Playing better golf with P3pro

	Page
Introduction…………………………………………………	3
It all starts with your stance………………………………….	5
What happens to your ball when you hit it?…………………	11
The goal: hitting it long and straight…………………............	13
How to correct a HOOK……………………………………	16
How to correct a PULL……………………………………...	24
How to correct a DRAW……………………………………	28
How to correct a PUSH……………………………………..	30
How to correct a FADE…………………………………….	33
How to correct a SLICE…………………………………….	35
Fixing other problems……………………………………….	41
Using P3pro to improve your putts………………………….	43
Advanced concepts………………………………………….	50

Introduction

Take a look in the “golf” section at your local bookstore. You’ll find dozens of titles on the psychology, the Zen, even the mysticism of golf.

You probably have a few of those books on your bookshelf.

Funny, isn’t it? Because although hitting great golf shots can certainly make us feel like supreme beings, there’s nothing mystical about them. Great golf shots aren’t a function of faith, psychology, or any other mumbo-jumbo. They’re a function of basic physics. Action and reaction. Nothing more.

It’s true that the Perfect Swing is a very subtle thing. Small – even tiny – variations in grip, stance, body position, club speed and other variables make all the difference. There are an almost infinite number of ways your club head can make contact with your ball. It’s no wonder so many golfers try so hard – with so little success – to improve.

Conventional golf instruction involves a human opinion–a guess, really. It’s based on subjective observation of your swing (which is over in less than a second) and subsequent observation of the path of your ball.

But the Perfect Swing is science. And that’s where the P3pro comes in. When you practice with your P3pro, you eliminate all the subjectivity. P3pro gives you an incredibly accurate, completely objective, totally scientific analysis of each swing. Because P3pro lets you know exactly what happens each time you hit the ball, you can make corrections quickly and easily.

In the following pages, you’ll learn how the P3pro can help you learn to swing more effectively than you’ve ever dreamed possible. You’ll learn the basic properties that lead to a great swing. You’ll also learn the fundamental errors that create an undesirable stroke, and how to correct them.

It works, too. We know veteran golf pros – scratch golfers who have made careers out of helping golfers improve their games – who have used the P3pro to detect subtle flaws in their swings. And significantly improved their games as a result!

Simple, straightforward, and best of all – effective.

Welcome to the world of better golf. Welcome to P3pro!

It all starts with your stance

NOTE: Because the P3pro Sensor Unit is 1 ¼” high, you need to stand on something of equivalent height in order to be level with the unit. We recommend the P3pro practice mat, which also has markings to help you learn proper alignment.

We know: you can’t wait to plug your P3pro into your computer and start playing with it. But in order to get the most out of your practice, it’s important to remember a basic concept: consistently striking the ball well is the result of a good starting position, and keeping a good position throughout the swing.

The proper stance is a complex thing. There are whole books devoted to it, and we’re not going to cover all of that ground here. Still, here are a few tips to help you make sure your setup and stance work to best advantage.

FIGURE 1 – A good, athletic stance with a six-iron. Notice that the feet are wee bit more than shoulder-width apart.

To achieve the correct starting position:

· First, make your preferred grip on the club, holding the club waist high.

· Your feet should be a little more than shoulder-width apart.

· Lean forward from your waist, and push your hips back a little to attain balance. In other words, stick your butt out. It’s okay. No one laughs when Tiger or Jack does it. By doing this, you’ll ensure that your weight is evenly distributed on both feet. Many golfers have more weight on the balls of their feet, which sets up an off-balance position.

· Your knees should be slightly flexed, and your upper arms should rest lightly on each side of your chest.

This should feel like a good athletic position, lively, relaxed and completely balanced. No one should be able to push you over, either front-to-back or side-to-side.

Ball position relative to your stance:

There are two schools of thought regarding ball position relative to stance. Some golfers believe that the club they’re using determines ball position, and that the stance remains more or less constant regardless of which club they hit. Others get better results by keeping the ball more or less constant relative to their forward foot. For these golfers, the ball appears to be more centered when using shorter irons – because the shorter the club, the narrower your stance should be.

