Plumb Bobbing

In previous articles I have discussed the hidden enemies that can be faced by all golfer on the putting greens, in particular the impact of ‘grain’ on a putt.

One of the other problems faced by golfers is the slight slope or break on a putt that just can’t be seen by the eye but there is one method that can be of assistance to many golfers in this instance, namely ‘plumb bobbing’.

Now I am not talking here about the games you play at Halloween where you put your face in a bowl of cold water and try to grab apples and oranges with your teeth.

Correctly practised the ‘plumb bobbing’ technique will establish for you a true vertical line to the green and indicates the amount of break present on the putt.

Before you use this technique you must know which of your eyes is dominant, the eye that looks straight ahead.

How do I know this I hear you scream!

Simply keep both eyes open and hold a thumb up at arms length and ‘sight’ along it to a target in the distance.

Now close one eye and if the target remains in line with the sighted target then you have identified your dominant eye.

To correctly ‘plumb bob’ on the golf course you should stand approx 10 ft behind the ball and in direct line with the hole.

Hold the putter up at arms length using the arm that corresponds with your dominant eye (left eye, left arm and visa versa).

Looking with your dominant eye, line the putter shaft with the ball and then look at the hole.

If the shaft, line and ball are all lined up then there is no break in the putt.

However if the hole appears to the left of the putter shaft then you must aim to the right of the hole to allow for the break on the putt and visa versa of course.

You will of course need to practise the technique to determine the amount of break to allow but as usual practise makes perfect.

From a psychological point of view this action or routine takes your mind from the putt at hand and temporarily with your conscious mind occupied you forget all of the things that can go wrong or the importance of the outcome of the putt.

If you are having difficulties in determining the amount of break on a putt why not give the ’plumb bob’ technique a try.

What is the worst thing that can happen?