Dave Pelz: “Studying the game”

Send your questions to: askpelz@golf.com

From between two trees only three feet apart, an upright swing can hit the ball 100+ yards. Photo by Leonard Kamsler

Situation

Your ball is between two trees and you can’t make your normal swing.

Challenge

You need to swing the club more upright, but trying to make yourself “thin” by standing straight up and then swinging your club vertically with your hands and arms isn’t the answer. When you do that, you take your body turn out of the shot and you’ll almost assuredly hit a shank. On the other hand, if you take your normal stance and posture then your backswing will be severely restricted, and you won’t generate the power you need to reach the green. Read the rest of this entry »

Send your questions to: askpelz@golf.com

Q: I generally putt with a shoulder-width stance. If I swing my putter to my back foot, I usually roll the ball about 20 feet. On shorter putts I’ll stand with my feet closer together. Here, my back-foot swing length gives me about six feet of roll. Is it OK to change stance width like this to get the right distance?

A: If you always putted on level greens with the same green-speed, your idea of adjusting stance width with putt length might work. But since greens vary in speed and contour, it’s best to keep as many things constant as you can. Instead of messing with stance width, adjust the length of your backswing to the length and speed of your putt (through-swing slightly longer than backswing). Think “short strokes for short putts, long strokes for long putts.” Make good practice strokes until you see and feel one you think will roll your putt the right distance, then putt with it. With a little practice, your touch will sharpen up. Read the rest of this entry »

Send your questions to: askpelz@golf.com

The Problem

Your mid- and long-range putting is fine, but short putts make you nervous. And it’s frustrating because you know that you should make more short putts than long putts. You might think your stroke is to blame, but it’s not. The problem lies in your inability to aim correctly. Read the rest of this entry »

Send your questions to askpelz@golf.com

Dear Dave,
Do you favor putting with an oversized putter grip? A couple of years ago I took my favorite putter and cut it down to better suit my height (I’m only 5′6″). When I re-gripped it, I had an oversized putter grip put on. I also went to lead-hand low. Since the, my putting has improved a lot, I have more feel and I seldom three-putt. But since I changed three variables at once, I can’t tell which one actually did the trick. Do you have any feeling for this putter grip size thing of mine?
Sincerely,
Bill Havrilla

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Send your questions to: askpelz@golf.com

Dear Dave,
I am a 9.0 and consistently shoot between 78 and 82, but I have too many problems with my putting. I can’t seem to shake the habit of taking a really long time to putt. I have tried to count down, control my breathing and even mentally not caring … I just can’t seem to pull the trigger. Subsequently I average 31 to 34 putts per round.
Help!
— Dennis Goode

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