FIGURE 3 – Some golfers prefer to keep the ball relatively constant to the position of the forward foot. Note the athletic stance as this golfer addresses the ball with a driver; the ball is just a bit behind the forward heel.

FIGURES 4, 5 – On the previous page we saw correct position with a driver. In these pictures, the golfer is hitting a six iron (top) and a wedge. The ball position stays constant relative to the forward foot, and the stance narrows.

Ball position must stay constant relative to the feet, but obviously, the longer the club, the further back you stand from the ball at address.

FIGURES 6, 7 – Some golfers prefer to keep the stance more or less the same width, regardless of club selection. Notice the relative position of the balls with a driver, six iron and wedge. In the photo on the left, note that the ball is furthest forward with the driver, furthest back with the short iron. In the picture on the right, note that the golfer is furthest from the ball with the driver, closest to it with the wedge.

The Perfect Swing

The Perfect Swing is a swing in which your club and body swing together. The club and the middle of your chest, or “center,” should move as one during the swing. In a connected swing, your head should stay at the same height or level throughout the swing. A connected swing that stays level will produce solid contact. Most golfers don’t move their body correctly during the swing, and try to do all the work with their arms. The Perfect Swing uses the whole body.

Now, let’s fire up your new P3pro. You’re ready to play.
What happens to your ball when you hit it?

Nine basic things can happen to your ball when you hit it. The following diagram shows them:

NOTE: the diagram shows ball paths for right-handed golfers. For left handed golfers, simply reverse the terminology. You can set your P3pro for right-handed OR left handed play.

Each of the ball paths shown reflects the results of the interaction of the ball and the club at the split second of impact. The horizontal and vertical angles of contact control the initial direction of the ball’s flight, and the resultant spin on the ball controls its ultimate path.

Unless you’re deliberately going for trick shots, hooks, slices, pulls and pushes are always problems. Draws and fades are highly desirable shots in some situations, which we’ll discuss later.

But the ability to hit them long and straight when you want to should always be your goal, and the P3pro is designed to help you hit them longer, straighter than ever before. So in the following pages, you’ll see what happens with each type of problem shot – and get tips on how to correct it. Your P3pro will provide you with instant feedback on each swing as you develop new accuracy and skill!

Hitting long and straight

Above is a depiction of club contact with the ball when you hit a wood long and straight. Your swing path is square to the ball, and your club face makes contact with the ball right in the sweet spot.

From the side, it looks like this.

Note that the bottom of the wood is perfectly parallel to the ground at the point of contact, and starts its upward path immediately after contact.

Now, let’s take a look at iron shots.

With IRON shots, the lowest point of the swing should be slightly beyond the ball, in order to generate desired backspin on the ball. When you play on turf, for example, your divot should start roughly half an inch in front of where your ball was before you struck it.

Your P3pro will give you advanced analysis and metrics on perfectly hit shots, allowing you to generate the Perfect Swing time after time.

Now that you understand proper stance and the goals of the swing, let’s take a look at the common problem shots – and how to fix them.

How to correct a HOOK

When a right-handed golfer hits a HOOK, the ball starts its flight to the left of the desired path, and spin on the ball creates a dramatic curve further to the left (it’s just the opposite for left-handed golfers).

Here’s WHY it happens:

When you hook the ball, the club face is CLOSED at the point of contact. This means that it angles to the left of the direction you want the ball to go. As a result, the ball goes to the left of your desired line.

But there’s more going on in the hook. With a hook, your swing path is also INSIDE OUT, which means that the club’s path starts INSIDE the desired ball path and finishes OUTSIDE of that path. This puts a vicious counter-clockwise spin on the ball, taking it sharply to the left as it travels through the air.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

1) Start by squaring your swing path. Using your P3pro to provide feedback on each shot, try the following adjustments:

· Your stance may not be aligned correctly – in this case, what’s known as a CLOSED STANCE may be the problem. A closed stance is one in which your body is angled slightly to the right of the desired line of flight (for a right handed golfer, that is). Here’s how to tell: if you’re a right-handed golfer and put a club across your toes after addressing the ball, the shaft of the club would point to the right of your desired target. With a square stance, the line will be parallel to the line of desired ball travel.

