Reasons it May be Best not to Emulate any Pro's Putting Method

Study old film of golfers of 50 years ago and more and contrasting it to any putting stroke of golfers today, we are able to notice that generally speaking rather a lot is different.  Nowadays we notice a lengthy pendulum stroke where there is really little wrist action and the energy of the stroke comes largely with the shoulder muscles.  There are of course exceptions, however there has to be some reason for this change.  Plus a more applicable question could be: how does this pertain to our putting style?

We ought to point out that quite a few things have changed through the years with professional players.  One will be the larger amounts of money which are at stake, and it's competed for by a greater number of golfers from countries worldwide.  Considering the money, television visibility plus competition from numerous players who're capable of winning every week, the stress starts to mount.  Competitors are looking for a stroke that is as pressure-resistant as possible.

The second concerns the physical conditions with the courses tour pros play.  Those greens are typically in perfect condition in the modern game, and especially in major tournaments they really are set up to be very fast.  It certainly wasn't always like that, even for tour players.  When you check out some of the film from fifty years ago and more, there's no question that they did not have the perfect roll that today's tournament golf greens do.

Today's player has adapted their stroke to the new realities of golf at present.  The lengthy, slow stroke using the arms along with shoulders and ending with increased follow-through is much better for these perfectly manicured greens.  It also places less emphasis on wrist movement, as under pressure those smaller wrist muscles can jerk at the worst times.  The challenge using this type of stroke it's easier for the putter face to depart its intended line. 

Most golfers do not play beneath the spotlight professionals do, and only when we are lucky will we play on beautifully manicured golf greens.  Most courses simply don't have the budget and manpower in order to keep golf greens in tournament condition at all times, so we should not develop a putting stroke that the professionals use.  When you have issues with putting and are also trying to imitate what you see tour players do, you may be seeking the impossible.

Recently I have been moving in the direction of the Jack Nicklaus approach, and he used an open foot position with a lot of the power of the putt emanating from the wrists and hands.  He used a really short putting stroke, almost "popping" the ball at contact.  When very limited follow-through is made and also the base of the putter ends on the ground at the conclusion of the putt, the firmer strike on the golf ball will allow the roll to become truer on the slower, bumpier greens we normally play on.