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Geoff
Mangum's PuttingZone Newsletter
October 2001
Hi Folks!
Hope you are all
well, and also hope the recent tragedy is resolved in a way that affirms
the great loss and the values all people should live by. Nuff said.
In this issue:
1.
WEBSITE 
- Tons of new stuff.
Dozens of new tips, with the new
stuff staged separately for your convenience and marked as new so
you don't have to hunt thru the pile.
- Also, a slideshow
of Bobby Locke profiling his golfing
career from 1930s thru 1980s.
- A collection
of photos of pro setups, showing basically
two styles-- the good (mostly of yesteryear and the best of today)
versus the so-so -- very interesting contrast.
- More putters
-- now 260 manufacturers linked with about 30 added since September.
More than anywhere in the world.
- Nice links
to select golf websites of distinction -- always interesting.
- More science
stuff, including research references galore.
- Putting scene
postcards so you can let a friend know about
the PuttingZone.
2.
PUTTING NEWS
In the New Tips
section, now featuring news articles on putting, putting research,
and great golfers of putting. Samples: Yips study, EEG Brain
Biofeedback, Hypnotism, more... Go to the New
Tips page.
3.
PUTTING GADGETS OF NOTE
Jesper
Parnevik and the Zen Oracle:
Here is a snippet
from the PZ Forum on the ZO:
The Zen Oracle
by DirectCreations
(URL: http://www.directcreations.com/faq.asp)
is an interesting training aid, but it has a couple of problems. First,
the good, then the bad.
The Good:
The Zen Oracle trains a particular motion, and this motion has several
integrated aspects. The one most prominently featured is the "release"
action. This tends to train a down-the-line followthrough. It especially
helps to make the preplanning / envisioning of the correct stroke
motion more readily available as a kinetic sense of motion, so this
makes the movement thru the ball more accurate and repeating. That's
pretty good, and the ZO seems to do a better job than some other tips,
drills, and aids I'm familiar with for this one aspect of the stroke
motion.
The Bad:
The ZO necessarily restricts the length of the backstroke that it
can be used with: go too far back and the ball rolls out from underneath.
This feature of the ZO has a terrible effect on tempo when used outside
of about ten feet. In particular, it forces a short backstroke, which
produces a quicker thru-stroke, emphasizing "hit". And in my book
there is nothing worse to mess up than tempo! Absolutely nothing.
And nothing worse to inculcate into a stroke than "hit." "Hit" is
the enemy to distance control precision and consistency, and thereby
to accuracy and effectiveness of putting. The advice to "accelerate
thru the ball" is shunned by top putters (e.g., Loren Roberts, Michael
Corcoran in the PGA Tour Manual of Golf) and instead the golfer wants
his hands to "keep pace with" the natural pendulum rhythm of the putterhead.
In this stroke, the butt of the handle stays pointed at the pivot
of the stroke (neck area) thruout the stroke, and the handle does
not waggle about inside the grip. The ZO trains a motion that degrades
this sort of stroke, especially when it is used outside of about ten
feet.
4.
WHAT I'M UP TO
- Book:
I delivered a book proposal to Sleeping Bear Press -- The PuttingZone:
Science, the Brain, and the Black Art of Putting. We'll see what they
think. I figure I need about 4 months of writing to get a complete
manuscript in shape. I have about 150 pages in hand.
- World
Congress on Golf Science:
I submitted an article for consideration for 4th Congress, 2002, St
Andrews, Scotland, entitled: "The `Mechanics of Instinct' in Putting:
The New Paradigm for Applied Golf Science." We'll see what the "Junta"
says.
- Networking:
making contacts all over, especially LPGA Teaching Pros. I toured
Florida this summer meeting as many pros as I could, and I need to
get back soon to meet more. If you are interested in having me come
meet people or make a presentation, let me know. I work cheap! Also
making contact with the golf science crowd and with Tour pros worldwide.
Met with numerous LPGA Teaching Pros at their annual championship
this July at MidPines Resort, Southern Pines, and also met a number
of LPGA pros at US Women's Open, Pine Needles Resort, Southern Pines,
PGA Tour pros at Greensboro, and at Buy.com Carolina Classic, Wakefield
CC, Wake Forest NC.
- Writing:
published an article in Golfer @ Large Magazine in Bombay! Hot dang!
Now that's what I'm talking about. Also appeared in Carolina Fairways
magazine and on WJOX Radio in Birmingham, Alabama ("ain't no ham like
Birmin'ham"). More tips articles coming real soon: "Make a Pretty
Stroke," "The Gap," "Simplify Schmimplify: Just Do It Right!" "Good
Looking Greens are Easy," "Dominate the Moss!" and more. Also now
writing tips for EuroGolfNet.com
and soon to add GolfWorld.com.
- Collegiate
Golf: working
again with Greensboro College Golf team (2000 NCAA Div. III National
Champs) and Coach Robert Linville. Hope to also be working again with
Methodist College, maybe Larry Penley's Clemson, UNCG, and a few other
collegiate teams this Fall. Met a dozen top coaches at the NCAA Finals
at Duke this summer.
5.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
- Plan to make
the research database searchable online, as soon as I get my techie
friends here to help me!
- Plan to add
a whole section on putting drills and exercises. Plan to make the
tips section searchable for types of tips (e.g., short putts, lagging,
grip, stance, etc.) -- that ought to help a lot.
- Plan to add tons
of photos of golfers to illustrate putting technique, and to create
digital video and 3D animation for instruction.
- Plan to start
taking questions on putting in the Forum for Q&A sort of thing.
I need to hear
from you, because it really helps. Thanks.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
The PuttingZone
http://puttingzone.com
The Future of Putting Now
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