IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME

Straight putt is harder than it looks

By T.J. Tomasi

Jason Day lined up the winning 4-footer and the announcer whispered that it was a straight putt -- the key was to hit it firmly into the center of the cup, and when he did, it looked easy. But it wasn't.

Perfectly straight putts are much harder than most players think, for two reasons: You don't have that many (most putts have a break), and you have less hole to work with on a dead-straight putt.

The hole is 4.25 inches wide, giving you only 2.125 inches on either side of dead center. The ball is 1.68 inches wide. If you pull the putt merely 1 inch off center, then the available hole at the point of entry would be only 1.125 inches wide, and since the ball is wider than that, you'd probably lip out. The same holds true for the push.

Is there anything you can do to increase your chances of draining a harder-than-it-looks straight putt? Yes, you can increase what is called your “vernier acuity,” defined by Webster's as the “ability to detect the alignment or lack of alignment of the two parts of a broken line” -- in other words, how well you can locate the relative positions of several lines.

The good news is you can improve your ability to tell when several lines align (such as the line on your putter, the line on the ball and the line of the start of the putt) by practicing the training technique demonstrated in the photos.

Dr. T.J. Tomasi is a teaching professional in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Visit his website at tomasigolf.com.

Burnish your vernier acuity in four steps: (1) Draw a guideline along the equator of the ball; (2) string a line from the hole back behind the ball; (3) place the ball on the target line; (4) line up the ball line, target line and the mark or line on your putter (if none exists, make your own). Once the lines are aligned at address, practice the takeaway of the putter (without actually putting), keeping the line on the putter on the target line. Keep practicing until you can see the relationships clearly.