I’ve been on a real putting kick lately. If you’ll continue to indulge me, I’d like to talk about foot work.

Let’s back up for a second and look at the putting stroke first.

Most of us have heard the basics of the modern putting stroke – keep the hands and arms quiet and let the stroke originate from the shoulders in a pendulum-like action.  This is true whether we choose to putt with a square stroke or with an open to closed stroke.

We also need to make sure we’re not shifting our weight in any direction during the stroke.

Why?

Consider the arc of the putting stroke.  Because of the way the human body is built, putting with a pendulum stroke means that the back swing will end with the putter head at a higher point than it was when it started.  During the through swing, the putter head will become lower and then eventually come back up again on the follow through.

Dave Pelz, along with many other teachers, recommends that the ball be struck just past the low point of the swing, so that the ball is struck with a degree or two of positive loft.

So far, so good.  This is all stuff we probably know.

The important thing to realize is that for you to putt optimally, you have to be able to repeat the same stroke, putt after putt after putt.  If you want to strike putts ever so slightly on the up stroke, then the up stroke has to start in the same place each and every time.

This is where foot work comes in.

Try taking a few practice strokes with almost all your weight on your right foot.  Now try it with almost all your weight on your left foot.  In my case, the low point of my swing moves about a foot when I do that.

Certainly, we’re not going to putt like that, but all that demonstration does is exaggerate the weight shift that many players employ during the putting stroke.  Most times, it’s not even noticeable.  In fact, as long as you shift your weight the same every time, you can still have a consistent stroke.

Unfortunately, weight shifts can be hard to repeat consistently.  This is part of the appeal of the Stack and Tilt swing and Jim Hardy’s one plane swing.  They de-emphasize the center to right to left weight shift present in the conventional swing.

When we throw putting into the mix, the margin for error is smaller.  Vary the contact point with the ball by enough to cause a couple of degrees change in effective loft and you’ll notice the difference in the way the ball reacts.  You may even be changing the quality of contact between the ball and club, possibly catching the ball closer to its equator (and lower on the putter face) or you may stub the putter into the turf a little, catching it fat.

Both of these lead to diminished contact.  When you’re trying to roll a putt exactly 20 feet, missing in one of these ways will cause you to come up short, assuming your stroke is right for that distance.  Ever heard the phrase, “never up, never in”?  Well, inconsistent contact will turn low chance in to no chance.

The key is to make sure you’re not shifting your weight at any time during the putting stroke.

Here’s how I get a feel for my foot work during my putting stroke.  I like to address a ball and then forget everything except feeling the sensation of my feet contacting the ground.  It helps to do this in bare feet on a carpeted floor.

I just feel like I’m standing there, totally flat-footed, almost like I’m trying to feel the grass growing beneath my feet.

From there, I take a few putting strokes, paying absolutely zero attention to the stroke itself.  The only thing I’m doing is feeling how my feet react.  If my ankles are working to keep me steady, then the weight in my upper body is shifting.  If I feel weight moving toward the edges of my feet, then my upper body is shifting.

I want to feel absolutely no weight shifting in my feet, just the feeling of the grass growing.

If you want to get a taste of what we’re trying to avoid, slide your hips way right and left as you address the ball and feel how you rock on your feet and your ankles try and keep you stable.  Now go back to your flat-footed stance and quiet down any weight shifting until it feels like your body is totally stable.

If you’re having trouble not shifting, then you could be trying to put too much “oomph” into the ball.  In most cases, you shouldn’t need to do that.  Take a smooth stroke and the club will work for you.

Any weight shift is probably robbing you of distance and accuracy, so toss it aside and feel the Earth, steady and stable beneath your feet.  Do that and you’ll gain some putting consistency.

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