Knit your way to better putting

For the ball to go in the hole, you have to read the green to find the right line. Then you need a stroke that sends the ball off on the line you selected. Here's an easy way to take care of number 2.

It involves knitting. The needles, not the yarn. The knitting needles that your wife or SigOth uses to make you sweaters are just the thing for building a secure stroke. A pair of number 6s will be just right.

Get the ball of string that's lying somewhere around the house and snip off ten feet. Tie off each end to a needle and head out to the range with your needles, putter, and a ball.

When you get to the practice green, find a patch of ground that is dead level. No ups or downs, no break anywhere. Put one of the needles in the ground about two inches behind a hole. Stretch the string across the hole and put the other needle in the ground so the string crosses the hole dead center. Adjust the height of the string so it is about six inches above the ground.

Now put your golf ball underneath the string, maybe six feet away from the hole. Take a putting stance so you can see the string crossing the center of the hole, then turn you head to look at the golf ball. Maneuver it around with your putter until the string bisects the ball. Now everything is lined up. (This alignment is offset in the photo to make it easier to see.)

Putt the ball toward the hole, keeping your putter visually in line with the string. I can't imagine but the first time you try this, the ball will go right in the hole. I'll bet your setup and stroke changed, too. It might be that for the first time, your eyes were directly over the ball.

It might also be the first time that your stroke tracked straight back and straight through. I know the angle of the putter face plays a bigger role in hitting the ball straight than the path of the putter does, but sticking to the right path makes keeping the face square a lot easier.

What happens when you do this drill is that your stroke gets more precise, and you pay more attention to keeping everything in line. There's no waving the putter around like you might unintentionally be doing now. If you are, the string shows it to you and you'll adjust right away. If you move your head around, or wiggle your body, you'll see that, too, by the string seeming to change its position above the ball.

This also helps you hit the ball on the sweet spot of the putter face. Line up the sweet spot underneath the string and contacting the ball. If you keep the putter lined up going back and through, bingo! Perfect contact.

You can do this at home, too. I tie one end of the string to the handle on the lowest drawer of my dresser, and the other end to the pole of a floor lamp. A tin can lid serves for a hole. Set up the same way, and play on.

Straight back, straight through. Very machine-like, very accurate. Spend a few minutes every week with your knitting needles. It will pay off. In the meantime,


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