How a Common Full-Swing Fault Could Make You a Better Putter

Every golfer has hit a hook or a slice with a full swing. But which motion helps the ball transition into a roll sooner? According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Tommy O’Brien Jr., the answer is the hook.

In the GOLF.com article by Tommy O’Brien Jr., with Zephyr Melton, the author notes that players often bring traits of their full swing into their putting stroke. Many of the game’s top putters have fought a hook in their full swing at some point in their careers. Meanwhile, players who have struggled with putting are often elite ball strikers who play a controlled trap cut, succeeding in ball-striking categories but falling short on the greens.

To putt your best, the ball needs to start rolling quickly. O’Brien says this can be encouraged by creating a more hook-like motion in the putting stroke. The key is to feel the shaft twisting without closing the face.

For most golfers, this feels like de-lofting the putter through impact by rotating the forearms in a hooking fashion. As the forearms rotate, the player should feel as though the pads of the thumbs remain pointed backward. The putter path should also feel slightly in-to-out; for a right-handed golfer, that means moving to the right.

The goal is to feel the putter de-lofting through shaft rotation rather than simply shoving the hands forward. If the hands are only pushed forward, the putter face tends to open through impact. An open face produces a slice, not a hook.

The sensation may seem complicated at first, but after a few repetitions, the author says it can help the ball start on the intended line more consistently. Distance control should also improve significantly because of better contact.