FIGURE 8 – An illustration of a closed stance. Notice that there are two clubs laid on the ground parallel with the desired line of flight. But with a closed stance a club laid across your toes will point towards the desired line of flight.

· The distance you stand from the ball at address will have an influence on the shape of your swing. If your swing path is from inside to outside, you may be standing too far from the ball – which means that you’re reaching for it at the address position. As a result, your swing will be more like swinging a baseball bat than a golf club. The club head will go too far behind you on the backswing. Try moving a little closer to the ball at the address. In the correct posture, your upper arms should lightly touch your chest – and you should be in balance.

· Make sure that your elbow position is correct. Your back elbow – that’s the right elbow for a right-handed golfer – should be even with the front elbow. Many players try to tuck the back elbow against the torso, thereby creating an inside out swing.

FIGURE 9 – Many golfers have incorrect elbow position when they swing, which can result in the dreaded hook. Here, we see the elbow tucked to the chest and low. This is almost sure to create an inside-out swing.

FIGURE 10 – Note that the elbows are just about level, and the right elbow is not tucked in towards the torso. This is the correct position.

Practice Drill

Practice an address position in which both of your elbows are even. A full-length mirror is a helpful tool.

Generally, simply squaring the swing path will also eliminate the problem of the closed club face. But if you’ve still got a closed club face – the P3pro will tell you – then it’s time to:

2) Develop a square club face by working on your grip. Using your P3pro to provide feedback on each shot, try the following adjustments:

· Take a look at your grip. Grip your club and address the ball. Notice the “vee” formed by the joint between your thumb and forefinger on each hand? With a proper grip, the vee on both hands should point towards your back shoulder – the right one, if you’re a right-handed golfer. This is illustrated on the next two pages.

· Check your clubface at address. The leading edge of your club should be perfectly square to the sensor slots on your P3pro before you swing. If you begin with the clubface closed, you won’t be able to square it during the swing. This is a very common mistake, by the way… and the sensor slots on your P3pro will help you ‘cheat’ your visualization while you learn!

· How’s your balance? As you start your backswing, your weight should flow with the clubhead. At the top of your backswing most of your weight should be on your back foot (that’s the right foot if you’re a right-handed golfer). At the finish of your swing, most of your weight should be on your front foot – and you should be in balance. If the weight does not flow and support the swing, you’ll tend to swing from the outside with a closed clubface.

Swing tempo, by the way, is important. Many people who hook ‘em are trying to swing to fast. Slow your swing down a little bit, and stay in balance.
How to correct a PULL

When a right-handed golfer hits a PULL, the ball starts its flight on a path to the left of the desired direction. But there isn’t much side spin on the ball, so the ball doesn’t veer further off its path, the way it does with a hook. It’s just the opposite for left-handed golfers.

Here’s WHY it happens:

When you pull the ball, the club face is CLOSED at the point of contact. This means that it angles to the left of the direction you want the ball to go. You’re also hitting the ball with an OUTSIDE IN swing path. Because the ball goes straight, some golfers try to compensate for chronic pulls by simply changing the angle with which they address the ball. That’s a mistake, because a pull illustrates some significant underlying flaws with the swing. P3pro will help you understand the mechanics of the pull – and how to fix it.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

· Check your grip alignment. Grip your club and address the ball. Notice the “vee” formed by the joint between your thumb and forefinger on each hand? Those vees should point directly to your right shoulder if you’re a right-handed golfer (see the illustrations on Pages 21 and 22).

· Check your stance. If your shoulders are OPEN– a line connecting your right and left shoulders points well to the left of the desired line of flight – the club will follow the alignment of your shoulders and go outside in. Square up! The alignment of your toes and shoulders should all be parallel to the line of flight.

