David F. Wright, Ph.D., PGA

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts" CS Lewis 1943

This eBook may appear to be a contradiction of that CS Lewis quote. However, until this writing, the impact of the "Desert" (heel to toe Stance Balance and the 8 inch Core Zone Stance Range), has never been used in Putter Fitting.

"Irrigating the desert" with the latest Science in club and putter fitting naturally cuts down the jungle of Putter Design claims. As you will see demonstrated in the following videos, elimination of face roll / torque in the putting stroke and aim at address IS NOT a result of Putter Design. Heel to Toe Stance Balance in the player's 8 inch Core Zone Stance Range, Grip and proper arm swing motion eliminate face roll / torque and adds face aim to the line of the stroke to that "desert irrigation."

The thrust of the message in this eBook, with proof of concept in each video, is a demonstration of how the Core Zone 8 inch Stance Range, heel to toe Stance Balance and Grip ELIMINATES putter face roll and creates a putter aim and putter tracking that remains square to the line of the putt 100% of the time. You will see that the Claims of Putter Design eliminating face roll / torque are NOT accurate. Also, changing putter heads due to inaccurate aim is also an unnecessary process and cost. As you will see, being certain the grip is installed square to the putter head is more important than adjusting the putter in any way.

Putter designs sold to eliminate face roll / torque & aim run between $199 & $699. Follow and test the content of these videos and eliminate the need for an expensive putter & fitting. i believe that finding a Wright Balance® Professional to teach the content of this eBook and the next in this series is money better spent. This link will take you to a world map of Wright Balance® Professionals. Simply input your zip code to find a Wright Balance® Professional near you.

https://wrightbalance.com/find-wright-balance-professionals/

Have your student pick a putter from your pro shop. Teach them to aim and eliminate face roll in one lesson with one or two follow up lessons for routine, alignment and confirming they have applied the content of your first lesson. That process will result in performance changes unlike those experienced with an expensive putter that does not stand up to the testing demonstrated in this eBook.

Forged putter heads will generally provide the best feel and appearance to your student's preference. Instruction using the content of this eBook will ensure that your student is on track to improve putting when you add routine, alignment and visualization, eBooks that follow will cover those Wright Balance® teachings.

This eBook consist of multiple short videos and brief questions on the content of each video to ensure learning, much like the previous eBooks in this Wright Balance® series.

This eBook is a continuation of the last eBook. If you have not read and viewed the videos in the last eBook, you may do so using this link:

Wright Balance® Wristbands, Grip Size & the Biomechanics of Balance

https://instructions.wrightbalance.com/

The impact of heel to toe balance on clubface, putter through driver has been something I have looked at for over 30 years. The following images are of PGA Tour veteran, Dennis Paulson in 1994 at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast, Ca where I was teaching at the time.

Note the clubface closing when Dennis moved his weight toward his toes...

?

...and opening when Dennis moved his weight toward his heels...

...and when in stance balance, the clubface is square.

As you will see in this eBook, understanding the impact of heel to toe balance on clubface changes led to the current observation of how the body impacts clubface / putter aim and putter face roll / torque, NOT putter design.

Video 1

3 minutes & 2 seconds

Biomechanics of Grip Size & Wright Balance® Wristbands

Question

When I place a wristband on my trail wrist

The Wright Balance® Wristband on my trail wrist squares my hips in all stance widths
The Wright Balance® Wristband on my trail wrist squares my hips ONLY in my 8 inch stance range
The Wright Balance® Wristband on my trail wrist levels my hips and shoulders
None of the above

Answer

1.The Wright Balance® Wristband on my trail wrist squares my hips in all stance widths

Question

When I wear a Wright Balance Wristband on my trail wrist,

Even though my hips square, I still need a grip size that fits for heel to toe balance
Grip size is no longer an issue for heel to toe balance
How I place my hands on the putter no longer matters
None of the above

Answer

Grip size is no longer an issue for heel to toe balance

Video 2

Biomechanics of the Arm Swing to Identify Your Core Zone and Teach Proper Putting Motion

1 minute 30 seconds

Dr. Wright demonstrates how to relax the arms to test the Core Zone and 8 inch stance range

