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We all know that a pendulum will swing back and forth at a constant frequency (swings per minute). The measurement that dictates this frequency is the moment of inertia of the pendulum measured about its axis of rotation, or pivot point. If we change the moment of inertia by increasing the weight of the bob or by lowering or raising it, the frequency (swings per minute) will change.
One should think of the rhythm of a putting stroke as a natural frequency, one which can be achieved without any effort, just like pushing a child on a swing. Once you start the swing moving, it will develop its own rhythm. This is dependent on the child’s weight and the length of the ropes to the swing seat. Once in motion, it becomes easy to maintain this rhythm.
Some people are surprised to know that no matter how high you push a swing, it will always swing with the same frequency, or rhythm. Yes, it will be moving faster at its lowest point, close to the ground, if you have pushed the swing higher, and slower if the swing is not pushed very high. But the frequency, how many complete swings will be made per minute, is the same in both cases.
In much the same way, the difference between making a long putt and a short putt is only the distance you take the putter head back and consequently the head speed when the club head meets the ball at impact at the bottom of the swing. These two strokes (short or long putt) have the same rhythm.
If the student is still skeptical, a simple demonstration will help make the point. Insert a tee into the hole at the end of the grip and hold the tee between two fingers (this is the pivot or axis of the pendulum). Let the club swing like a pendulum. You can demonstrate that no matter how high or low you pull the club back (within reason) to start the swinging motion it will always have the same frequency (swings per minute).
Thus, the concept of rhythm in a putting stroke is a simple one and one that can eliminate many sources of error and produce more consistent results. All the student must do is discover a good rhythm and then stick with it.
Exceptions to this approach exist, but they must be approached carefully. For instance, when putts require even faster head speeds for extremely long distances, and the putter is used more like a chipping club, the swing technique changes a little. But these are exceptional cases and thus call for exceptional swings.
In the past, there were some professional superstars who putted with more of a punch shot than a rhythmic stroke. But that approach requires a lot of practice and talent.
When you have convinced the student, using the swing demonstration, that a good rhythm is going to make putting easier and produce more consistent results, then it is time to begin working on the stroke itself.
While letting the club swing with its natural rhythm suspended from the tee, ask the student to place –very lightly – two fingers on the grip of the swinging club without disturbing or changing the rhythm.
Then ask the student to try to double the number of swings per minute just using the two fingers they have on the grip. It will be obvious that some significant effort is required by the student to do so and you will have to hold onto the tee with some force.
What you need to convey to the student is that allowing the putter head to swing with a natural rhythm pivoting about the spine axis does not require much effort. This rhythm is constant and if the student allows the system – arms, wrists, hands and putter – to remain in line as single unit, it has a unique rhythm. Trying to increase or decrease this frequency substantially will take some effort, which only leads to another source of error.
Explain that every golfer has a natural rhythm based on the length and weight of the arms hands and putter. All these parts are like a pendulum and have a natural frequency, or rhythm. As in the child in a swing analogy, if the child were heavier, or the ropes of the swing were longer, the number of swings per minute would be less.
It is very important, having convinced the student that the system (shoulders, arms, wrists, hands and putter) is like a pendulum, that we don’t confuse them by initiating a technical discussion about how it differs from a pendulum in that it is swung not in a vertical plane like a grandfather clock, but in a plane tilted 10 degrees short of vertical. This is an important distinction for the instructor to understand, but the plane of the putter arc is determined by the set up, and it will be inclined correctly so long as that aspect of the teacher’s instruction is correct. The player will not need to consider the difference between a vertical pendulum and a putter swing’s arc to make a good, natural swing.
One note: A vertical plane (or close to it) can be achieved with one type of side-saddle putting, with the upper hand under the armpit of the straight arm supporting the putter, or when using a long putter. But the putter design for this to be effective would probably be non-conforming.
How to find the natural frequency (rhythm) :
A good starting point for finding a player’s natural frequency is to swing a putter by his/her side (in a forward - back motion, as if bowling) like a pendulum back and forth. This will be close the natural frequency you are looking for.
The elbow and wrist should not bend and thus be close to the length of the system from the spine to the putter head. The grip pressure on the putter should be very light, so light that you can hold the putter between two fingers.
Now have the student keep swinging the putter in this manner until the frequency becomes so natural that he/she does not have to think about it. The student will find that if he/she tries to swing it faster or slower than the natural frequency, he/she will either have to grip it tighter with their fingers or bend at the wrist or elbow. This means that additional forces will be required to change the frequency (swings per minute), forces that will introduce errors to the stroke.
Once the student has found the natural frequency of this system (with one arm and a putter), it will be close to the rhythm the player should use in making a stroke. Now have the student grip the putter with both hands and swing again. With the additional weight, the frequency will decrease slightly, but you have found a rhythm the student should try and maintain.
Bad rhythm is the one of the most important problems for professional golfers , because it will change under pressure. Being able to maintain good rhythm is what makes the difference between good and great putters. Light grip pressure will promote good rhythm because if you try to speed up the rhythm, you will be required to increase your grip pressure. White knuckles add tension to the arms and do not allow the system to swing naturally with its own distinct rhythm.
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[Important Note for technical accuracy: It should be noted, that even though the putting stroke has the rhythm of -- or close to-- that of a pendulum with similar weight distribution and dimensions as the arms hands and putter length it does not go through a true pendulum cycle. It starts from the address position at the bottom of the arc on the back swing to the top of the back swing. From the top of the back swing the putter head and arms etc will, if unrestricted, accelerate due to the forces of gravity. This acceleration rate will decrease to the bottom of the arc and start to decelerate until it stops at the other end of the swing cycle, only to start again back down.
The putting stroke has a similar rhythm to a pendulum but there is a slight added force added from the top of the back swing, which is needed to keep the acceleration rate constant to impact. This force must not be consciously applied because this, in most cases, will result in too fast an acceleration and hard to control. In the one handed practice drill (we will cover this later) the body seems to take care of the correct acceleration rate from the top of the back swing to impact and this constant acceleration rate is the correct rate and timing for a good putting stroke.
It is not suggested that you go through this explanation with your student but is important to know. If you stay with a pendulum type motion you will get to 99% of where you want to be with the correct rhythm.]
