Many happy returns

It's not my birthday, but being back on the course after two months away feels good.

Since returning, a week ago, I've realised a couple of things - about two areas of the game.

Firstly putting. Using a split-hand grip has made me realise that what is actually important in the putting stroke is not the grip - conventional, reverse overlap. left-hand low, claw, pencil, etc. - but the stroke itself. What?

Seems obvious, but in fact all these weird grips are attempts at taking out or reducing the tension that causes a hurried, anxious swipe at the ball. Golfers think they can trick their brain into creating a smooth, even, calm, rhythmic, accurate putting stroke. And, to some extent, they succeed.

But ultimately, if you can convince yourself that you can make a smooth, calm stroke, any grip will work. I've gone back to a conventional reverse overlap grip, but tried to retain the feeling of smoothness, while concentrating on pace, and giving myself permission to blame misreads or surface irregularities or wind, or anything other than my stroke, for the occasional short putt that misses.

Unfortunately, regaining confidence or gaining it for the first time is not all that easy. It's worth practising one handed or split handed before a round to get that smoothness into your putting stroke, but in the end it's mind over matter - you have to be positive and putt confidently and decisively.

Or you could just accept that you are a bad putter. Not really a good option.

Secondly backswing. My next experiment has been with shortening my, already short, backswing. Note that this is all the rage on the pro tours at the moment. Perhaps this is because pros are getting bigger and stronger and can generate enormous clubhead speeds with short backswings. But I think many golfers can benefit from this trend.

What I've discovered is that it is possible to hit the ball almost as far with a backswing that is at most three-quarters of what could be called a full backswing (full being where the club is parallel to the ground and pointing to the target at the top).

And, indeed it is possible to hit the ball almost as far with a backswing that is half of a full backswing - provided you introduce a full wrist-cock - something that many average golfers do not use, or the importance of which many golfers are not even aware.

It's amazing how much clubhead speed is actually created through wrist-cock. This alone accounts for something like 45 to 90 degrees of swing arc. With the arms back only to about parallel with the ground (ninety degrees from set up) a full wrist cock will add enough to the arc to replicate at least a three-quarter swing. And plenty of clubhead speed will be generated.

Why is this important? Consistency, accuracy, effortlessness.

Fairways and greens hit mean many happy returns. It would be nice if all our birthdays came at once.