Question

**The purpose of the Arm swing instruction

Is to teach your students to rock their shoulders
To increase the flex in the trail knee to feel the correct putting motion
To increase the flex in the lead knee to feel the correct putting motion
To teach your student to relax their arms so they swing independent of shoulder movement to feel the correct putting motion in their 8 inch Stance Range

Answer

To teach your student to relax their arms so they swing independent of shoulder movement to feel the correct putting motion in their 8 inch Stance Range

Question

The 8 inch Stance Range for a Middle Core Player is:

8 to 16 inches plus or minus 1 inch
20 to 28 inches plus or minus 1 inch
16 to 24 inches plus or minus 1 inch
18 to 26 inches plus or minus 1 inch

Answer

16 to 24 inches plus or minus 1 inch

Video 3

1 minute 34 seconds

Check the Squareness of Putter Grip Before Practice & Play

Dr. Wright demonstrates how to check your putter grip to be certain it is installed square to the top edge of the putter face.

It is of great importance that you check the player's putter grip installation before you begin teaching or before your student practices or plays.

Question

Before putting practice and play, what should you do?

Be certain the balls you practice with are the same as you will be using on the course
Be certain that your putter length fits your posture
Be certain the grip on your putter is square to the face
Be certain you use the same shoes on the putting green you will use when you play

Answer

Be certain the grip on your putter is square to the face

Video 4

Biomechanics of Balance & Putter Grip

9 minutes

Dr Wright demonstrates how to grip a Putter in the 8 inch Core Zone Stance Range. He also demonstrates how to test to see if the Putter is gripped correctly.

Question

If I am an Upper Core Player,

I am going to grip the putter so the underside of the grip crosses the first pad up from my palm on my ring finger
I am going to grip the putter so the underside of the grip crosses the second pad up from my palm on my ring finger
I am going to grip the putter so the underside of the grip crosses the first pad up from my palm on my middle finger
I am going to grip the putter so the underside of the grip crosses the first pad up from my palm on my index finger

ANSWER

I am going to grip the putter so the underside of the grip crosses the first pad up from my palm on my middle finger

Question

My 8 inch Stance Width Range is:

Where my the angles are the same in my left and right forearms
Where my arms will track together down the target line when I swing them without a club
Where I must be to eliminate face roll in my stroke
All of the above
None of the above

Answer

All of the above

Question

If I don’t do the Wright Balance® Express and I don’t wear the Wright Balance® Wristbands,

I don’t need to be concerned about my 8 inch range
My trail shoulder will likely be lower & my trail hip will likely be higher
I can still make a stroke without face roll with the correct putter design
None of the above

Answer

My trail shoulder will likely be lower & my trail hip will likely be higher (very occasionally the lead shoulder is lower and the lead hip is higher, but not often.)

Question

When I GRIP a putter or iron and extend my arms up and away from my body and let my arms drop so my elbows rest on my chest wall,

The putter / or iron shaft should be just above parallel to the ground
The putter / or iron shaft should be just below parallel to the ground
The putter / or iron shaft should be parallel to the ground
None of the above

Answer

The putter / or iron shaft should be parallel to the ground

Video 5

2 minutes and 53 seconds

Leveling the Trail Shoulder Changes Putting Stroke Finish

Dr. Wright demonstrates how to measure the height of the shoulders. Then he demonstrates a simple correction of the trail shoulder being lower by adding a Wright Balance Wristband to the lead wrist and the shoulders level. Leveling the shoulders changes the finish of the putter from high or low to neutral.

Question

Which Wright Balance® Wristband levels the hips and shoulders?

The trail wrist
The lead wrist
You need both the lead and trail wrist Wright Balance® Wristbands to level the hips and the shoulders
None of the above

Answer

The lead wrist

Question

When the trail shoulder is lower and the trail hip is higher,

The putter finish is lower through impact
The putter finish rises through impact
There is no impact on putter finish
None of the above

Answer

2 The putter finish rises through impact

Question

Which of the following has the greatest impact on the height of the finish position of the putter?

The height of the lead hip
The height of the trail hip
The height of the trail shoulder
None of the above

Answer

The height of the trail shoulder

Question

How do I measure the difference in the height of my shoulders?