· Make sure you complete your back swing. A lot of players don’t. In fact, golfers who chronically pull the ball tend to get about halfway back, without turning their upper bodies. The resulting swing is more like a baseball swing than a golf swing. You need to turn your upper body away from the ball during backswing, because at the top of the swing, your back should be facing the target. If you don’t, you’ll generate an outside in swing.

Here’s a drill to help. We call it the Old Dog Drill.

The Old Dog Drill

Get a couple of old, sleepy dogs – the older and sleepier, the better. Make them lie down and “stay” about 15 feet apart. Bribe ‘em with tennis balls if you must. If you don’t happen to have a couple of old hounds lying around, just about any other objects will do – flower pots, ski poles, melons – in fact, you can use just about anything but small children, which move around too much.

Now, address an imaginary ball in the middle of the line between the two hound dogs. Start taking practice swings. At the instant you’ve completed a proper backswing, your upper body should be squarely facing the hindmost dog. Swing through; at the completion of a proper follow-through, you should be facing the front dog.

FIGURE 13 – The Old Dog Drill. Bribe a couple of lazy old dogs to lie down about 15 to 20 feet apart. Stand between them and address an imaginary ball (don’t use a real ball, because one of the dogs is all but certain to steal it). When you take practice swings, your upper body should squarely face the back dog on the backswing.

Proper grip, stance, backswing and follow through should correct chronic pulls.

FIGURE 14 – The Old Dog Drill, continued. Swing through, and your upper body should be facing the forward dog on the follow-through. Making sure your upper body is facing the right directions on backswing and follow through can help you correct a pull.

How to correct a DRAW

The DRAW is the first cousin of the hook. The ball starts its flight either straight on the desired path, or slightly to the right of it. Once in the air, however, the ball starts to curve to the left to the right, for lefties).

Draws are actually desirable shots, for two reasons. For one thing, the spin on the ball can help it roll further down the fairway, adding to your distance. And draws can be hugely beneficial when playing a dogleg left; the ability to draw the ball can be a huge help in keeping you on the fairway and out of the trees.

Almost every great player either draws or fades their long shots to some extent; only a handful has ever achieved consistently straight shots. We believe that draws should be controlled, and not exaggerated, so we’ve included some tips to help you keep your draws in a reasonable range. We’ll also discuss some techniques to deliberately create draws in the ADVANCED CONCEPTS section at the end of this book.

Here’s WHY it happens:

When you hit a desirable draw – one that curves slightly but ends up where you want it – you’re hitting an with an ever-so-slightly CLOSED club face and a square or ever-so-slightly INSIDE OUT swing, which is generally due to a slightly CLOSED STANCE. Hitting with a nice, square swing path and a more significantly closed club face will create a more significant curve on the ball, because the combination of square swing path and closed club head is enough to create a significant counterclockwise spin on the ball. This causes the ball to travel to the left as it flies through the air.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

· Square up your stance. Draws typically result from a slightly closed stance. Opening your stance slightly should generate a straighter swing path. See the illustration on page 17.

· Make sure that the grip isn’t too strong. Grip your club and address the ball. Notice the “vees” formed by the joint between your thumb and forefinger on each hand? Those vees should point directly to your right shoulder. For an illustration of this, see the illustrations on pages 21 and 22. With a strong grip, the right hand (for a right-handed golfer) is rotated clockwise around the shaft of the club. If you were to look only at the right hand, you’d be able to see only one knuckle.
How to correct a PUSH

The PUSH is the opposite of the pull. When a right-handed golfer hits a push, the ball starts its flight on a path to the right of the desired direction. Because there isn’t much – if any – lateral spin on the ball, the ball doesn’t veer further off its path, the way it does with a slice. It’s just the opposite for left-handed golfers.

Here’s WHY it happens:

When you push the ball, the club face is OPEN at the point of contact. For righties, this means that it angles to the right of the direction you want the ball to go. You’re also hitting the ball with an INSIDE OUT swing path.

