Forward Press...Yes or No...Why???

[mjnrock]

What is your Putting Trigger??????

Do you use forward press to trigger putting stroke?? Any other good triggers out there??

[djl0657]

I recently had a putting lesson and learned from the pro that I was using a bit too much forward press and on a putter with an offset plumbers neck, it was causing the head to move the aim point a bit left of where I wanted to be aimed. As a result, I am using a slanted hosel and minimal press and am putting much better (or course the loft of the current putter can dictate how much press also). Good post.

[PuttingDoctor]

I'm sure not a fan of forward press to activate the stroke. I would prefer that you divorce your hands from the putting stroke.

 

Unless your hands move in a straight line toward / parallel to the intended line of the putt then you're changing your aim point, not to mention loft.

 

If you are using a shoulder rocking motion think of the stroke starting from the big muscle attached to your scapula.

 

The trigger I've used is part "flow control." My eyes are moving slowly back from the hole along the line and as they come back to the ball my takeaway begins. It's all about the process and not standing over the ball letting doubt creep in. I refer to this as stinkin' thinkin'.

 

The real question regarding forward press is "Are you returning to impact with a delofted face or are your hands lagging the putter into the expected/manufactured loft of the putter face?"

[forgedforever]

PuttingDoctor makes some interesting points here. When he wrote of "flow control" the first pro who came to mind was David Love III. This is what he appears to do on his putts. I've only played with one golfer who used a forward press while putting. But he also uses a forward press on all other shots, so I guess this is what works for him. Given what I've just written, interesting poll results thus far on the subject.

[choeppner]

I do a slight forward press. It's hard to describe. When I step up to a putt, I set the putter down on line, take my stance, do a slight forward press, and putt. It's just what works for me.

 

-Chris

[Redman]

I have always wondered what exactly does "rocking" your shoulders mean? I have always used my forearms to stroke the putter and sometimes good, sometimes bad, haha. Does it mean that when you start your stroke your left shoulder (if righty) dips down and then back up? As I try to watch pros putt it never seems like the first part of their body to move is the shoulders. Just wondering!

[TM golf guy]

I just hit the ball. Never been a presser. Just get the shoulders going back and then go through. I see lots of people press too far and take all the loft off the putter at impact. Drive the ball in the ground like that and you are in for a bumpy ride.

[PMAC]

I once had a forward press. Then we got a Tomi Putt (http://tomi.com/) and it told me i was forward pressing and pointing the face to the left and delofting the club. Then through impact adding loft to the putter to try add get back to my original set up position. When i took out the forward press, both the delofting and adding of loft stopped. I now use a tapping of the club to get it going. I tap the putter up and down a little behind the ball, 2 or 3 times, to start the stroke.

[walts00]

I have always wondered what exactly does "rocking" your shoulders mean? I have always used my forearms to stroke the putter and sometimes good, sometimes bad, haha. Does it mean that when you start your stroke your left shoulder (if righty) dips down and then back up? As I try to watch pros putt it never seems like the first part of their body to move is the shoulders. Just wondering!

 

The best way to feel this is to stick a tissue in each one of your arm pitts while you putt. You'll feel very connected and you can only "rock your shoulders" to hit the ball. Watch Tiger putt....he could easily keep two tissues under his arms.

[CaliWagon]

No forward press. Just take a glance at the hole, and when my eyes get back to the ball, time to go.

[Redman]

I have always wondered what exactly does "rocking" your shoulders mean? I have always used my forearms to stroke the putter and sometimes good, sometimes bad, haha. Does it mean that when you start your stroke your left shoulder (if righty) dips down and then back up? As I try to watch pros putt it never seems like the first part of their body to move is the shoulders. Just wondering!

 

The best way to feel this is to stick a tissue in each one of your arm pitts while you putt. You'll feel very connected and you can only "rock your shoulders" to hit the ball. Watch Tiger putt....he could easily keep two tissues under his arms.

 

I can kinda see what you are talking about when doing this. I guess I am still not sure what my shoulders should feel like they are doing. Should the feeling be more of a up and down or a turning around?

[againstthegrain]

I took a putting lesson a week or so ago and the instructor had me set my hands slightly forward at address, but not using the hands and arms to start the backswing. The ball did seem to roll well.

 

 

I have a forward press in my full swing and it became apparent that starting my swing with the forward press means an all arms takeaway. I am working on starting my full swing and putts w shoulders so I think the fp on the full swing is on it's way out.

[mattl2787]

I voted "No": Unless you play everyday or practice your putting everday, foward pressing before your stroke will be very inconsistent. Phil and other pros get away with it because they have the muscle memory and repetitions for it to be the same stroke every single time. If you take a few days off between rounds, your foward press may be different in every round. It's very hard to repeat that kind of stroke.

[walts00]

I have always wondered what exactly does "rocking" your shoulders mean? I have always used my forearms to stroke the putter and sometimes good, sometimes bad, haha. Does it mean that when you start your stroke your left shoulder (if righty) dips down and then back up? As I try to watch pros putt it never seems like the first part of their body to move is the shoulders. Just wondering!

 

The best way to feel this is to stick a tissue in each one of your arm pitts while you putt. You'll feel very connected and you can only "rock your shoulders" to hit the ball. Watch Tiger putt....he could easily keep two tissues under his arms.

 

I can kinda see what you are talking about when doing this. I guess I am still not sure what my shoulders should feel like they are doing. Should the feeling be more of a up and down or a turning around?

 

You don't really need to focus on your shoulder moving side-to-side or up and down. Just "rock" them in a motion that allows your putter to naturally swing and hit the ball. Your putter may come inside a bit on the way back and then arc back inside again on the way through....this is just a nice natural and very repeatable motion.

 

The stroke will take care of itself. Again...just keep the tissues under your arms and rock the shoulders...ity'll work. Watch video of Tiger putting if you need to just to see what kind of natural motion it is with his arms tucked in.

[PuttingDoctor]

Redman, take your normal setup without the putter in your hands. Bring your palms together and let your arms sway enough to engage your shoulders. Keep the motion going steady back and forth with the same rhythm back and forth and you should begin to feel what is said by "rocking the shoulders."

[jjrpilot]

I used to...but don't anymore...wouldn't it deloft the putter face?

[mjnrock]

i seem to do a forward "slight push" i dont think i deloft the putter

[bm303]

No. I find it uncomfortable and have no reason to deloft the putter.

[Bomb and Gouge]

No forward press or "trigger" for me.

[mcfet]

I've been really struggling with my putting so I tried many different things last year. I found for me that instead of the forward press If I just lift the putter, let it just hang for a moment and then put I do much better. I find I hit the sweet spot much more often and it has really helped me. When I was tinkering with the forward press I felt that the ball would hop and then skid a bit before it would roll correctly. I had a tough time getting the ball on my intended line.