The Importance of Aim in Putting & Putter Fitting

1st part of the 'Fundamental Putting Instruction' by SAM Academy

Nov 22, 2023. The Science&Motion Academy has analysed the putting data from more than 150 Tour players with SAM PuttLab – The world’s leading putt coaching and training system. “Based on the data we collected, we have a deep understanding of the critical factors important to putting performance”, said Christian Marquardt, movement expert and founder of the Science&Motion Academy. “We want to provide golf coaches and golfers with some ideas on how to improve their coaching and training”.

This first part of our 'Fundamental Putting Instruction' explores the importance of Aim in Putting and Putter Fitting.

Frequent Errors and Consequences

Improper aim is a critical problem when not holing putts. Aiming problems can be a consequence of misperception whereby the hole position may be perceived as more Right or Left of the actual position of the hole. This misperception typically shows up in SAM PuttLab data as a constant change in face angle from Aim to Impact.

Compensation of misperception:

The biggest factor influencing lateral perception is the distance you stand to the ball. Getting closer to the ball visually moves the hole to the left and vice versa. Other factors are angle of trunk, head position, and feet line.

Proper setup:

Ways to Improve Aiming

To test perception, select a straight 3 m putt and position a narrow gate at 1.5 m exactly on the putt line. Then go into your normal setup position, aim the putt, and check if the gate is seen correctly on the putt line. If the gate seems to be in the way, then you misperceive the hole position and should adjust accordingly.

If you do not have access to a putting gate, two tees or balls can be used to create a straight path between the hole and your ball. Adding a mirror that can be placed behind or under the ball will allow you to see your eye location and you can adjust accordingly.

Putting gate:

The task is then to get used to this situation visually and to play straight putts through the gate until you feel more and more confident. Do not manipulate the putter face to putt the ball through the gate. Instead, play straight putts to the hole and use misses “hitting the gate” simply as feedback. Over time, your body will learn to easily set up properly and hole more and more putts.

We hope you enjoyed this content, please stay tuned for the next part of our “Fundamental Putting Instruction” coming in a couple of weeks.