How to Use a Belly Putter

The Belly Putter has enjoyed a big surge in popularity in recent years as a number of professionals, chiefly on the PGA Senior Tour, have switched from a traditional putter and done extremely well with the innovation. The aim of the Belly Putter is to eliminate most if not all of the wrist action utilized with the traditional putter. The idea is that an older golfer tends to get shaky or nervous standing over a putt, and this makes it difficult to putt solidly and on line. The grip, the setup and the Belly Putter itself all differ tremendously from the old-fashioned putting style. Many hours of practice may be required to get the feel of the new technique.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Belly Putter
• Golf ball
• Practice putting green

1. Grasp the Belly Putter with your left hand (assuming that you are right-handed), holding the club in the fingers, and place your left thumb on the top of the shaft. Your left hand is extended out, with your knuckles facing away from your body.

2. Pull the Belly Putter toward your body, and touch the top of the shaft, where your thumb rests, against your belly button.

3. Bend at the waist so that you are leaning slightly over the Belly Putter. Your eyes should be almost directly over the golf ball, looking down at it. The Belly Putter should be positioned vertically, from your belly button to the putting surface. The length of the Belly Putter therefore becomes critical, and must be individually customized (see below). Your left arm is very nearly at a 90-degree angle, with your elbow facing out forward, away from your body.

4. Place your right hand on the shaft, below your left hand, in your fingers and not in the palm of your hand. Your right hand will look almost like a claw as it grips the Belly Putter. Your right hand will be perhaps 10 to 12 inches below your left hand on the club, and your right arm very nearly straight.

5. Pull back on the Belly Putter with your right hand, and then swing squarely through the golf ball. Think of the motion of a pendulum. The top of the Belly Putter never moves, as it continues to rest against your belly button. Think of this as the fulcrum point of the movement. Notice that there should be, practically speaking, no movement of the wrists at all in this putting motion.

Tips & Warnings

• The golf ball should be moved forward in your stance when using a Belly Putter, more toward your left foot as opposed to in the middle of your stance. This helps promote the pendulum action, and helps line your eyes up directly over the golf ball. Practice using your Belly Putter. Experiment until you become comfortable.
• The Belly Putter must be custom fit to each golfer because the distance from one's belly button to the putting surface is going to vary from golfer to golfer. And this is not so much a function of one's height as it is the length of one's legs. Some pro shops have an adjustable Belly Putter which you can experiment with to determine the exact length of the Belly Putter you will need to purchase. If the Belly Putter is not the proper length for you, your results will not be very good no matter how hard you may practice.

Resources

• Senior PGA Tour Pro Bernard Gallacher Gives Tutorial on Belly Putting with Pictures.

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