By Tim Graves, PGA

Got a great email from one of our alumnus. Wanted to share with everyone.

From: Brett M. <*****>
Date: Sat, Oct 14, 2023
Subject: L&R Putter is Amazing (with a Full Swing instructional question)
To: Tim Graves <timg@gravesgolf.com>

Hey Tim,

Thought I would send a quick note with a question.

The Note:  The L&R is amazing.  Got it Wednesday evening, putting it together was a snap.  Going wrist lock for now.  Love the grip.  Took about 5 minutes to get used to the putter.  I just applied your putting method to the putter and it feels like I have putted this way all my life except significantly better.   It is everything I have been using in my putting stroke for years, except now I don’t have the breakdowns that would occur with my beautiful but traditional putter. 

Took it to the practice green on Thursday.  Worked on lag putting since some said they had challenges with this, but I found my lag puts to be much better because my hands and wrists are not variables any more, it is simply a shoulder turn from the focal point at my neck, as you have taught, and my lag putting is massively more consistent.  No more nervous little flick of the wrist for erratic distance.  And STRAIGHT!  It is very, very difficult to hit a put that is not amazingly straight.  I have never hit such significantly straight putts over and over and over with no real effort.  

I love the method you have taught about how to step into the putt.  It literally gives me a beautiful consistent pre-putt routine.  After reading the green, I line the ball up, take two practice strokes from behind the ball, step into the putt as you have taught and make the stroke.  No nervousness, no questions, just commitment and feel. 

Took it on the course yesterday (Friday).  Here comes the best part of the putting story (but perhaps there is  even more in the upcoming question).  I have never been a great green reader.  Our greens are notoriously treacherous.  It is always difficult to determine if I misread the putt or mishit the putt.  Now there is no doubt.  I know I am hitting my line on every putt, so guess what is occurring.  I am starting to be able to read the greens without the doubt.  If I miss a putt it is because I judged too much or too little break, because I know I hit the putt on my line.  To me this is the piece de resistance because my green reading is getting accurate feedback on every putt.  Not only is this putter amazingly easy to hit perfectly straight, it also produces consistent speed control, provides a beautiful pre-putt routine and gives amazing instruction via feedback on green reading. 

P.S. I had no issues with the Silver weight (screws fit precisely).  No issue with the head cover, but I understand the concern.  I just broke the cover in well and pay attention with it.  Now the question and perhaps the best part of the L&R putter.

The Question:  You have stressed with all of us, including me, that getting the feel for hands leading while putting will help our full swing.  I have been playing quite well (for me) because of the benefits created from doing the Elite 8 assessments as well as a disciplined practice regime.  However my full swing is unfortunately always a work in progress with a general feeling that I am misunderstanding a key element that is holding me back. 

Using the L&R putter has given me a feeling of hands leading that is unmistakable.  It is different than with my conventional putter, because (I believe) of my misunderstanding of the concept and my misapplication of the technique.  I never quite got the concept or feeling of hands leading like I do with the L&R.  Because of the L&R putter this feeling is consistent time and time and time again. 

I have been practicing my full swing trying to create and maintain this “L&R hands leading feeling” into my full swing.  It has produced some very good results.  It has required some slight modifications to my sequence and rotations, but to me this new movement matches what has been taught about the full swing model and it is producing some excellent results.  Primarily fixing my out to in swing path.    

So my question is:  Am I correct that this hands leading feeling with the putter is what I should be feeling with my full swing into impact and up to the release?  If it is then the L&R putter is not only the greatest putter created, it is also the greatest training aid ever created (at least for me).  Talk about two birds with one stone!

ANSWER – YES BRETT, THE HANDS LEADING FEELING WITH THE LOCK – N – ROLL PUTTER IS THE FEELING YOU SHOULD HAVE WITH YOUR FULL SWING INTO IMPACT AND UP TO RELEASE. THE SHAFT LEAN OF THE LOCK – N – ROLL PUTTER GIVES YOU THAT FEELING, THE ANGLE OF THE TRAIL WRIST THROUGH THE PUTT WITH SHAFT LEAN GIVES YOU THAT FEELING AND THE STRAIGHT LINE FORMED WITH THE LEAD ARM (FOREARM) WITH THE LOCK -N – ROLL PUTTER THROUGH IMPACT WILL GIVE YOU THAT FEELING.

Let me know if I am off track on this thought.  I don’t need to be going down another rabbit hole, but it seems to align with what I am hearing from your teaching.  If it is correct then I feel like I have finally found the missing piece for me.

YOU ARE DEFINITELY ON THE RIGHT TRACK. GREAT OBSERVATION!!!

And if this is correct then the L&R putter is worth its weight in gold for multiple reasons. 

Thanks,

Brett M.