Okay, so I’ve been messing around with my putting lately, and I saw Patrick Cantlay’s setup and thought, “Why not give that a shot?” He’s a killer on the greens, so I figured I’d try to copy his style a bit and see if it helped me.
First thing I did was watch a bunch of videos of him putting. I just wanted to get a good visual of his stance, his grip, everything. I noticed he’s pretty deliberate and calm, not a lot of wasted movement.
Experimenting with the Grip
Next, I went out to my practice green and started experimenting. I tried to mimic his grip, which I think is a pretty standard, slightly stronger hold. Nothing too crazy, just a comfortable, secure feel.
- Tried to keep my hands relaxed, like he seems to.
- Made sure my grip pressure wasn’t too tight.
- Focused on getting a good feel for the putter head.
Working on the Stance
Then I worked on my stance. Cantlay seems to stand pretty square to the ball, maybe a little open. I tried to copy that, getting my feet and shoulders aligned. It felt a little awkward at first, but I kept at it.
- Tried to keep feet shoulder-with apart.
- Bend a little from the waist.
The Stroke Itself
The actual stroke was the hardest part to copy. Cantlay has a really smooth, pendulum-like motion. I tried to replicate that, focusing on keeping my wrists firm and letting my shoulders do the work. I’m used to being a little more “handsy,” so this took some getting used to.
- I kept repeating the motion, trying to get that smooth, consistent feel.
- I made a bunch of practice strokes before hitting any balls.
- Once I felt somewhat comfortable, I started rolling some putts.
The Results?
Honestly, it was a mixed bag at first. Some putts felt great, others were way off. But I stuck with it, and after a while, I started to see some improvement. My distance control got a little better, and I felt like I had a more consistent roll on the ball.
It’s definitely not a perfect copy of Cantlay’s style, and it’s still a work in progress. But trying to emulate his putting stroke has definitely given me some things to think about and work on. I feel like it is making me more aware of my own technique and helping me identify some areas where I can improve. It’s a journey.
