Glen Kirk helps a junior at a Florida Junior Tour event.

Hello. My name is Glen Kirk. I am the Duramed Futures Tour representative for YES! Golf, home of the C-Groove putters. My responsibility is to fit and fine-tune putters for the players and teach putting. At last count, there were over 60 players using our putters and players using a YES! putter have won 6 of the last 10 tournaments, the last five in a row. The incredible this is, we don't pay anyone to use our putters so they must work.

It is estimated that putting is over 40% of the game of golf so being fitted for the right putter and learning how to use it would seem to be one of the most important parts of the game but, generally speaking it isn't. Players will spend hundreds for a driver, thousands for a set of irons, and peanuts for a putter out of the Used Club barrel. It has been reported that only 2% of people who play golf ever take a putting lesson. Isn't that a staggering statistic? It has been said that a player who can chip and putt is a match for anyone. A player who can't chip and putt is a match for no one. So, if you want to improve your game, get properly fitted for a putter and get some good instruction on how to use it.

There are two basic methods to putting....straight back and thru and arcing. The putter you buy should fit the kid of stroke pattern you are using. A face-balanced model is better suited for a straight back and thru stroke. A heel shafted, toe-heavy type like the Ping Anser, the Cameron Newport, or the YES! Callie is more suited for the arcing motion.

Fundamentals of putting are essential to lower scores. In the stance the feet are about shoulder width apart. Avoid the "slump." The bend is from the waist so that the forehead and eyes are parallel with the ground and over the ball. The arms should be hanging naturally from the shoulders without a lot of elbow bend. When choosing a putter, shorter is better than longer. Shorter putters get the upper body out over the ball so that the back of the shoulders are parallel with the ground. This allows a proper shoulder rotation and freer arm swing. I see many players with putters that are too long for them. I have seen a 6' 2" player with a 32" putter. Forearms should be level with each other. I see a lot of players with the trail hand too high on the lead hand. That gets the trail forearm higher than the lead arm and the trail shoulder in front of the lead shoulder, all of which creates multiple problems.

A proper grip is very important. The putter should not be gripped like a driver because that creates an angle between the lead arm and the putter shaft. The putter grip should run up the lifeline of the lead hand, thereby putting the putter shaft and the lead forearm in one straight line. Ball position is also very important. The sternum is the center of the stroke and what the shoulders rotate around. The ball should be played about two inches forward of the bottom of the stroke so the putter catches the ball on a slight upstroke in the forward motion. The putter shaft should have some forward lean so the hands can lead the putter head through the ball, catching the ball a little on the upstroke, putting overspin on the ball. This should eliminate the skid, backspin, and launching that affects accuracy and distance control. The idea is like putting top spin on a cue ball in pool. The lead wrist is not a hinge. There should be a straight lead wrist and a bent trail wrist and the angles don't change. Far too may players hinge the lead wrist which causes skidding and launching. If you want to putt better, you must learn to get the ball rolling almost at impact. There is a difference to a "hit" and a "roll" so learn to roll the ball. Your putting will improve dramatically.

YES! Golf, manufacturers of YES! putters with C-Groove technology, has a wide range of models that can accommodate the appearance and function you are looking for. The innovative C-Groove technology has created a series of C-shaped grooves in the face of the putters, milled into the face at a 20 degree angle. The grooves actually grip the cover of the ball and cause the ball to start rolling in two to three inches off the blade, keeping the skid to a minimum. Using a C-Groove putter, and the technique I have described, will give you better roll, more accuracy, and better distance control because the ball is rolling instead of skidding or hopping.

In conclusion, get fitted and get some putting instruction from a professional who is a good putter and knows how to teach putting. A young player had just qualified for the Tour so he asked his teacher for some advice on being successful. His mentor said, "Go to dinner with good putters." With that I wish you good putting and......

Roll 'em pure.