner with less wobble and skid. A quicker, shorter stroke helps the ball hug the line.

TRANSFER ENERGY AT THE RIGHT TIME

Hinge your wrists and transfer all the energy into the ball at impact, not past it. Once the ball leaves the face, there’s no reason to keep moving the putter. A lot of club golfers use a short backstroke and long through-stroke. Big mistake. That causes an inconsistent steering motion. With a pop stroke, you’re always getting smooth acceleration.

ALL FINGERS ON THE GRIP

I put my hands on the grip separately, so I can feel the club with all my fingers. The Vs formed by both thumbs and index fingers should point at your right shoulder, like with your full swing.

HINGE EARLY

To start the swing, I want the putter head moving more than the grip. That creates more extension in my right wrist. It’s like I’m flipping the putter head away from the target. Be subtle, though. Just enough to get the flex you need in your wrist.

DON’T ROCK THE SHOULDERS

I want my arms loose and swinging from the momentum from my wrist hinge in the takeaway. A lot of players are taught to control the club by being rigid with your shoulders, but that’s not what you want here.

RELEASE THE PUTTER

On the way into impact, I focus on unhinging my wrists smoothly with good tempo. Again, you want to feel the putter head moving more than the handle. Think of releasing an iron through impact. Swing the head into the ball instead of the grip.

MAINTAIN THE LOFT

It’s critical that you strike the ball with a neutral face. That’s why I don’t re-hinge my wrists after contact. If you’re going to miss, miss by hitting slightly up on the ball. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than hitting down on it.

VARY THE BACKSWING

Forget all that talk about matching the length of your through-stroke to the length of your backstroke. My ‘pop’ stroke stops at impact.. To vary distance, vary the length of your backstroke and see how far the ball rolls. My eyes tell me how far I want the ball to travel, then I simply take the putter back as far as needed.