Strong And Slight Arc Putting Tips

Golf Monthly created this content as part of a paid partnership with TaylorMade. The contents of this article are entirely independent and solely reflect the editorial opinion of Golf Monthly. 

In this video on strong and slight arc putting tips, Dan Grieve, Head Professional Woburn Golf Club, explains how using a piece of string can dramatically improve the consistency of your putting.

Putting is a game within a game and understanding your putting arc is a great step to mastering the art of performing consistently well on the greens.

We’ve all got our different tendencies and some putting strokes will be straighter and some will promote a strong arc - both are fine. 

However, one key thing you can’t do with the putting stroke is get too far outside the line or too far inside the line. 

Related: Which Hand Leads

What Is The Right Arc?

Should you have a slight arc? Straight back, straight through, perhaps? Or should you have a slightly more exaggerated arc? 

There is no right answer to this question - it’s all about what you feel most comfortable doing and then self-diagnosing what arc you have. 

Strong And Slight Arc Putting Tips

So, what is your putting arc?

An easy way to establish this is to use a piece of string over the top of your putter.

Set up a straight line, as shown above, then hit a few putts and observe what your putter head does during the stroke.

Related: Putting Technique

By using the string, you can see if your putter head comes inside, stays fairly straight or starts on the outside. 

If your putter starts back too far on the outside, it's likely to lead to a pull, whereas if your stroke comes inside too much, you'll struggle to square up the face at impact - and your miss is more likely to be a push to the right. 

Having The Right Putter 

Once you have a stroke that you are comfortable and consistent with - and you know what arc it has - it's vital that you match the style of putting stroke to the putter that you use. 

A heel balanced putter - where the toe hangs towards the ground - allows those with a strong arc to square the face up at impact. 

Face balanced putters - such as those found within the TaylorMade Spider range - don't want to swing as much in the toe.

Related: Best TaylorMade Putters

A face balanced model is a much more suitable option for someone with a straight back, straight through arc who doesn’t need as much help squaring up the face at impact.