• How round is the ball you're using? How balanced is it?
  (Fig - page 20) An egg won't roll straight and neither will an out-of-round golf ball. Also, you may be surprised to learn that many brand new golf balls have a "light" and "heavy" side to them (which can be determined by the salt water test) and this flaw tends to make them wobble off line.
• How "hard" or "soft" is the ball you are using?
  A surlyn covered ball (like a Rock-Flite) will go almost 3 feet farther on a 30 foot putt than a balata covered ball (like a Titleist.) Distance balls off the tee are also distance balls on the green.

• How many putts do the pros really make from 6 feet? ...from 12 feet? ...from 25 feet?
  (Fig - page 38) The pros only make 50%, 20%, and 10% respectively. Be realistic in your expectations.
• How many putts can the True Roller make from 12 feet?
  Out of 1800 putts attempted from 12 feet, the True Roller made only 48% due to many factors that most golfers never consider.
• What is the lumpy doughnut?
  (Fig - pages 33,35) The lumpy doughnut is the congregation of footprints within a radius of 6 feet from the hole. The last 12 inches is almost footprint free and form the doughnut's hole. This creates a volcanic like entrance ramp that can have significant impact on a ball's line relative to its speed. The average 500+ footprints a foursome makes in the green take up to 2 hours to spring back up to normal shape. Fresh footprints are to the golf ball like a curb is to a pedestrian crossing the street... in other words, your ball can "trip" on its way to the hole.
• What are some other factors that affect your putts?
  Spike marks (aka Christmas trees), unfixed ball marks, diseased or poor greens, loose impediments, wind, etc. Half of all missed putts are not your fault!
• What then... is putting all luck?
  No. The golfer who makes the highest number of mechanically sound good strokes will make the most putts.

• #1) Sweet Spot - the center of percussion
  (Fig - pages 45,69) Putts hit on-center (commonly referred to as the sweet spot) have maximum energy transfer. Putts hit on the heel of the putter only transfer 85% energy of the stroke, and putts hit on the toe transfer as little as 70% energy of the stroke. Another down side of missing the sweet spot is that putts hit off-center have a 95% error-transfer efficiency. Do you know where the sweet spot is on your putter? Tap along the putter face with the tip of a key in one hand as you hold the shaft between thumb and forefinger in your other hand using your pinky to simulate the same shaft angle as when your set up to putt. When the putter moves exactly straight back from the tap and does not wobble, you've found the sweet spot. Repeated practice with Teacher Clips ® or rubber bands stretched over the putter head can help you learn to hit the sweet spot. If you use rubber bands, place them so they are an equal distance apart (at least a ball's width) on both sides of the center of percussion.
• #2) Blade Angle - the direction the putter face is aimed (relative to the target line.)
  (Fig - pages 44, 60) 90% of any error in blade angle is transmitted to the putt. The ball mainly goes where it is aimed and not along the path the putter head is moving. Enough practice setting the putter head perpendicular to markings on Truthboard ® or a yardstick can teach you what a square blade angle really looks like.
• #3) Putter Path - the trail the putter takes during the stroke (relative to the target line.)
  (Fig - pages 44,50) Of the 3 putting fundamentals, it is common for golfers to spend a majority of their time honing their putting path. Consider this however - only 20% of the putter path is transferred to the roll of the ball. This percentage is low due to the small amount of friction involved between the ball and putter blade. Putter path is still a very important fundamental because a fault in this area usually creates problems in one or both of the other fundamental areas. Path can be learned by making practice strokes in a Putting Track ® (Fig - page 53) or between two books set up with a yardstick in between them. If you use the books, establish a clearance distance (which can be made increasingly smaller) between them and the heel and toe of your putter head. Use the yardstick as a straight line guide.

• Hands (Fig - pages 107, 108) - the hands should oppose each other on the putter no matter what grip you choose to use. Where the hands are in relation to the shoulder sockets controls the stroke, i.e., the putter's path and blade angle.
• Grip Pressure - a light grip on the putter is preferred so that the weight of the putter head can be felt. Whatever grip pressure you choose to use must remain constant throughout the putting stroke.
• Forearms - when viewed from behind, the right forearm covering the left indicates a good balanced setup in this area.
• Ball Position - placing the ball in your stance so that it is contacted at the bottom of the arc of a pendulum stroke is ideal, however, 2 inches either side of this is acceptable.
• Eye Alignment - it is best to place your eyes directly over the ball so that there is no difference between your eye line and the target line angle. Eyes that either fall on the inside or the outside of this line introduce varying degrees of angles that have to be compensated for as the putting distances change.
• Body Motion - moving the body is a killer while trying to putt... you might as well be Charlie Brown trying to kick the football that Lucy is holding. Picture a pendulum as a model to strive for - it uses a minimum of moving parts when in motion. In putting, your shoulders are mainly responsible for creating this pendulum type of stroke. Become a relaxed totem pole, especially in the lower body area.
• Head Motion - Don't! Head motion is even worse than body motion. Enough said.
• Wrist Motion - using the wrists in putting is unreliable and causes most people's feel (especially in distance) to change from day to day. Your wrists should feel "dead" and they do not add any force to the putt.
• The Triangle - the triangle is formed by your two arms and shoulder line. This shape should not deform or change in any way throughout the entire putting stroke.
• Stroke Tempo - using the pendulum as a model, the duration of all putting strokes should be a constant. In other words, the total time for a short and long putt should be exactly the same. Note: tempo may vary from individual to individual and this is completely OK. A metronome is an invaluable tool in helping to determine your natural tempo. It's also an excellent aide to use every time you want to practice your putting tempo.

