Centerline face-forward method of putting

Abstract

A method for a golfer to putt a golf ball over the surface of a green toward a hole comprises selecting a target line on the green, assuming a stance next to the ball facing the hole, addressing the ball by gripping the shaft of a putter and positioning it behind the ball with the hands generally facing toward one another in front of and facing the golfer's body, executing a backstroke by drawing the hands toward the body's vertical centerline to swing the arms rearwardly about an axis of rotation through the shoulders to take the putter head away from the ball along a rearward extension of the target line, and transitioning to and executing a forward stroke by moving the hands in a forward direction away from the golfer's body to swing the arms about the axis of rotation to stroke the putter head to strike the ball for rolling it along the target line.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for a golfer to putt a golf ball over the surface of a green toward a hole using a putter having a shaft and a putter head with a face, comprising:
 selecting a target line on the green along which the ball is to be putted;   assuming a stance next to the ball to face generally in the direction of the hole;   addressing the ball by gripping the shaft of the putter and positioning the putter head behind the ball with the hands positioned in front of and facing the golfer's body;   executing a backstroke from the address position by drawing the hands toward the body's vertical centerline to swing the arms rearwardly in unison about an axis of rotation which extends generally through the shoulders thereby to take the putter head away from the ball generally along a rearward extension of the target line; and   transitioning to and executing a forward stroke by moving the hands in a forward direction away from the golfer's body to swing the arms in unison about the axis of rotation thereby to stroke the putter head to strike the ball for rolling it along the target line.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the addressing step is further defined by allowing the arms to hang down naturally and gripping the shaft with the hands generally facing toward one another and positioned generally in front of the vertical centerline of the golfer's body. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the step of assuming a stance next to the ball is defined by the golfer positioning the body's vertical centerline so that if extended in front of the body it would generally project a vertical central plane running in front of the body and intersecting the ground along a line which could be visualized by the golfer, looking ahead, to extend parallel to and spaced inside of the target line; 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the addressing step is further defined by gripping the shaft so that its longitudinal axis if extended would intersect at least approximately the target line. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the steps of executing the backstroke and forward stroke to swing the arms are further defined by the hands gripping the putter so that an intermediate portion along the shaft between the hands is generally aligned with the vertical centerline of the golfer's body and approximately tracks along an arc on the vertical central plane extending in a forward direction from the vertical centerline of the golfer's body. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the steps of executing the backstroke and forward stroke to swing the arms are further defined by the hands gripping the putter so that the longitudinal axis of the shaft extending from the hands generally tracks an inclined plane offset at an angle to intersect the vertical central plane and the target line. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the addressing step is further defined by gripping the shaft so that the putter head is positioned behind the ball with at least a portion of the longitudinal axis of the putter shaft being inclined at a lie angle offset generally in the range of 14 to 17 degrees relative to the vertical. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the step of assuming a stance next to the ball is defined further by positioning the feet to be generally parallel to one another so that an imaginary line interconnecting the front ends of the golfer's shoes extends to intersect the target line generally perpendicular thereto. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the golfer positions the feet so that the distance to the center of the ball measured from where the imaginary line intersects the target line is in the range of about four to seven inches, and wherein the distance from the widest part of the shoe closest to the ball to a rearward extension of the target line is in the range of three to five inches. 
     
     
         10 . A method for a golfer to putt a golf ball over the surface of a green toward a hole using a putter having a shaft and a putter head with a face, comprising:
 selecting a target line on the green along which the ball is to roll after being putted;   assuming a stance next to the ball by positioning the body's vertical centerline so that if extended to run in front of the body would generally project a vertical central plane intersecting the ground along a line which could be visualized by the golfer, looking ahead, to extend parallel to and spaced inside of the target line;   addressing the ball by allowing the arms to hang down naturally and gripping the shaft with the hands generally facing toward one another and positioned generally in front of the vertical centerline of the golfer's body so that an intermediate portion between the hands on the shaft is generally aligned with the body's vertical centerline and the face of the putter head is oriented behind the ball generally square to the target line;   executing a backstroke from the address position by initially tilting the shaft slightly forward while flexing the wrists backwardly and then drawing the hands toward the body's vertical centerline to swing the arms rearwardly in unison about an axis of rotation which extends generally through the shoulders thereby to take the putter head away from the ball generally along a rearward extension of the target line;   transitioning to and executing a forward stroke by moving the hands in a forward direction away from the golfer's body to swing the arms in unison about the axis of rotation thereby to stroke the putter head so its face strikes the ball for rolling it along the target line; and   extending the hands and arms in a follow-through to complete the forward stroke.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the backstroke is accompanied by a simultaneous flexing of the wrists felt necessary to provide ample acceleration of the putter head in the forward stroke for the face to strike the ball so that it has sufficient speed to travel along the target line to reach the hole. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the steps of executing the backstroke and the forward stroke are further defined by the hands gripping the putter so that an intermediate portion along the shaft between the hands is generally aligned with the vertical centerline of the golfer's body and approximately tracks along an arc on the vertical central plane extending in a forward direction from the vertical centerline of the golfer's body. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the forward stroke is further defined by releasing the wrists from their flexed position as the putter head strikes through the ball into full release in the follow-through.