
Once you’ve got the putter hanging correctly, it’s time to line it up with the ball and hole in the correct manner. To allow the putter to hang under its own weight, simply grip the handle lightly – preferably in the middle or just above the shaft – using only your thumb and index finger. One of the most important elements of plumb bobbing is making sure you let the putter dangle naturally in front of your face – you don’t want to interfere with how it hangs by gripping it too tightly as this will create a false vertical line, and cause an inaccurate reading. Let’s take a look at each of these steps in more detail.

That, in a nutshell, is how plumb bobbing is done when putting.īut there are some additional nuances you need to factor in when doing each of these steps in order to get the most accurate read on the greens. Whichever side of the hole the putter grip appears, the putt will break in the opposite direction. Close your dominant eye and align the club shaft so it covers the centre of the ball, but also dissects the hole. Grip the handle lightly with your thumb and index finger to let it hang naturally. To plumb bob a putt, take your putter and hold it in front of your face. How do you use the plumb bob method when putting? How do you use the plumb bob method when putting?.Many golfers swear by it, and it could be the gamechanger you’ve been looking for. Personally, I’ve never particularly loved plumb bobbing as a way to read breaks, but I’ll explain exactly how this tried-and-true method works so that you can try it out for yourself. While plumb bobbing can certainly improve your putting if done correctly, there are other important elements that will contribute to your success on the greens – such as choosing a grip technique that suits your stroke, deciding on whether to fit a thick or thin grip, putting with or without a glove on, and also getting your alignment right. In golf, the putter head acts as the weight, while the club shaft substitutes as the string and is used as the vertical reference line – hence, creating a ‘plumb bob’ when dangled in the air by the player.īut if plumb bobbing is such a simple, fool-proof method, then why aren’t we all making every single putt we look at when using it? The technique derives its name from the traditional plumb bob (also known as a ‘plummet’) which, according to Wikipedia, is “a weight, usually with a pointed tip on the bottom, suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference line, or plumb-line”. If the grip appears to the left of the hole, the putt will break right (and vice versa). To help determine which way a putt will break, players dangle their putter in front of their face, with their dominant eye closed, and align the club shaft with the ball. Plumb bobbing is a long-proven method golfers use to read greens. So, what is plumb bobbing in golf, you ask? I’ve been playing golf for many years and only recently did I discover there is actually a proper name to describe this method of lining up putts: it’s called plumb bobbing.
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At some point in time, there’s no doubt you’ve watched the pros on TV and thought to yourself: why do they hold their putter in the air when reading greens?
