The agony and the agony

I've recently posted about how to initiate the downswing, i.e. how the transition works best in the golf swing. I said I would try to use my right knee (via a tiny kick towards the target at the top of the backswing) to trigger my downswing. That was a good idea and it works great in practice swings, but for the life of me I can't use it when I'm actually hitting a ball.

Why is it so? Probably because like most recreational golfers I am too ball conscious, too involved in hitting at the ball to actually use a swing thought that might be useful. The swing sequence is of course crucial in decent ball striking, and starting the swing from the ground up is a great way to get this sequencing right. However, I've come to the conclusion that the only thing that really works for me is the awareness (and that's really all it is) that I need to get my weight to my front foot to his decent shots.

So, I'm prepared to accept that this swing thought (weight to the front) is enough for me to establish a reasonable swing sequence and to hit OK golf shots. But I now come to the agony bit.

Putting, ah yes, the agony without ecstasy. I was a keen and regular backyard putter from my youth to my middle years, and I was a darned good putter. When I got to play 'real' golf I had to contend with the fact that 'real' greens were smooth and fast, not like the backyard at all.

Anyway, I continued to be quite a good putter, in most respects: I had feel, imagination, concentration and, for a while, confidence. But, then the dreaded yips (which they say might even be hereditary) started to kick in, so to speak. I started to miss those eminently makable 2 and 3 footers, with way too much regularity. I still make the odd longer putt, even the 5 and 6 footers, but get me near the hole ...

Now, what to do? So far I've tried claw, pencil, cack, pendulum, reverse, split, reverse overlap, etc. etc. and come up empty. Most promising was probably cack handed (left hand low for me as a right-hander), but I could still pull and push short putts with ease using this method. Taking my right hand out of play to some degree probably makes sense, according to most theory, but I'm not so sure. None of these methods for doing this felt right to me.

My solution is simple: putt as I used to putt in the backyard, just make sure my grip is as light as I can make it - that is, take as much tension out of the stroke as I can and maximise the feel in my hands. Then, as I've said before, accept the odd miss. After all, my regular three-putts are as much due to a poor first putt from distance as from missing the shortish one I leave myself.

There is one other technique, without messing with my grip, that I think I will try. This is the, not unknown, idea of tucking the right elbow in tight to your side to stabilise or restrict the motion of the right arm (in particular). This tucking in is not dissimilar to the process of anchoring, but is quite legal since it does not involve the putter itself. I will use it on short putts in the coming weeks and see how it goes.

Let's face it, I can't putt any worse! Or can I? The agony, the agony ...