Start a Free 3 Day Trial

Get access to 900+ instructional videos
No credit card required
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America. Meet your new instructor.

Click here to join now and get full access.

The Science of the Putter Flip

Golfers who struggle with a "wristy" putting stroke can benefit from this scientific breakdown and visual of the putter flip. For this case, we will be focusing on the mid-point of the putter grip, as many golf biomechanists do, and how the forces applied by each hand can compliment or overpower the movement of the handle. Overall, this should help you determine how and where your putting stroke may be going awry and hopefully, provide some guidance as to which drills you may need to re-visit.

Playlists: Putting

Tags: Putt, Concept

00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000
This concept video is the science of the putter flip.

00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:11,000
So many golfers struggle with getting risty or flipping the putter.

00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,000
And we're going to talk a little bit about what's going on.

00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,000
And while this is an important concept for putting,

00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,000
because it definitely messes up your face and path,

00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000
it does relate to the full swing.

00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000
So you can take this and apply it to short game

00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:27,000
as well as the full swing.

00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,000
But it's small enough and easy enough

00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000
that we're going to break it down with putting.

00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,000
So I've got one of our old demo putters here.

00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,000
And I took a piece of tape and put it in the middle of the grip.

00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000
And so the spot that I've got there

00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000
is essentially where the hands will intersect.

00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:51,000
And so that point there is an important point

00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,000
when you're talking with golf biomechanist.

00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,000
That's where the hands kind of overlap

00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,000
and apply forces to the putter or the golf club.

00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:04,000
Now in a flip, what's happening is I'm either.

00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,000
So a flip will look like this.

00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,000
And sometimes it has rotation in it,

00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000
but the primary thing is it will look like that.

00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,000
Now you can see that when I do that,

00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,000
basically below this point is going forward

00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,000
and above this point is going backward.

00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,000
Kind of like this.

00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,000
Well, that either means that I'm applying a force below

00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,000
like this either with the wrist or with the arm

00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,000
or with the shoulder.

00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:32,000
Right?

00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,000
So I could straighten the arm.

00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,000
I could do it with the shoulder

00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,000
or I could do it with the wrist.

00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,000
The other option is I'm pushing back

00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,000
and I'm kind of blocking with this hand.

00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,000
So if I push this way above the line

00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,000
or that way below the line,

00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,000
that's going to cause this flip action.

00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,000
So in order to not flip,

00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,000
I need to do the opposite.

00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,000
I need to apply a force below the line this way

00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,000
or above the line that way.

00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:03,000
So basically that would be either more of that left side pulling

00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,000
or more pushing with the higher part of the right hand

00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,000
rather than the lower part of the right hand.

00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,000
Because it can be tricky once,

00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,000
if I go to one hand, well then I don't have both hands

00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,000
working on it, but I still have that same essential point.

00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000
So if I'm putting one handed, then it would be

00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,000
if I flip, it would be applying force more towards the bottom

00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,000
end of the grip rather than the top end.

00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000
So if I need to keep the top end moving,

00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,000
then I need to keep more the heel of my hand

00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,000
and the inside of my arm working.

00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,000
Or if I really wanted to flip,

00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,000
then I would get the bottom end moving

00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,000
in the top part of the hand going the opposite direction.

00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:50,000
So now you can break this down

00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,000
when you're doing your single arm drills.

00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,000
If you're having any of a flip,

00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,000
you can basically find out, well,

00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,000
as the left arm kind of stopping

00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:05,000
and letting the club pass or as the right arm straightening

00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,000
or right wrist flipping.

00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:11,000
So there's really my options for the putter flip.

00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,000
There are a few more with the full swing

00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,000
because you can get your body heavily involved,

00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:21,000
but when it comes to striking the putter with just the putter,

00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,000
it's more about how these arms and hands are acting.

00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,000
No speed.

00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,000
So if you struggle with a little bit too much wrists,

00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,000
then any of the drills that kind of take,

00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,000
especially that right arm out of it

00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,000
and get more of the energy happening more

00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,000
from the upper body and the shoulders,

00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,000
the shoulders and the arms can tend to smooth out

00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,000
that flip pattern.

00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,000
But sometimes putting a dot

00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,000
or just kind of visualizing where the hands interact

00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,000
and trying to keep the top of the grip moving faster

00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,000
than the bottom of the grip will help you

00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,000
when you're working through your flip pattern.

00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,000
So demonstration left hand only

00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,000
if I keep the top part of the grip moving

00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,000
which comes from keeping that left side going through

00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:08,000
or if I right hand only,

00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,000
if I keep the heel of the hand moving

00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,000
instead of the toe side or sorry,

00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,000
the finger side, if I put both hands on,

00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,000
then it's a matter of coordinating the two

00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,000
to kind of work together

00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000
and feel more that right side and left side

00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,000
and kind of my whole body keeping the club from passing.

00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,000
So if you're struggling with a flip,

00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,000
hopefully this helps you visualize what's actually happening

00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,000
at the hands and you come up with some ways that you can train it.

Click here to start your free 3 day trial. No credit card required.