Torque Free Putting

An Introduction to Understanding the Influence of Torque in your Putting Stroke.

Every putter is designed to move in a certain manner. Every posture, hand orientation, and ball position dictate a certain movement pattern. When they match, the act becomes simple, and torque free. When they do not, we have to adjust. If we cannot adjust, we struggle.

Burnt Edges passionately believes that without being advised otherwise, a player will seek the path of least resistance with their putting stroke.

Torque manifests itself as a reaction to any resistance you might feel in your putting stroke. My body wants to move a certain manner. I might alter that, by choosing a different movement pattern, that will create torque in my stroke. For example, my posture, source and sequence of motion, and distance from the ball dictates a shallow plane and a big arc, yet my preference is a linear pattern. When I try to move the putter in a way it was not designed to move, I will sense a feel of resistance that force me to adjust. With any adjustment there is an impact on stroke direction path, face location and surprisingly, speed. A sense of torque can be sourced in several areas, and these usually work in collaboration. This paragraph explains the discovery of The Nine Profiles and the basis of Burnt Edges Consulting instruction. The Nine Profiles allow us to reduce the feeling of torque in your stroke, by matching movement patterns to stroke path and finding the correct putter design to match.

The following are areas we consider when we look to find the path of least resistance.

1. A mismatched putter design will create a sense of torque

2. The improper orientation of your trail hand on the club will create a sense of torque.

3. The source and sequence of your body motion relative to your posture will create a sense of torque.

4. The plane of rotation of your body around your spine can create torque.

5. How you balance your body over your feet can create a sense of torque.

6. The use of your feet and ankles at take away and transition can create a sense of torque.

7. How you adjust to your perception of target can create a sense of torque.

If you are familiar with our stroke evaluation process, you will notice some similarity between these points and our process. I placed these in order of public perception and current marketing trends. Putter design #1 and grip shape #2 are where most of the marketing money is being spent. Unfortunately, neither of that matters if you do not understand the rest.

Over the next few articles I will explain each of these points from the perspective of torque. I have had a number of requests on this topic, and I hope you find this series of articles helpful.