Vertical Release of the Putter?

madlife5 · March 15, 2017

Can anyone speak to the concept of “Vertical Release” in the putting stroke??

Watching golf this past weekend. The announcer made mention of Patrick Cantlay having a horizontal AND VERTICAL release of the putter. As they played the slo-mo of Patrick’s stroke, you can clearly see the left elbow independently rise/pulled more into the body at or just after impact. I cannot find a video of his stroke anywhere.

I had never heard of the vertical release concept before. Can anyone shed some light on this? Just curious.

Thanks.

golfing_penguin · March 15, 2017

I can´t comment to the video you´ve seen as I haven´t, but sounds like someone is trying to make a selling point to give customers to rope them in - "Look, X-golfer on the PGA Tour does this, he´s a good putter, you should too"

Putting is hitting the ball at a good pace on a good line. It doesn´t need to be made more complicated than that

(Sorry that that isn´t a response you were after)

jslane57 · March 15, 2017

I saw the video. Played with my putting stroke a bit to see what it took to do this. Really, just a very still body with relaxed arms and it just happens...

madlife5 · March 16, 2017

I saw the video. Played with my putting stroke a bit to see what it took to do this. Really, just a very still body with relaxed arms and it just happens...

I play around with it too but the elbow move did just happen for me. I did notice however, that if I purposely pulled the right elbow up a tiny bit after impact, the putter face stayed square to the line in "follow through position"; as opposed to no elbow pull, where putter face is slightly left. Cant explain why what would be the case, I'll play around with it some more for the heck of it.

madlife5 · March 16, 2017

I can´t comment to the video you´ve seen as I haven´t, but sounds like someone is trying to make a selling point to give customers to rope them in - "Look, X-golfer on the PGA Tour does this, he´s a good putter, you should too"

Putting is hitting the ball at a good pace on a good line. It doesn´t need to be made more complicated than that

(Sorry that that isn´t a response you were after)

No worries, some of us are a bunch of over-analysers who get a kick out of discussing these little qwerks about the game when we see/hear them. You make a good point though.

golfing_penguin · March 16, 2017

I can´t comment to the video you´ve seen as I haven´t, but sounds like someone is trying to make a selling point to give customers to rope them in - "Look, X-golfer on the PGA Tour does this, he´s a good putter, you should too"

Putting is hitting the ball at a good pace on a good line. It doesn´t need to be made more complicated than that

(Sorry that that isn´t a response you were after)
No worries, some of us are a bunch of over-analysers who get a kick out of discussing these little qwerks about the game when we see/hear them. You make a good point though.

And please don´t think I was trying to be a curmudgeon! Discussing different things and trying them out is part of the learning process for all of us! :)

larrybud · March 16, 2017

I don't know anything that Cantlay does, but the putter head MUST rise once it reaches the bottom of the stroke because the stroke is on an arc (on both a horizontal and vertical arc). If it doesn't rise, that means that you have to be manipulating the head somehow, like by extending your arms through impact.

I always cringe when I hear people say "keep the putter head low".

4Par · March 16, 2017

. If it doesn't rise, that means that you have to be manipulating the head somehow, like by extending your arms through impact.

I always cringe when I hear people say "keep the putter head low".

Eureka!! That makes so much sense to me... I just tried a few strokes and it felt very free to let the putter head move without manipulating it.....