What Can F1 Racing Teach You about Putting?
We want some similarities between F1 cars and your putting. No, maximum speed throughout the stroke is not one of them; that’s reserved for the cars. These are a couple skills that are prevalent in an F1 car and should be more prevalent in your putting.
Reliability
Max Verstappen secured his 3rd world title this year and became the first person to lead more than 1000 laps in a season. What are you doing to train your stroke and skillfulness to ensure you can be a reliable performer on the course?
I’ve always found it fascinating that a widely accepted metric in Strokes Gained Putting, but don’t players tracking that statistic during practice sessions.
Red Bull doesn’t skip the first the final two practices before the race and expect the car’s first practice session to magically translate to the track. Why do you?
Straight Line Performance
One of the separating factors in vehicles each race is the ability to create maximum speed while racing in a straight line. It’s a great way to close the gap between other racers, but the design of the vehicle influences the ability to do that.
As it relates to your putting, if you are unable to sufficiently manage your speed to stop the ball by different targets on flat putts, good luck on changing slopes. What are you doing to challenge your speed practice?
Adaptability
This brings the Quote I’m Pondering from this week's 3-Bullet Thursday full circle. In case you missed it: “The problem was that they kept changing it without ever fully understanding what they actually had. Darwin was not wrong. Evolution is often the key once the spark of a good direction has been set.” - Adrian Newey in his autobigraphy How to Build a Car. "The best vehicles utilize components that match up with each other," Adrian Newey writes of one team. “Then, for 2013, they just tried to copy various features from along the pit lane: the front end of a Red Bull mated to the middle of a Renault to the back of a Ferrari - a camel. Needless to say, it ran badly."
The lesson here?
Stop aimlessly changing things about your stroke. Build a foundation with a trusted putting coach (shameless self-promotion plug here) and establish that direction.
Stop trying to make it fit in by going with the conventional look. That might might be the last thing you need. Instead, let's identify a pattern that works for you.
The Wrap Up
If that sounds like a challenge you're ready to take on with me, then let's get started. In fact, I think we can make your stroke better in less than Nicolas Latifi needs to bring out a safety car! To join me for a live session in Orlando, sign up for The Putting Experience here.
And if you can't make it to Florida, check out the online lesson offerings. Space is limited during the holidays, so don't miss out!
