Side Saddle Putting

I have been looking into Side Saddle putting and came across Bowmar Putters out of Idaho.

Bowmar says the 2 keys is you look at the line facing the hole and you stay in that position, second it emphasizes the roll the ball like a bowling. Being an ex- professional bowler (obviously not a good one) that thought intrigues me.

Thoughts.

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I’m sure you were a great professional bowler!

I think side saddle is an interesting concept, but one of those things you have to try and take the time to learn and see if it works for you…

“Granny style “ free throw shooting is proven to be more effective for professional basketball players… wilt chamberlain even did it for a bit (with great success!) but abandoned it because it looks silly.

That’s not a reason to NOT a put side saddle, just an observation on human nature and a warning for the adjustment period of learning it… it might be more effective, but the road to success will be filled with bemused playing partners.

I’d totally be open to trying, but being a lefty, it’s tough to find regular putters, let alone armlock or side saddle. I do putt looking at the hole though rather than the ball (new experiment) and loving it so far.

Totally interested in your results if you try it!

I have struggled with my putting recently (and forever) and recently switched to the Claw, which seems to be working for me. But one of my Twitter followers who uses side saddle DM’d me the following sales pitch on why I should consider it:

  1. Scientifically, it’s the best way to putt. People don’t try it or do it because there’s a stigma because it’s different. When you ask your buddy to throw you a ball, what does he do, he makes a simple throw, facing you, under handed, he doesn’t turn sideways and bend over and throw it from that position. It makes the best sense. If you had a of couple smart, athletic people to invent putting, they would do it side-saddle.
  2. It eliminate any tension in your hands. I hold the top of the grip with my thumb and index finger only and bottom hand with my thumb and two fingers. There’s no tension in my hands. I only have five fingers touching the club, sometimes only 4.
  3. I put the ball directly under my dominant eye, looking at the Target. I’m looking down the line. It’s so easy to line up consistently. When I putt conventionally, I consistently struggle with my eye alignment. This solves it.
  4. By facing the target line, it eliminates any difference in left to right or right to left putts. They start off the same.
    I’ve honestly thought about doing a video series on side saddle putting. Most people aren’t willing to try it because it’s different, I’ll try anything to make putts.
    I was scratch from age 18 to 28 and practiced and played all the time. At times I got on heaters and was a good putter but I was often a mediocre putter. Now, I’m 48, I play 12 to 15 times a year but am still a 5 because I’m very consistent on the greens.
    Just my two cents.
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There are some guys on another golf forum I belong to that use it successfully. There are variations and I understand putter fitting is even more important but I’ve heard it works really well. I can see this especially if your dominant eye isn’t able to see the hole.

I co-sign all of this. I am absolutely convinced that side saddle is the best way to putt. I tried it for a bit a few years ago and found that I could get in some ridiculous grooves on the practice green but that it was hard to translate to the course. For me at least, it requires a massive amount of practice, time I just don’t have. I think the ideal for someone who could put in some time would be side saddle for shorter putts and “regular” for longer putts. When you get that technique grooved, it feels almost impossible to miss putts from about 10 ft and in.

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So did you take up side saddle? I just got a side saddle putter and have started to practice. It seems to make putting fun again.
I can’t find a lot on technique though online. I’ve watched the Bomar videos on YouTube, but still need to find a comfortable top hand placement and decide on pencil grip vs palm forward on the bottom hand.
Would love input from this forum.