Would the speed of your takeaway translate to a traditional grip/putter? Getting quick can be an issue of mine and I wonder if some of the tips and drills would work for non-leanlock putters. More superficially, what drills or set up have helped you make square/clean contact to prevent hitting up on the ball? That is another area I can get lazy with and hit a poor putt.Finished the book the other day and got home from my trip yesterday, so today I got the PuttOut mat, trainer and mirror and tried rolling some putts with the Lean Lock mallet. Rolled about 30-40 putts and tried to be really meticulous about setting up like Brian teaches in the book. A few things jumped out at me from that first session:
-The grip and setup routine felt ultra weird at first, but after a few times it settled right in. I did notice my initial tendency was to grip too far down the grip, and then my lead elbow wasn't bent enough and not really tucked into the side. I've had to consciously adjust a little further up closer to my body to really get tucked in there on the lead elbow. It does feel really secure once you get the setup in though.
-Like @Ludin, I initially found my eyes to be way inside the target line when using the mirror. Not sure if this is an artifact of the new style or a feature of my putting in general, but it's good that I'm thinking about it and correcting it now.
-Brian's counsel to take a slow, long takeaway and transition and to stop the putter head soon after the ball is very counterintuitive to me. I've been told by multiple good putters and instructors to do a "pop" type stroke, so this comes across as the opposite of what I've traditionally been told. I have to really think about it.
-Using the trail hand to control things with my "natural touch", as Brian puts it, is also a little tough for me as I'm used to being told to kinda rock the shoulders. Initially it seems to be producing good results though.
All that said though, initial results seemed very solid. Of all the putts I rolled, I think only one was really off the line (pushed) and it was because I got quick. I essentially "made" every one (by PuttOut trainer standards) except for that one pushed putt. It's very early but the setup is definitely starting to make sense to me and it does seem very reliable to getting the ball on the intended line and rolling effectively with less opportunity to let the wrists take the ball off that line, which is really what Brian pushes as the key benefit of the method.
Any questions guys, let me know! I plan to roll some again tomorrow.
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