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Are You A Candidate For Crosshanded - Left Hand Low - Putting?

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Putting set up and technique is more varied than any other shot in the game. There are more individual anatomical differences than there are putting styles. The key is finding the set up that fits your anatomy.

If you are right or left hand dominant, do everything with your dominant hand, and you putt from your dominant hand side, your shoulders are very likely open to your stance line. If you putt and swing right handed but you do most other things left handed, or if you do extensive upper body stretching, your shoulder lines are likely square or closed to your stance line. Dominance creates a continuous stretching of the dominant side. The lesser use of the non-dominant side of your body creates muscular asymmetry and resulting tension on that side that pulls your shoulders open. The same is true of your hips. I measure all of the students attending my golf school to determine their optimum set up position putter through drvier. If your shoulders rotate left from a square stance, 9 times out of 10 your hips will also rotate left.

The more open your shoulders are to your stance line, the more you are a candidate for crosshanded putting. The majority of my students are 1 inch open. If I have a student who overuses one side, their lines are more extreme. Let’s look at how your anatomy affects your current set up to the ball.

Assume your set up with your putter and a ball.

Are your shoulders open to your target line at address?
Is your ball position forward of center in your stance?
Is your weight more on your right side than your left at address?
Are your hands split on the putter grip with one hand lower than the other

From this set up position, lean your putter on your thigh and let your arms and hands hang relaxed. Notice the orientation of your hands. Do they hang on different lines If you slowly move your hands toward each other without changing the line on which they hang, notice your hands likely don’t meet with your fingertips touching. If they meet, your hands are hanging neutral and your shoulders are square to the target line. Most players have their arms and hands “out of neutral” at address. This “out of neutral” position imparts side spin on the ball as you stroke a putt.

Make a stroke with your putter and hold the finish.

Is your putter finish position down the target line or right or left of your target line?
Is your finish position high or low?
Notice your weight in your feet in this finish position. Is it more on the right or left side? It likely is on the right if your finish position is high and on the left if your finish position is low. Neither is necessarily incorrect. It depends on your putting set up.

Move your ball back in your stance an inch at a time. Notice that the further back in your stance you move the ball, the more square your shoulders are to the target line. Find the ball position in your stance that sets your shoulders square to the target line.

Let your arms and hands hang under your shoulders from the ball position that sets your shoulders square. Notice that your arms and hands hang in neutral and your finger tips meet when you move your hands toward each other. This shoulders square, arms and hands neutral set up will impart the best roll on the ball.

However, as the ball moved further back in your stance, your weight likely loaded more to your back foot and you became less comfortable in your set up. If this is the case, you are a candidate for crosshanded putting.

From this shoulders square position make a stroke and notice the path the putter takes from this set up. If it is down the line and you are comfortable in this set up, you are balanced and your shoulders are square. This is a set up from which you could putt well. If as you make a stroke the path is not down the line and square, read on.

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