HANDS HIGH LIKE SCOTTY
BY THE SWING DOCTOR

On the eve of the Australian Open in December, eventual winner Adam Scott gave an insight into what he has been working on in regard to his much-maligned putting stroke.

The key, he said, was to get his hands set higher at address and maintain that during the rest of the stroke.

“I’ve been working on my putting but it is not 100 percent comfortable yet,” he said. “I’ve tried to raise my hands and get them higher to free up the stroke because I putted with low hands for 10 years mostly so it’s pretty tough to break that habit and it’s a different feel, but I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.

“I roll the ball better and hit a lot of good putts.”

By raising his hands he has eliminated unwanted angle (through his wrists) between his forearms and the putter shaft, which was obvious early in 2009 (pic 1)

Pic 1

By the time Scott reached the final round of the Australian Open the angle was gone (pic 2) and he was stroking his putts beautifully.

This straight line created between the forearms and the putter shaft leads to greater consistency with putting ball speed and accuracy.

Pic 2

From the February 2010 issue of Golf Australia magazine