For the first time, Patrick and I talked about putting today. He explained that the putter head should be similar to any club face when going back. To me, it feels very “outside” my hands. He also said he likes to keep the shaft angle more steep so it is pointing towards his chest. He also moves his belly button slightly toward the target and then just rocks his shoulders. I did this a few times and it feels very awkward but I can see how it would get the ball rolling end over end. I am going to practice this with the putting perfecter over the next few months.
In terms of the full swing, Patrick is pleased with me using my lower left obliques (back side) to start the swing. What he added today was to not allow my right hip to slide back. Instead, my right hip stays in the same place and actually feels like it is moving towards the target as I get deeper into my backswing. If I can “hold off” the right hip while driving with the lower left obliques, I can get a great shoulder turn without using my arms.
If I can complete this backswing with the club face staying outside my hands and my right arm staying bent, soft and passive, I hit the ball extremely well.
Patrick turned me a significant amount during today’s lesson. It really was a huge step forward to realize the right hip is going to rotate rather than slide to the right. As stated, I feel as if my right hip is actually moving towards the target while my left obliques and left lat are driving the backswing.
It is still going to take time to get used to the depth of the swing. Every time I get deeper, I hit the ball left because I get to the top and use my shoulders. After a few swings, I start to hit it great.
Patrick also added a new layer to the chipping motion. He said if I can get my belly button closer to the target than where it starts, I am going to have perfect contact every time. This is going to take a lot of practice and stretching but I am up to the challenge.
I am off to Cancun with Mikaila this weekend and won’t have a lesson until next Thursday.
UPDATE: Well, this was the last true lesson before COVID-19 hit. While Mikaila and I were in Cancun the world basically shut down. It is now December 2020 and we are still in COVID season. It is crazy to think about the last nine months. Fortunately, in that time I have been able to work with Patrick to continue to improve my backswing by making my right side much softer. In late December 2020 the goal is to reduce the tension in my upper right lat which is very knotted up. I am to foam roll multiple times a day to reduce this tension and tightness.