A simple pendulum describes harmonic motion and its angular frequency is independent of both amplitude and mass, and is dependent only on its length

• the total time it takes the putting stroke to be completed is always the same for any length putt
• this time period is a constant no matter how heavy or light the putter is
• the amount of energy transferred from the putter to the ball will change if the length of your suspension point changes. Here are 2 common ways this can happen:
  • moving the grip up or down on the putter
  • altering the stance by standing taller or shorter

1. FOUR CORNERS
   • Knee Knockers
   • Six Feet Under
2. BETWEEN THE LINES
3. LAG MAN Pelz lists 5 games in chapter 14 of his book. One of them is called Safety Drawback (pages 140, 141) and it's a great game to have fun with practicing putting against an opponent. In fact, Safety Drawback was first introduced in 1996 by Pelz as a way to help determine who is the best putter in the world at the annual World Putting Championship.

17. What does reading a green mean?
    Green reading is the task of determining how the green itself affects the ball on its journey to the hole. It is part art and part science. Developing skill at the art of green reading comes with time through the accumulation of putting experiences by playing many rounds of golf. The science of green reading takes these experiences and quantifies them with regard to how the ball actually reacts to the speed, slope, and grain of the greens. Of the three determining factors in the science of green reading, speed is arguably the most important because the overwhelming effect it has on both the slope and grain.

18. How do I read a green? What are the general steps I should take?
    Everyone will develop their own personal method of green reading, but here is an example sequence of steps that consider the fundamental issues:
    
    • Begin by noticing the general lay of the land as you approach the green. Imagine a huge bucket of water being poured near the hole and watch the direction of the water run off in your mind's eye.
    • Once on the green, crouch down and look from behind your ball towards the hole. Try to determine the amount of speed required to get the ball to the hole, taking into account whether the putt is uphill/downhill. Also, begin to formulate how much the ball will break left/right of the hole based upon that speed.
    • Next, mentally make note of the distance of the putt by stepping off a line from your ball to the hole. Pay attention to the texture of the grass and its grain as you go and be careful not to step on anyone's line.
    • Continue walking on a beyond the hole a couple of yards, then turn around and check the slope of the green as you look back towards your ball from behind the hole. This is where you fine tune the amount of break you want to play. The ball will be traveling at its slowest speed at this point and is usually therefore most affected by the speed, slope and grain nearer to the hole.
    • Walk back to your ball, take another quick look at your target to solidify the line, go through your practice preview strokes as a distance check warm-up, and then all that remains is to putt the ball.

    This entire process should only take about 30 seconds for most putts.

19. Is there an easy way to talk about how much break to play in a putt?
    One convention that can be used to describe how much break to play is a measurement system based on the cup size itself - this system can further be divided into 1/2 cup increments. For example, on a 20 foot putt that breaks slightly right, you might say you're aiming 1/2 cup to the left to compensate for the break. If the right break is really severe, you may have to aim as much as, say, 6 & 1/2 cups to the left - maybe even more.

20. Where should I really aim?
    A putt is rarely aimed directly dead center at the hole. This is because there is almost always a left or right break (however slight it may be) in the green. It is good idea to shift the center of the cup using the measurement system (detailed above) left or right of the hole to a new aim location. On short length putts, it is good rule of thumb to add a little more speed to the putt so that you can aim inside the hole (unless there is a severe slope left/right/downhill.)

21. What is the Farnsworth method?
    Farnsworth is a Pelz proponent and a leading visualization expert in the world of golf. He claims that the need to identify the correct speed as it relates to the path in putting cannot be overstated. This idea coupled with a vivid preview in your mind of how the ball will travel on its way to the hole is the formula for success. In his view, you must be able to trace a clear path with your eyes across the green to the hole at the speed the ball will be rolling at in order to have the best chance of getting the ball to go in the hole. He uses an x/y coordinate system to shift the focus from the actual hole to a secondary projected target hole. The projected target hole is selected based upon the speed, slope, and grain of the green and becomes the new aiming spot. Once the projected target hole is correctly identified, all putts become straight putts and putts stroked at the proper speed down the line at this projected hole will finish very near (if not in) the actual hole - see Farnsworth Diagrams

22. What should I be thinking of as I am ready to stroke the putt?
    At this point, you've aimed your putter at the projected target hole based upon the calculations you've made regarding speed, slope, and grain. You've taken a couple of practice strokes that preview the stroke needed to get the ball to roll the proper distance. The only thing left to do is to clear your mind of mechanical thoughts, imagine the projected target hole as you look at the ball, and pull the trigger. You must believe in your preparation and plan of attack as this breeds confidence. That's what a lot of putting really boils down to - confidence that you can stroke the little white ball to give it a good chance of going into the hole. And if it doesn't go in, you can still walk away knowing that you put your best read and stroke on the ball. Remember, not all of them go in because "golf is not a game of the perfect."