Opinion & Analysis

Golf 101: How do I putt?

Published

6 years ago

Oct 16, 2020

May seem like the most mindless aspect of the game, but it’s actually the polar opposite. How many times have you seen a new golfer seemingly wonder, “how do I putt?” then stand up to a putt and either pull it back like a 1/2 inch and gun through it or take it back knee-high and hit the brakes at impact?

The point is, new golfers rarely understand the idea of controlling the pace and violence of the impact.

Without getting into arcs, release, etc., let’s just focus on a simple way to stay in your body and hit a 4-footer. How do we do that? Eliminate as many variables for chaos as humanly possible.

How do I putt?

Four checkpoints to, at the very least, keep the ball on the green and somewhere near the hole.

The Grip: Club falls in the lifelines of your palms. I don’t care if it’s ten-finger, traditional, interlock, cross-handed, or anything else. The point is putting the grip down the lifelines eliminates any tricks your fingers can play and just by association secures your lead wrist in a flat position.
Stance: Feet shoulder-width apart, arms hang under your shoulders and eyes are over the inside part of the ball. The ball should be just shy of the middle of your stance, so split the difference between your lead heel and your pants zipper. Simple enough. Watch Tiger, just like that.
Pick your spot: Find a spot 6-12 inches in front of you and focus on rolling the ball over that spot. A) It will get the ball on your intended line B) It will help you begin to understand the harmony of line and speed C) It gets you focused on your intention as opposed to your stroke.
Toe to Toe Shoulder Rocking: Once you are set up, the ball is properly placed, you got your aim point and now….. rock the shoulders. That’s it. You will see the upside-down triangle you have created with the correct setup, on a pendulum rock that triangle, and by default, the back of the lead hand will lead the train and collect the ball hopefully outta the middle of the face. This is the most important thing (for now), the clubhead never gets past your trail toe and passes all the way to your lead foot for the follow thru. Once you get a sense of speed control you can venture outside of the toe to toe reservation.

Yes, this will take some getting used to and mistakes will happen, but once you get your mental image to match up with your body action its a surefire way to instill sound fundamentals into your stroke all while eliminating all the “extra stuff” we do when learning how to putt. You can put your signature on it once you get the hang of it. One miracle at a time.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

5 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

7 days ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.