IN PACIFIC PALISADES, CA., Denny McCarthy knows how to roll a rock.
The 30-year-old got his PGA Tour card in 2017 and has since led the tour in Strokes Gained:
Putting twice and finished in the top three twice more. The only time he hasn’t been in the top 20 in the putting is in 2021, when he came in 22nd. This season, he’s off to another good start. He’s already in the top 30 and looks like he’ll be one of the best putters on the Tour again.
GOLF.com talked to McCarthy at this week’s Genesis Invitational to get some tips on how to be a better putter. Now, here are his five tricks.
1. Find the lowest point
McCarthy makes sure he always knows where the slope of the land is. He makes all of his other choices on the greens based on where this spot is.
“Everything breaks down towards a low point or something,” he says. “This whole place slopes away from No. 6 in a way.” So even if you see an uphill putt, some holes, like 12 and 13, look like they might be tilted a bit at you, but they’re actually a little fast. There’s just something about going that way towards the ocean.
Every course may not have a low point that makes it as hard to make putts as Riv does, but it’s still a good idea to know where it is at every course.
“Everything broke last week in Phoenix,” he says. “Those things keep going through your mind all the time. Things like that happen in most places.
2. Put your feet down
Aim Point has become very popular with Tour pros, and McCarthy is no different. He’s learned how to read greens with his feet over the past year.
“The greens are a little tougher now that the Tour got rid of green books,” he says. They put pins in places that are harder to hit, places that aren’t obvious. It’s possible to break one way for most of the way and then the other way at the end. I’ll use my feet when it’s hard to see.
But even though he supports AimPoint, he doesn’t always use the method.
McCarthy says, “There are some simple putts that I know will go in and I don’t even put my feet on them.” “Some of them are harder for me to read, and I’ll use my feet to pretty much double-check what I read.”
3. Putts with one hand
He starts his practice on the greens with a few putts with only his right hand, just like Tiger Woods.
Read More: Tiger Woods was taken out of the Genesis Invitational and pulled out after an ambulance scare.
“I put two tees in the ground, find a five-foot straight putt, and hit some through it,” he says.
With a small curve in his stroke path, this helps him get the feel right. It also helps him check that his putter is straight when he hits the ball.
4. Look at the lines
McCarthy will draw chalk lines on both sides of the cup to get a feel for how the greens are breaking.
“I try to close my eyes all the time,” he says. “I want to see what the left edge looks like.” How does a ball get out?”
5. Get the ball moving from end to end
You won’t be able to putt consistently if your ball doesn’t roll from end to end. McCarthy says that you should put a line on your ball to see if you’re rolling it right.
“The best way to test yourself is to line them up!” he says. “That’s a good sign that your face is square if you cross it over itself.” I’m pretty good at getting back to square. It helps to have a pretty neutral or easy way to get back, of course. I can see that I’m moving the ball end over end when I use that line on it.
1. Find the lowest point 2. Put your feet down 3. Putts with one hand 4. Look at the lines 5. Get the ball moving from end to end
Five tips from one of the best putters in golf on how to improve your game appeared first on Golf.
