Breaking 80

By Stan Utley

Photos by J.D. Cuban

October 2009

Matching aim with read

You can do everything right with your read and still make a basic mistake that will cause you to miss a lot of putts. The common fault is to focus on the hole, not the apex of the break, during the setup and alignment process (inset, bottom photo). That forces you to steer your stroke to start the ball on line instead of letting the putter swing naturally on a good path. Once you've picked the apex of the break, go through your pre-putt routine from behind the ball—facing the apex point (inset)—then align yourself square to that point, not the hole. Now trust your read and make the stroke.

Simplify the lob shot

Instead of contorting yourself into an open stance with a low right shoulder to try to scoop a shot high into the air, use your basic bunker setup for a nearly foolproof lob shot. Set your feet shoulder-width apart, your spine tilted left and your hands slightly behind the ball—which adds loft to the club (far left). Then, using very little arm swing, hinge your wrists aggressively (middle), keeping the end of the grip directly in front of you. Unhinge your wrists fast through impact to produce the speed to shoot the ball up in the air (right), letting your left wrist cup and your left elbow slide along your side. See how the face is pointed straight up in the air? That's how to get loft.