2026…a new season, a fresh start, and yet another chance to finally understand that mysterious thing we call “FEEL” in putting. Yes, your shoulders, arms, and hands are all involved. And yes, somewhere along the way you’ve probably been told to “just rock your shoulders.” Challenging advice because your shoulders have about as much feel as a rock. So now what? Good news…it’s simple. There are only TWO things to master. Start your season as a great putter and your scores will drop!
First: recruit your dominant hand.
You know…the one you trust to pour coffee, sign checks, and scroll your phone with alarming accuracy. Let’s put it to work. Find a nice, straight 4–5 foot putt. (Spring still behaving like winter? No problem, putting indoors into a glass works fine.) Now putt with one hand only. Tiger used to do this. Righties: right hand. Lefties: you know the drill. And for those overachievers out there…yes, you can drill with the “other” hand, alone, too. Especially if you’re a lefty living a righty golf life.
Here’s the fun part: you’ll quickly realize you’re not terrible. In fact, you’ll see your own improvement, fairly quickly. Spend about 10 minutes rolling putts this way. Then gently add your other hand back on. Light grip, no squeezing the life out of it. Now something magical happens: your dominant hand brings its “feel” to the party. It’s as if your right hand and the clubface just signed a long-term partnership agreement.
Second: master ARRIVAL speed of the ball to the hole. Don’t be a smasher! If your ball charges the hole like it’s late for a meeting, it’s not going in. The faster it moves, the smaller the effective opening becomes. The hole literally gets smaller! Be in charge of PACE. You are responsible for delivering the ball with intention! Your goal? Deliver the ball to the hole so it arrives with just 2 or 3 gentle revolutions left before it would stop. That’s it. That’s the secret sauce. Want to really own this? Go to a green and ROLL balls with your hand only…no putter. Just you, a ball, and your sense of touch. Let your eyes coach your hand until you can consistently deliver the right energy. Then grab your putter and recreate that sense. Same feel. Same intention. Bonus: when your speed is this dialed in, your misses don’t run off to another zip code. They stay close. Very close. The kind of close that produces tap ins. To deepen the feel even more, try putting while looking at the hole. Yes, really! You’ll be frightened that you’re going to miss the ball entirely. You won’t. In fact, you might make a few. (Tour players have done it, so you’re in pretty good company.)
And just like that, you’re no longer guessing at “feel.” You’ve created it.
