Be Quiet and Stand Still While Other Players Are Putting

INTERMEDIATE BOYS

TIPS OF THE WEEK

JUNE 20, 2011

PUTTING ETIQUETTE

•Be quiet and stand still while other players are putting.

•Be careful that your shadow is not interfering with someone’s putting.

•Be careful not to walk or stand on the line of putt of another player.

•If your ball is closest to the hole after everyone’s ball is on the green, you should be the one to attend or remove the flagstick.

•If you are the first player to putt out, you should pick up the flagstick and be ready to put it carefully back in the hole after the last player has putted out.

•Never use your putter to get your ball out of the hole! Instead, reach in the hole with your hand so that the hole is not damaged.

RULES PERTAINING TO PUTTING

•You may mark, lift, and clean your ball once your ball comes to rest on the putting green.

•If your ball mark interferes with another player’s putt, you should move your ball mark to the side by one or two putter-head lengths if the other player requests that you do so.

•You may repair pitch-marks and old hole plugs that may interfere with your putt. You may not repair any other damage to the green, such as spike marks, until after you have completed play of the hole. See the drawing of the proper way to use your repair tool.

•If you have a long putt, you may have someone attend the flagstick so that you can see the hole. The person attending the flagstick should remove the flagstick once your ball starts rolling towards the hole. If your ball strikes the flagstick in the hole, it is a two-stroke penalty in stroke play.

•In stroke play, if you putt on the putting green, and your ball strikes another ball on the putting green, it is a two-stroke penalty. Have the other players mark and lift their balls if their balls are anywhere near the hole so that you can avoid this penalty!

PUTTING STROKE

•Use the logo on your ball, or be like the pros and draw a straight line on your ball with a Sharpie pen, and aim the logo/line on your ball towards where you want your ball to start rolling. Then place your putter behind your ball so that the line on your putter points in the same direction as the logo/line on your ball.

•Once you have your putter aimed with the line/logo on your ball, try to set up with your feet and shoulders lined up parallel with the line/logo on your ball.

•Instead of using your hands and wrists to hit the ball, try to make the putting stroke by simply rocking your shoulders. Think (for right-handers) “Left shoulder up, ball in the cup.” Pretend your shoulders are the points of a coat hanger and the hook of the coat hanger is hanging from the top of your neck. If you rock the “coat hanger” the “Y” formed by your arms and the putter shaft should stay a “Y” throughout the putting stroke and the putter shaft will point towards your belly button from start to finish!

•Your follow through should always be longer than your backswing, just as if you were tossing a ball underhanded to someone.

•The key to great putting is to practice distance control! Start by learning the putting stroke needed for a 5’ putt. After you have learned and memorized that length putt, then memorize the stroke needed to make your ball roll 10’, then 15’, and so forth.