This common swing fault could make you a better putter

Hitting better putts can be easily achieved through understanding what type of full-swing motion makes a ball roll better.

Every golfer has hit a hook or a slice with their full swing, but which one makes the ball roll out more? We all know the answer: the hook. Many of the top putters throughout history illustrate this well, as almost all of them have fought a hook with their full swing at some point in their careers.

In my experience, it’s uncanny how often players employ traits of their full swing in their putting stroke. Think about the players who have struggled with putting throughout their careers. Typically, they are some of the best ball strikers in the world — players who hit a “trap cut,” allowing them to dominate the ball-striking categories while falling short on the greens.

If you want to putt your best, though, you need the ball to start rolling quickly. That can be achieved with a more “hooking” motion.

Understanding this connection is essential if you want to strike the ball well and putt well at the same time. So, how can you effectively create more of a “hook” motion in your putting stroke? The key is the feeling of twisting the shaft without closing the face.

For most golfers, twisting the shaft without twisting the face feels like they are de-lofting the putter through impact by rotating their forearms in a hooking fashion. The trick to keeping the face from closing is to feel as though you are leaving the pads of your thumbs pointed backward as you rotate your forearms. Your putter path will also feel slightly “in-to-out,” or moving to the right for a right-handed golfer.

You must feel as though you are de-lofting the putter by twisting the shaft rather than simply “shoving your hands forward.” If you just shove your hands forward, the putter face will tend to open through impact. An open face at impact produces a slice, not a hook.

This may sound complicated at first, but once you feel it a few times, you’ll be amazed at how much this sensation can help you start the ball on your intended line time after time.

Your distance control should also improve significantly because of the improved quality of contact.