Tiger Woods was known for his long-hitting with helped to revolutionize the game during his prime, but what was often overlooked was his consistency on the green.
Between 2002 and 2005, Tiger Woods faced a total of 1,543 putts within three feet over his career. He missed only three of them.
You don’t win 15 major championships and 82 events on the PGA Tour without being one of the most mentally strong and consistent putters of all time, and Woods was exactly that. And since he inspired the next generation of golfers, many players in the modern game have tried to emulate his technique.
As Woods was giving out putting advice recently, Michael Kim weighed in on an important golf tip from the greatest golfer of all time.
Tiger Woods explains his putting technique
While explaining his putting technique, Woods said that the putting stroke ends when impact is made with the ball.
He said, “Just like in a golf swing, the body doesn’t move first. The putter head moves first. So the putter head wants to move first, and I believe the weight of the golf ball is what slows the putter down.
“So I accelerate all the way through, but the weight of the putter actually slows it down, so it looks like I’m punching it, but I’m just putting all the energy into the ball, and the ball is what’s slowing the putter head down.
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“You see some players have a follow-through like that (putts with a pronounced follow-through). I don’t understand that, because if you see a guy hit a punch shot, his swing’s going to be shorter on the follow-through vs the guy hitting up on it and picking it on the follow-through.
“Well, it’s the same sort of concept. You have the weight of the ball stopping the putter head, and the momentum is going to be slower on the front side. It’s not going to look the same. It looks like I’m punching it, but the weight of the golf ball is slowing this mass down. That’s all.”
Michael Kim’s opinion on Tiger Woods’ putting technique
Kim took to X to add some more depth to what Woods was saying.
The PGA Tour winner added: “Longer backswing and shorter follow thru is better for speed control. When players have that extended follow thru, they’re accelerating too much near impact which makes speed control tougher.
“When I’ve had that longer follow thru, it’s because subconsciously I realize the putter is going too slow and so my mind goes oh no and I try to accelerate to try and get it there. It mostly comes from not having a clear picture of the speed ur trying to hit.”
According to Kim, shortening your follow-through and making sure the putting stroke ends at the ball will make you more decisive on the weight of the putt you want to hit.
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