Short and sweet

My last couple of rounds have been frustrating, mainly because of inconsistency. One round I putt well; the next I putt atrociously. One round I drive well; the next I hit every second drive into the trees. The rest of my game has much the same characteristic: very inconsistent ball striking.

Now, putting being the main cause of my frustration, I need to address this first. My inclination is to yet again go back to my old Ping blade putter. I think I spent so many years putting in the backyard with old blade putters, that I just can't get used to the newfangled centre-shaft, flying-saucer shaped putters.

All blade putters are of course different in that with a medium sized 2 to 5 metre putt, the blade will open and close quite naturally without any real problem. However, with shorter 1/2 to 2 metre putts this opening and closing (although slightly reduced) is likely to produce a little more inconsistency of line than a centre shaft patter, which is likely to swing a little more upright and stay squarer for longer during the stroke.

The particular blade putter I have is also old school, with no insert, so that the sweet spot is not as big, meaning in turn that with longer putts I have a tendency to mishit them slightly. This can be either toe or heel hits, or sometimes even a bit fat or thin. Perhaps a new blade putter will be the go - I just need to justify the expenditure.

But in relation to the full swing shots an equipment change is not on the cards. The swing is the thing - not the equipment. In this area, I am thinking and talking about applying a theory that I've employed before when accuracy with a fairway wood was a high priority. It's something I've also researched and found some general agreement on its merits.

The theory relates to the shortening of the backswing. There seems to be general agreement that an overly long (John Daly) swing will not work for many people. The hand-eye coordination and timing required is phenomenal. However, there also seems to be quite a bit of resistance to the idea of deliberately shortening the backswing, mainly because of the potential loss of timing that can result.

Before getting too much into the mechanics, I should state what I consider to be the benefits of a shorter backswing. The number one benefit is more consistent club face contact. The club does not have as far to travel and for most people is less likely to get off plane. The other benefits are that the player is also less likely to sway. lose balance or to manipulate her or his arms in the quest for power.

One potential downside of a shorter backswing is a loss of power - with less time to generate club head speed. Another potential downside is the unconscious tendency to hurry the swing - in an attempt to generate the power that the player feels they are losing. Loss of timing is the possible consequence.

These potential problems must be considered because I've experienced these very things - loss of timing in particular. However, I feel that if I can control the urge to hurry the swing or swing significantly harder with a short backswing, the results will be good. And, by results I mean better club face contact, straighter shots and little, if any, loss of distance.

Notwithstanding the need to control the hit impulse, a shorter backswing seems to encourage good acceleration of the club head. Witness this by hitting some short pitch shots to a flag with a shorter backswing. Your brain seems to tell you to swing that little bit faster (or harder) to match the distance required. The result for me is usually crisper shots, reduced risk of deceleration (the enemy of the short game) and plenty of spin when required.

With short pitch shots, of course, you don't have to worry too much about timing the swing of the arms and the turn of the body - you are generally pre-set slightly open and need only to put in a little knee work during the shot. With full shots, there is a need to take a little more time on the backswing, to help avoid any desire to rush the shot, and make sure that body turn is not compromised. That is, it is still essential to turn or coil as far as is comfortable. A shorter backswing doesn't mean a significant reduction in body turn, but it does mean that the impulse to turn too far is reduced, another side-benefit of this theory.

The proof of this theory will be, as they say, in the pudding. I'll be sampling my short and sweet pudding (and re-acquainting myself with my old putter) next time out on the links.

PS. A short full swing is, in my definition, where the club is just past vertical - at about 1 o'clock looking face on. This is VERY short by anyone's assessment, but what it is is what it is.