Some golfers try to compensate for chronic pushes by simply changing the angle with which they address the ball. Just as with pull corrections that attempt to compensate by playing angles, it’s a mistake to do this, because a push illustrates some significant underlying flaws with the swing.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

· Check your grip pressure. In a Perfect Swing, your club face will naturally start open, transition to square as you approach impact, and become closed on follow-through.

Now, you might think that club face angle only matters at impact. But in fact, maintaining proper clubface angles throughout the swing is critically important to creating a loose, natural, Perfect Swing. If you hold the club too tightly, the club simply can’t square naturally.

Paraphrasing the great Byron Nelson: you should hold a club with no more pressure than it would take to keep a parakeet from flying out of your hands – or squishing it and ending up with a handful of feathery goo.

· Check your alignment to the desired flight of the ball. If you’re chronically pushing, you’re probably aligning yourself to the right of the target. Remember, a golf club laid across your toes should point in the direction you want the ball to go. Ditto for the line of your shoulders.

PRACTICE DRILL

Here’s a classic drill to help correct pushes. It’s called the Split Grip drill.

Split Grip Drill:

Instead of using your normal grip, grip the club leaving about two inches between your hands. This makes the bottom hand (the right hand for right-handed golfers) more active, and will help you square up the club face. Hit 20 balls this way on your P3pro, reassume your normal grip and try a normal shot.

FIGURE 15 – Hand position with the Split Grip Drill. Separate your hands, and take a series of practice swings.

How to correct a FADE

The FADE is the first cousin of the slice. The ball starts its flight either straight on the desired path, or slightly to the left of it. Once in the air, however, the ball starts to curve to the right (to the left for a left-handed golfer).

Like draws, fades are actually desirable shots. Fades tend not to roll as far as draws; the spin on them tends to shorten distance a little. But they can be hugely beneficial when playing a dogleg right, and if you can consistently fade the ball accurately you’ll have a more consistent long game than most players.

As we noted previously, almost every great player either draws or fades their long shots to some extent; only a handful have ever achieved consistently straight shots. Again, we believe that these shots should be controlled, and not exaggerated, so we’ve included some tips to help you keep your fades in a reasonable range. We’ll also discuss some techniques to deliberately create fades in the ADVANCED CONCEPTS section at the end of this manual.

Here’s WHY it happens:

When you hit a fade, you’re hitting with a square to ever-so-slightly OUTSIDE IN swing path. Your club face is square to just barely OPEN on contact. In a more pronounced fade, the combination of square swing path and open club head is enough to create a significant clockwise spin on the ball, which causes the ball to travel to the right as it flies through the air.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

· Check your grip alignment. Your grip may be a little too WEAK. Grip your club and address the ball. Notice the “vees” formed by the joint between your thumb and forefinger on each hand? Those vees should point directly to your right shoulder. For an illustration of this, see the illustrations on pages 21 and 22. If your grip is weak, the vees point more towards your nose or even your left shoulder. Another way to visualize this: if you’re a right-handed golfer, take a look at your right hand. If the hand is rotated counterclockwise around the shaft of the club, you’ll see three (or more) knuckles – and the grip is weak.

· Check your alignment to your desired line of flight. Remember, a club laid across your feet should point to where you want the ball to go. A line pointing to the left of desired direction virtually guarantees an outside-in swing

The Split Grip Drill described on pages 31 and 32 is a good exercise to help fix undesired fades.

How to correct a SLICE

The oh-so-ugly SLICE is the exact opposite of a HOOK. When a right-handed golfer hits a SLICE, the ball starts its flight on a path to the right of the desired direction, and spin on the ball creates a dramatic curve further to the right – towards the trees, the clubhouse deck, the windshield of your car, etc. (again, it’s just the opposite for left-handed golfers).

Here’s WHY it happens:

When you slice the ball, the club face is OPEN at the point of contact. This means that it angles to the right of the direction you want the ball to go. As a result, the ball goes to the right of your desired line of flight.

