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By Ryan Finley
For PGA Tour golfer Rich Barcelo, the putting green is a giant sheet
of graphing paper, little lines and squares pulled taut over rolling
hills and tough slopes.
Barcelo's ball travels straight along an XY axis and into the cup. The
Sahuaro High School and Pima College graduate has turned the
relationship between math and sports into a lucrative pro career.
Barcelo just finished his second full season on the PGA Tour. He
recently met with the Arizona Daily Star at The Gallery South Course,
home of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship to share his putting
routine.
By reading your shot correctly, lining up straight and delivering a
fluid, repeatable stroke, you can improve your putting, he says.
Barcelo's four steps to a better putting game:
1. Read the green. Barcelo starts every putt by evaluating his shot.
He starts at the lowest part of the green and walks in a clockwise
circle back toward the ball. Barcelo visualizes a grid over the green,
complete with dips and angles.
"You need to get a feel if (the shot) is uphill or downhill or if it's
on a slope or not," he said.
After circling the green, Barcelo lines up behind his shot.
2. Line up. With the target in sight, Barcelo lines up his body for a
straight shot. He uses an arrow painted on the side of his ball to
point the way. When he strikes the ball, the three dots painted on the
center of his club head match the line on his ball perfectly.
The right-hander then lines up "parallel left" to his shot. He uses
the tips of his feet — and, sometimes, the stitching on the toes of
his shoes — to form a straight line parallel to the putt he wants to
take.
Barcelo aims 18 inches beyond the hole. "That's where you'll get the
optimum speed in relationship to the line that you've picked," he
said. "It's never going to go in if it's short."
3. Grip the putter and visualize the shot. Barcelo grabs his putter
using a simple technique. He holds his right hand so his palm is
facing his intended target, and grabs the club. He uses his left hand
mostly for support. He grips the club very loosely, but firm enough to
pull back and push forward in a pendulum motion.
"It's going to be a semicircle (motion), and that's what you're looking for."
4. Swing. Barcelo swings purposefully and aggressively at his target.
He focuses on the ball as it rolls off his putter. If Barcelo can see
a straight line — the arrow on the side of his ball rolling over and
over — he knows he's hit the ball straight.
"Concentrate on making a short, aggressive stroke," he said. "If
you've hit the ball where you've aimed, if you've hit it straight and
you've hit it solid, you've done your part."
For related putting movies and photos see:
http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/217538