PUTTING FUNDAMENTAL 5

Title

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PUTTING

5: CENTREDNESS OF STRIKE

  • For the ball to behave as predicted in terms of launch, roll and predictive velocity, (input = output), we need to hit the ball out of the sweet spot

  • Putter head CG has both vertical and horizontal dimensions

OFF CENTER STRIKES WILL AFFECT:

  • Direction—Toe or heels strikes – the clubs will twist. Nilson and Karlsen (2006) reported 0.34 deg average per 1 cm off center hit across number of designs

  • Launch—Impact location in terms of height of face will influence launch. High=Higher, Low=Lower

  • Spin—Off-centered hits affect the spin rate of ball (Gear effect)

  • Distance –Off-centered hits produce a different smash factor and affect energy transfer. The same off-centered hit, combined with a different clubhead speed, produces different translated speeds (input vs output)

  • Where is the COG?