In this feature, GM Top 25 coach Ged Walters takes a closer look at Tiger Woods' superb putting technique
Tiger Woods Putting Technique Analysis
Stats:
- Woods holed nearly every three footer he faced in 2015. He holed 99.61% from 255 attempts. In other words, he missed one!
- From 2004 to 2008 Tiger’s Average Distance of Putts Made was 6 ft longer than the Tour average
Related: Tiger Woods’ 2017 golf swing analysis
The set-up:
- Tiger stands with his feet just under shoulder-width apart, with the ball just forward of centre in his stance and the putter head dead centre for a slightly upward impact.
- He gets his eyes right over the ball to encourage a stroke that will start the putt on his target line.
- He grips the club across his left palm, almost as in his full-swing grip, to allow a little more freedom in his wrists through the stroke. The right hand sits parallel to the left hand to make it easy to keep the putter face square-to-target.
- He uses the reverse overlap grip with the left index finger sitting over the right hand for added unity.
Related: The secrets behind Jordan Spieth’s incredible putting technique
The stroke
Tiger swings the putter back and through to the same length either side of the ball.
This helps to keep the club on the right path and to control distance, with the shoulders and arms doing most of the work, functioning as a single unit.
However, he does hinge the right wrist a fraction on the backstroke, then releases it a little through impact.
Woods has a slight release in his putting stroke
This right-hand hingeing gives Tiger a better feel and flow within a stroke that, over the years, has made him perhaps the best pace putter in the game.
He squares the putter through impact, with the toe then overtaking the heel once the putt is on its way.
Related: How to practice putting under pressure
The main trademark of Tiger’s putting is how still his body and eyes remain on the green – he is fully focused, listening for the ball to drop from short range, and not looking at the ball until it is halfway to the hole from longer range.
This ‘stillness’ lies at the heart of the consistency and repetition of Tiger’s putting stroke.
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