By Brian Wacker
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Jordan Spieth currently ranks 193rd in strokes gained-putting on the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlroy took 38 putts during his second round at Pebble Beach’s Monterey Peninsula Country Club last week, which included a four-putt.

Someone ring the alarm.

Of course, it’s only mid-February. Spieth has made just four starts, missing the cut in one of them, and McIlroy only one. He missed the cut, too. It’s easy enough to chalk up the poor performances to other factors — Spieth says he has been sick for much of the past month and McIlroy simply had a bad day on the poa annua and let it get to him.

But what can we expect this week at Riviera and more importantly beyond?

Longtime putting guru Dave Stockton has his thoughts. When it comes to McIlroy, they’re particularly insightful. He used to work with the 28-year-old.

“When he struggles, he gets mechanical,” Stockton said.

Not that Stockton thinks he is getting that way now, though he did notice that McIlroy has been trying to release his right hand through the stroke. Under Stockton, McIlroy often focused on drills with his left hand doing that.

It was also while working with Stockton that McIlroy had his best years, winning two majors by eight strokes and racking up a string of other impressive victories.

For McIlroy’s part, on Monday he went to TaylorMade’s headquarters in Carlsbad to work on a couple of things, specifically with the flat stick.

The result: He changed to a similar putter but one with more loft to help combat the poa annua greens.

“Results wise, last week at least wasn’t what I wanted,” McIlroy said. “But I still saw a lot of good stuff in there, which gives me confidence going into this week to think that I can do well.”

Stockton actually thinks McIlroy could do better than that. He thinks he’s on the verge of something big again.

“It’s just a matter of him getting comfortable,” Stockton said of McIlroy, who two years ago was in contention on Sunday at Riviera until a final-round 75. “His driving and ball-striking is just so good. He really needs to have just one good tournament to get him started.”

As for Spieth, being sick hasn’t helped, limiting how much time he has been able to practice.

Just observing Spieth from afar the few times he has this year, Stockton sees “zero” issues with his mechanics.

“People will make a big deal when he putts while looking at the hole,” Stockton said. “When you throw a dart, you look at the board, not the dart.”

But the biggest key to overcoming whatever small struggles each has had to this point has little to do with mechanics, Stockton said.

Related: Dave Stockton: Four tips to hole it

“Jordan and Rory both have the mental ability between the ears to mostly overcome whatever problems they’re having,” he said. “Tiger and Jack were the same way. They were smarter than us.”

Time will tell for Spieth and McIlroy. They still have enough of it — for now. But it’s worth observing in the days and weeks ahead. The year’s first major is less than two months away.

The post Putting guru Dave Stockton confident Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy will quickly overcome putting issues appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Dave Stockton and Ron Kaspriske  
Do me a favour and sign your name on a piece of paper. See how quick and easy that was? Now try to slowly duplicate that signature. Not so easy. The reason is, you’re thinking about it and not tapping into your subconscious, the way you did when you signed the first time. Putting is no different. The best putters see their target line and then roll the ball on that line, just like you saw the paper and then signed it. The lesson is, keep it natural, and don’t let yourself get bogged down by anything.

With the help of my sons, Ron and Dave Jr., I’ve developed a philosophy that focuses on this notion but also incorporates basic tips for improving your setup and stroke–the same tips I’ve given major champions like Phil Mickelson and Yani Tseng. Our method might really differ from what you do now, but it’s the most effective way to roll the ball into the hole.

1. Lead with the left

If you shot a basketball free throw with your right hand only, you’d realise you need your left hand as a guide. The same is true on the greens: The left hand is the direction hand, and it’s just as important as the right. Practice putting left-hand-only (immediately above), or have someone hold a club in front of your hands on the target line. Bump the grip with the back of your hand, not your fingers, like Dave Jr. is doing.

2. Think roll, not hit 

The key to distance control is to roll the ball, not hit it. To do this, take an open stance, your weight slightly favoring your left side and your putter shaft leaning toward the target. The open stance makes it easier to feel the left hand going out and down the target line. The forward lean offsets the 4 degrees of loft I recommend for a putter and helps the ball roll smoothly.  When you make the stroke, keep the putterhead low to the ground past impact, like Ron is demonstrating (inset). The putter will ascend slightly, but don’t try to hit up on the ball — whoever told you to do that was wrong, because it makes the ball hop.

3. Use your fingers

Grip the putter any way you like, as long as it doesn’t hinder your left hand’s role in the stroke. But make sure to grip the club in your fingers. The shaft should run up the lifeline of your left hand for clubface control, but your fingers must contact the grip. You can drop the right forefinger down the shaft, but don’t steer with it. Forget about what your palms are doing. Fingers equal feel.

4. Spot the ball

If you stare at the ball too long at address, it’s easy to get brain-locked and hit a bad putt. To avoid this, I don’t even look at the ball. Try looking at a spot just in front of the ball on your target line and rolling the ball over that spot. Put a tee in the ground in front of the ball when you practice (above). This gets you thinking about the target line instead of the stroke–the opposite of what most golfers do.

Another trick to free your mind is to picture the ball going in on the high side of the hole on a breaking putt. Most golfers miss low. For this left-to-right putt (below), I want the ball to enter the cup well left of center.

The post Dave Stockton’s four tips to hole it appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.