And with a slice, your swing path is also OUTSIDE IN, which means that the club’s path starts outside of the desired ball path and finishes inside of that path. This puts tremendous clockwise spin on the ball, taking it sharply to the right as it travels through the air.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

1) Just as with the hook, start by squaring your swing path. Using your P3pro to provide feedback on each shot, try the following adjustments:

· Your stance may be too open, depending on which club you’re hitting. Here’s how to tell: if you’re a right-handed golfer and put a club across your toes after addressing the ball, the shaft of the club would point to the left of your desired target. With a square stance, the line will be parallel to the line of desired ball travel.

Text Box: FIGURE 16 – An illustration of an open stance. Notice that there are two clubs laid on the ground parallel with the desired line of flight. But with an open stance a club laid across your toes will point away the desired line of flight.

Text Box: FIGURE 17 – A front view of an open stance. Notice that the club laid across the toes point away the desired line of flight.

The distance you stand from the ball at address will have an influence on the shape of your swing. If your swing path is from outside to inside, you may actually be standing too close to the ball. In the correct posture, your upper arms should lightly touch your chest - and you should be in balance.

Generally, simply squaring the swing path will also eliminate the problem of the open club face. But if you still have an open clubface – the P3pro will tell you – then it’s time to try fixing number 2

2) Develop a square club face. Using your P3pro to provide feedback on each shot, try the following adjustments:

· Lighten your grip pressure. A grip that’s too tight or tense will restrict motion and the natural squaring of the clubface.

· Top handgrip - the grip of the club should be held in the fingers of the top hand (left hand for a right handed golfer) so that the grip is under the pad of the top hand.

· Make sure that the angle of your hands is correct. Visualize a line extending from the “V” formed by the thumb and forefinger of each hand as you grip the club. That line should point to the back shoulder – the right one, if you’re a right-handed golfer. See the illustrations on pages 21 and 22.

· Check your clubface at address. The leading edge of your club should be perfectly square to the sensor lines on your P3pro before you swing. If you begin with the clubface open, you won’t be able to square it during the swing. This is a very common mistake, by the way… and the sensor lines on your P3pro will help you ‘cheat’ your visualization while you learn!

· Check your ball position relative to your stance. Many golfers end up with an open clubface at impact because their ball position is slightly off. Moving the ball a little farther forward in your stance will normally eliminate an open clubface. For right handed golfers, your ball position should be slightly left of center with all of your clubs.

PRACTICE DRILL

Here’s a practice drill that helps you ensure a square clubface. It’s called “Toe-Up to Toe-Up.”

Toe-Up to Toe-Up Drill

Make half swings, just waist high to waist high. At the end of the back swing and at the end of the follow-through, the toe of the club should be pointing at the sky.

Text Box: FIGURE 18 – The Toe-Up to Toe-Up Drill. Note the position of the toe of the club on the backswing. The upper body is approximately ¼ of the way turned at this phase of the swing.

Text Box: FIGURE 19 – The Toe-Up to Toe-Up Drill. Note the position of the toe of the club on the follow-through. The upper body is approximately ¼ of the way turned.

Do this bearing in mind the Old Dog Drill described on the previous pages. Because you’re only going part-way through the backswing and follow-through, you don’t want full upper body rotation. Instead of your upper body facing all the way back on the backswing, and all the way forward on the follow-through, the Toe-Up to Toe-Up should find your upper body facing about ½ the way back on the backswing and ½ the way forward on the follow-through.

This drill will help you develop proper squaring of the clubface. Try it in practice swings a few times, and then hit 20 balls this way. It’s easy with your P3pro!

Fixing other problems

Skulling the ball – Skulling it, with the resultant “worm burner” shot, is the result of making contact with the ball too high – of not letting the club get to the ground.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

· Soften your grip. As we noted previously in the section on the push, your club head won’t square up properly if you’re gripping it too tightly.

