There is probably a greater variety of putting styles than with any other golf shot. Most golf instructors will probably tell you that the putt that consistently puts the ball in the hole is the right one for that golfer. So when I hear that the feet SHOULD be parallel to the line of putt, I think that type of training is pretty narrow-minded. Jack Nicklaus used the open putting position and I would say it worked well for him.

I have recently gone wide for short putts (within about ten feet), and have had excellent results so far. With the open stance I can keep my head behind the ball, which allows me to see the line much better without moving my head. For these short putts, I can see the line to the hole, and it’s just a matter of hitting the ball on that line. For longer putts I don’t get the same advantages.

However, for this stroke to work, certain things have to happen.

1. You must use the pendulum strike. This is a stroke in which the face of the putter remains perpendicular to the ball throughout the stroke. I don’t think it’s possible to putt consistently if the putter face leaves the square position at any time. Sooner or later on some putt, maybe a big one, you won’t get the face in the right position and push or pull that three footer. And nothing kills your confidence faster than when you do that.

2. Tuck your elbow back. With the open stance you can stabilize the right elbow against the body. This stability eliminates one more possible thing that can go wrong; that is, the more of your body you can keep planted and solid, the less you can go wrong during your putt.

3. Lead with the front hand. One problem I’ve had with the open stance that I had to correct is “popping” the ball. Because the ball is naturally going to be forward, the putter will tend to get under the ball and lift it off the surface, which will definitely cause the putt to go off the line. By steering with my left or lead hand, I can keep the putter from going up through the ball.

This style certainly goes against what many consider to be the inflexible fundamentals of golf. But if you can consistently make what I think are the necessary adjustments to make this style work, you can find the advantages that I’ve found that will help you sink those short putts, the ones you should be sinking.