LEARNING DISTANCE CONTROL WITH THE ROLL-N-ROLL™ PUTTER

Distance Control

Once you master the perfect putting plane and the perfect putting motion above, distance control becomes much easier due to your newfound consistency.  Learning proper distance control means the difference between bogeys and pars!

Green Speed

Green speed is one of the most important factors when it comes to distance control.  You should always know the green speed before playing your round.  Usually, the Starter at the course will know if you simply ask, “How fast are the greens rolling?”.  Typical green speeds range from 9 to 10 (If you want to know what this means, simply look up “stimpmeter golf”).  Even if you are told what the greens are rolling to, you should still spend a minimum of 10 minutes on the practice green with your Roll-N-Roll^TM putter before each round.

Putting Stroke

Once you have mastered the level plane putting stroke using your new Roll-N-Roll^TM putter, you are ready to learn how to master distance control.  The key to distance control is a consistent putting stroke with a consistent “strike zone”.  The strike zone is the spot on the putter that makes first contact with your ball.  This gives you the confidence of knowing that your ball will come off your putter’s head the same exact way every time. 

A very important note – DISTANCE IS NOT CONTROLLED BY HOW HARD YOU PUTT THE BALL!  Distance is controlled by the length of your backswing and downswing only.  This is why a level and consistent putter motion is so important.

In golf putting, the backswing is the first part of the swing when the club is moved away from the ball in an arc to the top of the swing. The downswing is the second part of the swing when the club is moved back toward the ball for impact.

Distance Guidance

As the first rule of thumb, on a level green rolling to a 10, a two-inch backswing and a downswing which stops two inches past impact, will result in a four-foot putt.  Again, this is a rule of thumb and you should spend time on the practice green before each round assessing exactly how far your swing plane needs to go to hit a four-foot putt.  Slower greens will require maybe 3 inches while faster greens may only require 1.5 inches. 

The Roll-N-Roll Distance Control Guide has all the important information laid out for you to immediately begin practicing.  To setup to practice putting with the Guide:

1. Lay the Distance Control Guide on the putting surface so the line reading "Back of Ball" is the number of feet from the target that you wish to practice.  
2. Place the back edge of the ball in the middle of the open end of the Guide in line with the "Back of Ball" marking.
3. Follow the basic guidelines of a 2 inch level backswing for every 4 feet you are putting.  This guideline is based on the greens having a speed of 10.  The face of the putter should be taken back to the appropriate inch marker, not the back of the putter.
4. Follow through in a smooth consistent manner the same number of inches you used for your backswing.  If you are attempting a 4 foot putt, your backswing and your downswing (follow through) should both be 2 inches.

To setup for this drill without using the Roll-N-Roll Distance Control Guide:

1.      Place a tee in line with the spot you are going to set your ball.

2.      Place the face of your Roll-N-Roll^Tm putter up against the ball as if you were setting up to putt. 

3.      Measure two inches back from the back edge of the putter, not from where the putter is touching the ball. 

4.      Place a tee directly behind the putter in the spot where you measured two inches.

To practice a 4 foot putt:

1.     Place your ball where indicated on the Guide or next to tee

2.     Set yourself up being ready to putt

3.     With your level plane, using your chest, and a well-paced motion, backswing the club until the face is in line with the 2" mark on the Guide or it touches the tee two inches behind the ball.  You can pause your putter to understand the feeling of how far two inches back is.

4.     In a steady motion, turning your chest towards the hole, begin your downswing.

5.     Complete your downswing when you are two inches past the point of impact.  Please note that you will naturally swing the club past the 2 inches on the downswing, but it will be more of a follow through and will not impact your distance.

The above information pertains to level putting surfaces.  As we know this is not always the case, the following guidelines apply to different lies:

1.      For a downhill putt, follow the same backswing guidance, however, stop your downswing at the moment of impact.

2.      For an uphill putt, increase your backswing by 25%.

As these are just guidelines, these amounts will vary based on the speed of the greens.

Following the above guidance, with a few weeks of daily practice with your Roll-N-Roll^TM putter, you should start seeing your total number of putts per round decreasing dramatically.  To obtain an accurate gauge of how much improvement the Roll-N-Roll^TM putter is contributing to your score, we suggest you count your total number of putts on the next round you play.  Continue keeping your counts and watch the number of strokes continuously drop as you continue practicing with the Roll-N-Roll^TM putter.

WE RAISE OUR PUTTER TO YOU IN HONOR OF MORE TAP IN PARS AND FEWER THREE-PUTTS!