· Check your posture. Tilt at the hips and stick your butt out so that your spine angle is not totally erect. If your spine is perfectly vertical you won’t be able to reach the ground with your club. At address, tilt from the hips so your spine is at an angle to the ground, bend your knees slightly and assume a good, balanced position with your weight evenly distributed on each foot. Remember, weight shifts to your rear foot on the backswing and finishes with most of your weight on the forward foot on the follow-through.

· Slow down. Lots of golfers skull it because they’re trying too hard. Take it easy, and don’t try to hit it a ton. Just work on hitting it straight.

Hitting it “FAT” – Hitting it fat is the result of hitting behind the ball. As a result, you put a lot of swing energy into excavating turf behind the ball, rather than sending the ball screaming towards the green.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

Make sure that you address the ball properly and that you have good follow-through and weight transfers through from back foot to front foot as you swing. The Toe-Up to Toe-Up Drill outlined on the previous pages can help.

The Whiff – A complete whiff, or totally missing the ball, is just about the most embarrassing thing that can happen on a golf course – and because all your friends have done it too, they won’t buy your explanation that you were taking a practice swing.

Here’s HOW TO FIX IT:

· A complete whiff is the result of not having correct body tilt at the address. As a result, your club head is too high, resulting in a swing reminiscent to that of a baseball bat heading for a heater coming in at the belt line. Find a balanced stance, as described in previous pages. Also, make sure that you’re fully extending your arms. Golfers who whiff ‘em tend not to have their arms relaxed and extended.

Using P3pro to improve your putts

There’s nothing more gratifying than hitting the ball a ton. Even so, most rounds of golf are won or lost on the greens. P3pro is the only swing analyzer on the market today that can actually help you improve your putts – because P3pro gives precise feedback on your address and swing.

As maddening as putts can be, learning correct putting technique is almost amazingly simple. Let’s start with a few basics:

· Stance: Your feet should be shoulder-width part, with the ball centered between your feet, or just a bit further forward – no more than an inch or two. Your eyes should be directly over the ball. If you were to somehow attach a plumb bob to the bridge of your nose, smack between your eyes, the bob should hover right over the center of the ball. And if you were to lay a club on the ground touching each of your toes, the club should run exactly parallel to the path you want the ball to take.

FIGURE 20 – A plumb bob tied on a string centered between your eyes should be directly over the ball when you address it for a putt.

FIGURE 21 – If you don’t happen to keep a plumb bob in your bag, you can place the butt of the club grip between your eyes and dangle the putter down – it should be centered over the ball.

Arms and upper body: Grip your putter, and imagine an inverted triangle created by your arms and the line between your shoulders – which, by the way, should be level and perfectly parallel to the ground at address.

When you putt, that shape of that triangle should remain absolutely constant. Proper putting does not involve swinging from the wrists. Instead, it involves keeping your upper body on a constant plane, drawing the putter back with arms and shoulders, and bringing it forward and through the ball. Imagine yourself and your putter as the pendulum of an old Grandfather clock. That’s what should happen. The speed with which you swing through the pendulum motion determines the amount of force you put on the ball – and the speed and distance with which it travels.

FIGURES 22, 23, 24 – Your arms and the line between your shoulders form a triangle when you putt. The shape of this triangle should remain constant through the swing – address, backswing and follow-through.

The shape of this triangle remains constant through the swing – creating a motion like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.

Now, here’s where the P3pro comes in. It’s damnably difficult to properly align yourself to precisely the right direction of travel for your putts. When you fire a rifle, for example, you’re directly behind the direction of travel and looking straight at your target.

But when you’re putting, you’re lining up from the side. Your perspective of the line between the ball and the cup is distorted. In fact, the closer you are to the pin, the more distorted the view actually becomes, because the relative angles become greater. This is one reason why so many golfers blow the “easy” ones.

P3pro can show you what’s exactly straight, and gives you immediate feedback on your clubface angle, swing angle and how centered your putter was on the ball. It shows if you kept your clubhead straight throughout the stroke.