Using the length of my Putter on each side
Using a laser measurement system face on
Using 2 yardsticks on each side of my body
Using a flexible tape measure from each side

Answer

Using 2 yardsticks on each side of my body

Video 6

7 Minutes 59 seconds

Biomechanics of Balance & Putter Face Roll

Dr. Wright demonstrates the origin of Putter Face Roll as a function of subtle hip rotation through the stroke, NOT putter design

Question

Putter face roll:

Results when your stance width is inside or outside your 8 inch range
Results when your grip does not match the Core Zone or it is not a continuation of your forearms
Results when heel to toe balance is not consistent with the playing Core Zone
All of the above
None of the above

Answer

All of the above

Question

Putter Face Roll is most efficiently tested:

Using the Downswing Club Path Test (DPT)
Watching the position of the putter face at finish
Watching the path of the putter in the backstroke
Watching the path of the putter in the through stroke

Answer

Using the Downswing Club Path Test (DPT)

Question

When observing the position of the putter face in the finish:

The putter face will always have some roll observed as opening or closing in the finish
Putter face roll will be perpendicular to the hip line at finish
Putter face roll depends on the design of the putter
Putter face roll is eliminated by increasing the weight in front of the shaft

Answer

Putter face roll will be perpendicular to the hip line at finish

Video 7

7 minutes & 33 seconds

Biomechanics of Stance Balance, Grip & Posture in Eliminating Putter Face Roll

Dr. Wright demonstrates the importance of Grip , Stance Balance and the 8 inch Stance Width range by core zone to eliminate all face roll of the putter. These are the only factors impacting face roll. As you can see from the video, you can use any style putter or length and demonstrate NO face roll. Change one of the setup balance positions & face roll is present through the stroke.

If you want to learn your Core Zone & related grip Power Spots and 8 inch Stance Range, contact a Wright Balance Professional at www.wrightbalance.com

and click on the icon “Find Professionals” in the top right navigation of the website home page.

Question

The 8 inch Stance Range for an Upper Core Player is:

8 to 16 inches plus or minus 1 inch
20 to 28 inches plus or minus 1 inch
16 to 24 inches plus or minus 1 inch
18 to 26 inches plus or minus 1 inch

Answer

8 to 16 inches plus or minus 1 inch

Question

What is the most important part of the putter set up to eliminate face roll / torque through the putting stroke?

Grip
Stance Balance
A round Putter Grip
There is no single important setup fundamental. It is a combination of set up fundamentals from Stance Balance to Grip to 8 inch Stance Range.

Answer

There is no single important setup setup fundamental. It is a combination of set up fundamentals from Stance Balance to Grip to 8 inch Stance Range.

Question

The 8 inch Stance Range for a Lower Core Player is:

18 to 26 inches plus or minus 1 inch
22 to 30 inches plus or minus 1 inch
20 to 28 inches plus or minus 1 inch
18 to 26 inches

Answer

20 to 28 inches plus or minus 1 inch

Video 8

Biomechanics of Eyeline, Grip & Stance Balance vs Fallacies of Putter Design

2 minutes 25 seconds

Dr. Wright demonstrates a 3 foot putt with his eyes well inside the target line and toe of the putter in the air to show that setting the stance and grip in balance is all that is needed, not a specially designed putter to produce less face roll and more accurate putts.

Dr. Wright has demonstrated repeatedly in this & other videos the elimination of face roll when the grip, stance range and stance balance fit the players body, not any particular putter design.

In those demonstrations Dr. Wright has used a replica of Bobby Jones hickory shafted putter and a short collapsible travel putter. When the balance and grip are set, there is no face roll. Dr. Wright demonstrates how face roll is measured relative to face angle and hip line in the putter finish position.

