Solid Contact

Solid Contact with the ball is a critical component in distance control on the green. Without it you are going to three-putt too many times for your liking.

The quality of your putting stroke determines what happens initially after the ball is struck. There is a direct cause and effect relationship. The error factor in putting may not be as dramatic or exaggerated as in the full swing, but it can nevertheless influence the outcome of a putt.

Scatter Pattern Distance Putts

Perfect contact takes place when the sweetspot of your putterface strikes the equator of the ball. The average golfer rarely achieves this precision on a consistent basis. There is typically a scatter pattern spread across the entire putterface, both horizontally and vertically.

So why is it important to make solid contact with your ball? The simple answer is that a ball that is perfectly struck will roll further than a ball where the contact is off-centre. Erratic contact begins to show up more in poor distance control than in poor directional control.

Putter manufacturers realise the putting difficulties of high-handicap golfers and design their putters to minimise these short-comings. The distribution of weight in the putter head reduces the twisting when the ball is struck off-centre.

While a high moment of inertia can increase the size of the sweetspot of a putter in the same way that perimeter weighting is more forgiving in irons, but it cannot compensate fully for the error.

Unless you play on small greens or have a low handicap and can stick it close, there is a good chance that you will leave yourself with a number of long putts during the round. There is also a high probability that you will three-putt if you misjudge the distance of your first putt.

There is no magic solution to the problem of erratic contact. However, it is important that you become fully aware that in distance control solid contact plays an essential part. For example, hit the ball off the heel or toe of your putter on a long putt and your distance will be off.

Putting Clip

There are a number of putting aids that you can attach to your putterface that give you instant feedback on your putting stroke. Misdirected contact sends the ball off at an acute angle. However, nothing beats keeping your eye on the ball during impact.

Most golfers are keen to see the result of their effort prematurely. There is an old adage that says that no golfer has ever looked up on a shot and seen a good one. The conclusion - the more you move about when you putt, the less chance you give yourself to direct your putter into the back of the ball.

The quality of your putting stroke involves more than just solid contact with the ball. However, in distance control the way your putterface meets the ball at impact is a critical component.

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