Putting · Lesson
A Putting Setup Checklist
Part of our putting programs for missing short putts. Build a program with it
Before the putter moves, setup is fully in your hands. Check it from the front. Your ankles, knees and hips should line up. Keep your feet fairly narrow. Play the ball just inside your lead heel. Favor your lead side a little, about 55 to 45. Your zipper, shirt buttons and nose should stack up in a line. Run through this list at home with a mirror, or before you practice.
Step by step
- Line up ankles, knees and hips.
- Narrow stance, ball inside your lead heel.
- Favor your lead side slightly.
- Stack zipper, buttons and nose.
- Check it in a mirror.
Why it works
A repeatable setup gives the stroke the same starting point every time, so the putter returns to the ball the same way. A narrow stance with hips, knees and ankles lined up keeps your lower body quiet and lets the shoulders do the work. Playing the ball just inside your lead heel, with a little more weight on your lead side, puts the low point of the stroke near the ball. Stacking zipper, buttons and nose keeps your upper body centered and your eyes in a consistent spot over the ball.
Common mistakes
- Standing with a wide stance that lets the hips sway.Bring your feet closer together until your ankles, knees and hips feel stacked and still.
- Letting the ball drift back toward the middle or your trail foot.Set the ball just inside your lead heel each time and check it against your shoe.
- Leaning your head or chest back, so the nose, buttons and zipper are out of line.Stand tall over the ball, then check in a mirror that your nose, buttons and zipper stack in one line, with a little more weight on your lead side.
How you'll know it's working
- In the mirror, your ankles, knees and hips line up and your nose, buttons and zipper stack in one line.
- You feel slightly more weight on your lead foot, and it stays there through the stroke.
- The ball comes off the center of the putter face and starts on your intended line more often.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Do the checklist at home in front of a mirror with no ball, and go through one step at a time.
Harder: Go through the whole checklist on the practice green without a mirror, then hit putts and see if your setup stays the same from the first to the last.
Common questions
Where should the ball be in my putting stance?
Play it just inside your lead heel. This puts it near the low point of the stroke so you can make clean contact.
How much weight should be on my front foot when putting?
Favor your lead side a little, about 55 to 45. It should feel slightly more on the lead foot, not a big lean.
