Arm lock vs Side saddle putting

About 5 years ago, I gave side saddle a run but I just couldn’t practice enough to make it work. but, now I have all winter and I’d be looking to get good in a very specific way. I don’t think I can overcome 35 years of putting the traditional way to completely change. But, just shorter putts? I think I can do that.

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Two putters…why not :smile:. I currently have two techniques. 15’ and in I line up and putt looking at the hole (Jordan Spieth)…eliminates completely any technical stroke thoughts for me. Then outside of 15’ or so I look at the ball rather than the hole because I can’t take the putter far enough back comfortably while looking at the hole.

That’s part of the reason I’m so interested in side saddle…so I can face the hole and keep my eye on the target all the time…ie…tossing the ball looking at the target, not the toss.

It all seems so logical. Squaring shoulders and eyes up to the line is the way our bodies want to work. Getting aligned properly is a bit of a challenge because you have to stand to the side of the ball but that’s just practice. Getting the ball started on the correct line for putts with a short stroke is trivially simple.

I carry a 3W, 5W, and 4I - any one of those can go and I’d hardly miss it.

So are you carrying two putters this year?

Interesting, I purchased TM Rossa Daytona 6, 35” long, almost exact same look as my Ping Anser that is probably 40 years old. The Rossa is a full 1.8 ounces heavier than my trusty Ping. I practiced alot with the Rossa, but under pressure, I could never get my putts to stay online or go proper distance with any kind of consistency. I purchased that, because I thought it would make me a better putter. All I did was keep on opening my stance and it was almost side saddle…. I couldn’t take it any longer. I just kept getting more and more inconsistent to the point where my playing partners developed lockjaw when I had a 2 ft putt left, what used to be an automatic “pick it up” to uh, putt that out, it was a 60/40 probability for me to miss. That’s how poor I had become. Well the 2 year experiment is over. I went back to my Anser this week. I had one 3 putt from 87ft on a GIR, i shot a 74, with 9 GIR total for the day. I made 7 bogies, 1 Birdie and one Eagle. Do the math. Feeling is so much better with my putting stroke and I feel I can strike the putt with more consistency. Confidence wise it was a game changer on those 3-7 footers…. I was able to keep the stroke on line. I was so tempted to toss it all and try the armlock endeavor, but that would be completely back to the drawing board. Funny you always end up back to your roots. Tiger’s been not budging on the Scotty forever! Good enough for him, not much more to say!