Question

Which of the following is true

The best putting instruction is to teach the player to have their eyes precisely over the target line for path for elimination of face roll
The best putting instruction is to teach the player to have their eyes precisely over the target line for the best aim
The position of the eyes has nothing to do with path, aim or face roll
None of the above

Answer

The position of the eyes has nothing to do with path, aim or face roll

Question

Players stand on an alignment stick:

To learn the feeling of balance
To test their balance in their 8 inch range
To compare clubface aim inside and outside the 8 inch stance range
To learn to eliminate clubface roll and aim the putter
All of the above

Answer

All of the above

Question

The arm swing path is:

Square to the target line ONLY inside the players 8 inch Stance Range
Square to the target line in ALL Stance Widths when outside the Stance Range as long as the wristband is warn on the wrist of the dominant arm
Of no consequence once the putter is gripped
Always square to the stance line regardless of Stance Width

Answer

Square to the target line ONLY inside the players 8 inch Stance Range

Video 8

Further Observations

When the setup produces a stroke with NO FACE ROLL, the putter is aimed down the target line regardless of putter design as shown in these images ONLY if the stance alignment is square to the target line.

My teaching experience assisting in National and International Golf Schools and my observations of private lessons is that STANCE ALIGNMENT is a fundamental seldom taught. Any student who has attended one of my golf schools or private lessons never leaves without instruction in alignment, often the last thing covered in a lesson. Over 35 years of teaching, I have seldom had a student who is absolutely square to the target or to the line on which they want to start the ball flight. I also have seldom seen a stance parallel to the target line in putting.

You will notice in the videos in this eBook I was standing on an alignment stick with a Wright Balnce vinyl measurement strip parallel to my stance line. I was square to my target line on every putt.

Did you know that which hand you hold the club in, putter through driver, standing behind the ball impacts what you see? Did you know that when you line up the ball on the putting green, which hand you use to hold the putter dictates what you see? This content was tested and discovered in my original research in Dr. Frank Jobes' Biomechanics lab.

This image is from the research setting in early 2000s. We were testing the visual perception impact of holding a club in different hands and standing square versus one foot in front of the other.

Putter Aim

The following image is from a 2008 Golf Magazine article on "Putter Aim".

Note the image on the right shows me pulling a string line through the center of a tee head at 10 feet. The tee head is 8 inches in front of the ball. The middle image shows me moving the string line to the left edge of the tee head and the line is well left and outside the hole. The image on the left shows the same miss when the string line is on the right side of the tee head well outside the right side of the hole.

As you can see from these images, alignment is another fundamental that is imperative for aim and accurate performance. I will cover alignment and stance width, which hand to hold the club in and which hand to use to line up your putt in the next Zoom session and eBook. This content easily translates to the full swing once learned with a putter.

If you would like a head start on this content, the following links are on alignment and vision, how it is taught and the impact on putter through driver. As you will see in this eBook, even tour players practice alignment as a fundamental.

The Science of Vision & Balance: A Precursor to Alignment

https://instructions.wrightbalance.com/vision-balance-and-alignment-the-science/

Routine & Alignment

https://instructions.wrightbalance.com/alignment-2/

The following image is the Aim of the "Calamity Jane" hickory shaft copy of Bobby Jones putter. I used the "Calamity Jane" copy in the videos demonstrating NO shaft roll.

A C-Groove mallet putter:

A Never Compromise blade putter

Question

How do you teach putter aim?

Using a laser face aim product and being certain the players grip is correct
Making certain that the player's 8 inch stance range is correct
Once Face Roll is eliminated and square to the target line, the putter face is aimed perfectly to the line of the stroke
Making sure the player's heel to toe balance is correct by standing on an alignment stick

Answer

Once Face Roll is eliminated, the putter face is aimed perfectly to the line of the stroke.

Question

A player is standing in their 8 inch Stance Range & they have the proper placement of their hands (grip) on their putter. However, their weight is slightly forward of their ideal balance while standing on an alignment stick,

They will still eliminate Putter Face Roll but their aim will not be accurate
Neither Putter Face Roll or aim will be accurate
As long as the player's grip is accurate and they are in their 8 inch Stance Range for their Core Zone, their aim will be perfect and there will be NO face roll.
None of the above

Answer

Neither Putter Face Roll or aim will be accurate

In closing is a video on the History of putter design, something many of you have limited interest in. It is of no importance for the learning objectives in this eBook and there are no questions that follow this video. I am posting it here for those who are interested. I am a big fan of history in every arena. I believe if we understand the History of an event, we will have a better understanding of the present and the beliefs that drive conventional wisdom. Here is the video on the history of the putter.

The Chronology of Putter Design

Video 1