Unconscious Putting Is All About Feel
One of my greatest weaknesses of my golf game is over thinking. My analytical brain will spin webs and see breaks that don’t exist or looks for bodies of water within 10 miles that might attract golf balls through some hydro-magnetic pull. Unconscious Putting by Dave Stockton takes a different approach and tells the reader to let go and roll the putt in. Sounds easy and obvious but it is not.
Dave Stockton’s golf credentials are those that bestow instant credibility and include 5 major championships, 11 tournament wins, and 14 titles on the Champions Tour. The man knows putting. Dave’s style is not locked into the mechanics of putting but focuses more on the feel of putting. It is an Obi-Wan to Luke mentorship with the only thing missing is Han’s helmet with the blast shield.
The Core of Unconscious Putting
To break down the core message of the book, Dave states:
At its core, Unconscious Putting involves learning how to accurately see the optimum line that a putt should take to the hole and giving yourself a consistent pre-putt routine that lets you preserve that visualization and roll the ball on your intended line.
There are some words that should stick out as they come back often in this book.
- Line: the key to a successful putt is finding and following the correct line to the hole.
- Roll: Dave does not talk about hitting a putt but rolling the ball. A roll is a smooth motion that will help the ball to stay on the correct line.
Favorite Passage of Unconscious Putting
In the chapter Why We Three Putt, Dave talks about the focusing on the process to roll the ball and not the result. This seems counter productive because I want to roll this putt in to make bogey and not double bogey. Dave recommends focusing on the process to roll the ball because that is the foundation to a good putt. Focus on the feel of the putt and getting the ball to follow your line. Feel cannot be forced or locked in so relax and let the putt happen.
Unconscious Putting: Buy, Borrow, or Bypass
This book is a buy for me and I am happy it is my library. It deserves another read with a cigar. Simple answers that do not offer mechanical technique are sometimes hard to swallow on the first pass. Dave writes an easy book to read on a complex topics that offers a way to shave strokes off your golf game.
Other Books By Dave Stockton
- Unconscious Scoring: Dave Stockton’s Guide to Saving Shots Around the Green
- Dave Stockton’s Putt to Win: Secrets For Mastering the Other Game of Golf
- Own Your Game: How to Use Your Mind to Play Winning Golf
Dave Stockton Info
- Twitter: @stocktongolf
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