Correcting chronic PULLS:

· The overwhelming number of golfers who chronically pull their putts (for right handers, this means sending it to the left of the desired path) have a slightly closed blade on their putter. Minute inaccuracies of blade angle can make all the difference, and can be hard to see. Often, what appears to be open is actually square – and what appears to be square can actually be closed. If you’re pulling a lot, experiment with the face angle on your putter – and watch what the P3pro tells you. You may need to open the club slightly.

Correcting chronic PUSHES:

· Similarly, the overwhelming number of golfers who chronically push their putts (for right handers, this means sending it to the right of the desired path) have a slightly open club head. Again, try adjusting your blade angle.

· Another tip: many people who chronically push their putts look up towards the hole too soon. Looking up prior to hitting the ball can open your club face. Keep your eyes straight down, looking at the exact point where the ball was, until you’ve finished your follow-through. This, by the way, is a good general rule for any putting situation.

And the most common cure for both pushes and pulls is to use the P3pro to develop the pendulum strike discussed earlier. When you hold the triangle properly and swing with your body, rather than the arms, you create an even, smooth pendulum effect. You feel the stroke through arms and shoulders, not your hands

Your P3pro can – and will – help you determine your proper putting stance, grip and body motions for straight shots. It also helps you understand how to set the straight line of your putts so that you can generate curved shots when you need them. And once you can consistently hit ‘em straight to where you want them, you can take your perfected straight shot to the real greens – and learn to play the angles.

Here’s the truth: great golf greens mess with your head. They’re not level – in fact, they’re far from it. Learning to read greens and their subtle variations of pitch is difficult to learn on a golf simulator. There’s no substitute for mileage on the real thing – so what you learn on the P3pro will help tremendously when you’re out on a real course.

Advanced Concepts

Creating Draws and Fades when you want them

As we noted earlier, draws and fades can be advantageous shots in some course situations, such as setting up an approach on a dogleg. Here’s how to create them:

To create a draw: Address the ball with a slightly closed stance, which will create a slight inside out path. The club angle should be closed at impact, with the toe of the club just slightly ahead of the heel. Make sure that you roll your right forearm over your left forearm on the follow through. This is actually a natural motion in the perfect golf swing, but you want to ensure that you’re actually doing it.

To create a fade: Address the ball with your stance slightly open. At impact, the heel of your club should be slightly ahead of the toe. The forearm crossover described above happens a little later in the swing, rather like a baseball player trying to hit it to right center.

What P3pro’s Toe and Heel height measurements can tell you:

P3pro uses its infrared measurement technology to tell you the toe and heel height measurement of each and every swing. P3pro uses this information to give you guidance about your address position, because at address your toe and heel height should be nearly the same.

Note that we said nearly the same. With a properly fitted club, the toe should be just slightly off the ground at address.

Why not flat? The physics are very complicated, but the answer is that the shaft of a club deflects down a bit during the swing. The shaft “rainbows” a little, which should – theoretically, at least – send the toe down to the level position at contact.

If your P3pro is showing proper toe and heel height and your efforts to correct your shots are proving ineffective, your P3pro may be giving you some bad news. Or good news, depending on how fond of new toys you are: your clubs may be incorrectly fitted for your body.

Shaft length and the lie of your club – the angle with which the shaft goes through the hosel to the club head – are the critical factors in accurate play. So if you’re having chronic toe/heel issues, we recommend that you visit - a good golf pro or club fitter and make sure that your clubs are properly aligned for your body. Custom club fitting may be very helpful in improving your play.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sports Vision Technologies gratefully acknowledges the contributions of Jay Morelli, Founding Pro of The Original Golf School at Mount Snow, Vermont, and writer Skip King in the creation of this Guide to Better Golf.

We’d also like to thank the Bethel Inn in Bethel, Maine, and Club Pro Scott Andrews.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING:

At Sports Vision Technologies, we believe the following texts are excellent resources for golfers seeking to improve their games. Some are older, some are newer, and all are terrific!