Okay, so I’ve been struggling with my putting lately. It’s been super inconsistent. One day I’m draining everything, the next I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. I stumbled across some Phil Kenyon putting tips online and decided to give them a shot. Here’s how it went down:
The Setup
First thing I did was watch some videos. I didn’t want to just jump in blind, you know? I wanted to get a feel for Kenyon’s overall philosophy. It seemed like he focuses a lot on a consistent setup and a pendulum-like stroke. Sounds simple enough, right? Famous last words.
Hitting the Practice Green
I grabbed my putter and headed to the practice green. I started by working on my setup. Kenyon emphasizes posture and ball position.
- Posture: I tried to stand a bit taller, feeling like my eyes were directly over the ball. I usually hunch over way too much. It felt awkward at first, but I could see how it might help with consistency.
- Ball Position:I made sure to position the ball slightly forward of center. My miss is often a push, so hopefully this is to get me squaring the face a little better.
The Stroke
Next, I worked on my stroke. I focused on a smooth, pendulum-like motion. It is important to keep the putter head low to the ground during the backswing and follow-through.
- Pendulum Motion: I concentrated on rocking my shoulders, keeping my wrists quiet. My usual stroke has way too much wrist action, which is probably why I’m all over the place.
- Keep Low:Focus on to keep the putter close to the ground.
The Drills
I didn’t just roll putts aimlessly. I tried a couple of drills I found in my research, though I don’t remember the exact names.
- The Gate Drill: I set up two tees a little wider than my putter head and practiced putting through the “gate.” This was tough! It really highlighted how much my putter face was wandering during my stroke.
- Distance Control: I focused on hitting putts to different distances, trying to get a feel for the length of my backswing. My distance control has been atrocious, so this was much needed.
The Results (So Far…)
Honestly, it’s too early to tell if this is going to be a miracle cure. I definitely felt a little more stable over the ball with the setup changes. The gate drill was a real eye-opener – I realized how much I was manipulating the putter face. I sank a few more putts than usual during the distance control drill, but that could just be the placebo effect.
I’m going to keep practicing these Phil Kenyon tips for the next few weeks and see if it makes a real difference in my scores. It’s definitely going to take some time to break old habits, but I’m optimistic. I’ll update you guys on my progress!
