Putting isn’t just about feel. Information processing is also a key component of putting. It’s also about information processing. In other words: the better your ability to read the greens, you will be more likely to putt. It doesn’t take a pro golfer to show you this. Plumb-bobbing, an old-school method for gathering information useful in putting, is still very popular. Some players swear by this technique. Some players ignore it. But can it actually help you to sink a putt?
Plumb-bobbing has the biggest problem: it only tells how your putt is breaking, not how many. A computer model that Fredrick Haney (Ph.D.) created a few decades ago is changing how golfers view plumb-bobbing. Haney’s model shows that there is more to the equation than meets your eye, and you can make use of it with just a bit of effort to determine what a putt breaks. Your putting will help you cut down on your handicap.
The Art of Plumb-bobbing
Before we get into Haney’s findings, lets take a look at plumb-bobbing and how to do it correctly. Here are six tips on plumb-bobbing:
1. Stand behind the ball
2. Extend one arm
3. Hold the grip lightly
4. Align your dominant eye
5. Flex your knees
6. Align the shaft’s longest point
Stand behind the ball so the hole, ball, and your dominant eye are aligned. Maintain your gaze parallel to any slope on the area of green where you are standing. Bend your knees slightly. Your body should be in line with the slope of the green. Keep your thumb between your thumbs and your forefinger by lightly gripping the top of your putter. Then, raise your arm slightly. The putter should be free to move around in your hand.
The next step is to align the putter with your dominant eye so the shaft covers the ball at its lowest point. Keep your eyes fixed on the hole. The hole will slope left if it is visible to the right side of the shaft. The hole will slope right if it is on the left. The hole will be flat if it is in line with its putter. This is all you need to know. In the 5th minute of your first lesson, you can learn everything about plumb-bobbling.
Determining Plumb-Bobbing Distance
If you plumb-bob correctly, you’ll notice that the putter makes a point either left or right of the hole on the putting surface. Haney says that the distance from the point to the center is the plumbbob distance (PBD), which measures the slope of the putter and how far the ball has traveled. For a putt that is level and has no left or right break, the PBD will be zero. For all other putts however, the PBD is discrete. The value represents how much the ball will react to the hole.
Haney used PBD to create a computer model for plumb-bobbing. This model takes into consideration different speeds, distances and slopes (both up and down) as well as the speed of greens. You also have to consider the friction that a putt can cause. A ball moves first when it is stroked. It then slides, and then rolls. These two are included in the computer model. The ball slows down due to friction. Haney set out to find out whether plumbbobbin could be used to calculate the actual amount of break.
Computer Model Guidelines
After examining lots of examples and producing numerous charts, Haney concludes that for typical green speeds (9 on the Stimpmeter) and level putts (no uphill or downhill slope), the amount of break varies from slightly more that the PDB for gentle slopes to about 1-1/2 times the PBD for steeper slopes.
These guidelines assume that you are following Dave Pelz’s suggestion of leaving missed putts at 17 inches beyond the cup. You can put your putts in the hole if you prefer. For steeper slopes you will need to add 2 to 4 percent to the PBD.
Similar conditions can be achieved with moderately steep uphill putsts that break half of the PBD. Putts downhill can reach 8-10 times the PBD. It is evident that downhill putts can break more often than those from uphill. The same applies to green speed for both uphill and downstream putts. Break is higher for greens that are faster than those with slower speeds.
Feel and accuracy are key to putting. Your chances of becoming a good putter with a low handicap are higher if you feel better and have accurate information processing. There is no one way to determine the break of a putt. You can still improve your green-reading skills by trying new things and using PBD.