CONSIDERATIONS
FOR A FORWARD PRESS

Something you likely see every time you go golfing, and definitely see everytime you watch the PGA Tour, is what’s called a forward press. This is where a player leans the shaft of their putter forward right before they begin their putting stroke. Most of the time this is a mechanism for the player to feel comfortable starting their putting stroke. More of a ritualistic tick. But there are times where the forward press can assist a player in becoming a better putter. Having a forward press can help to eliminate wrist movement and keep the hands in line during the putting stroke.

But if somebody needs to or prefers a forward press during their putting stroke there are some considerations in their equipment that need to be thought about. With some help from our friends at Edel Golf and their new Array Putter line, and some sweet aftermarket shafts from Breakthrough Golf Technology, we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting your putter perfectly set up for a forward press.

LOFT

Because a forward press has a natural tendency to deloft the putter, one of the primary concerns you want to think about is adjusting the putter to have more loft. This will “pre-lean” the shaft a little bit so as you address the ball with the shaft perpendicular to the ground, you’ll notice that the putter is going to be leaning up off of the turf a little bit. As you start your forward press, you’ll then see the sole of the putter come back down to square with the putting surface allowing you to use the intended amount of loft.

Without this adjustment you run the risk of creating negative loft which will push the ball into the putting surface before it has a chance to start rolling and this will have a large negative impact on your ability to control both speed and startline of your putts. Remember, when you’re on the putting surface your golf ball is actually sitting in a little bit of a depression, so it’s key to have enough loft on your putter at impact to help lift the ball up out of that depression so it can start rolling as soon as possible. The earlier you can get the ball to start rolling, the better chance that putt has of rolling on its intended start line at the proper speed.

OFFSET

With a forward press your hands are going to be in front of the putter head through the putting stroke. By doing this, you’re leaving the position of the putter face at impact subject to an imperfect close rate. Lots of times this small amount of shaft lean through the putting stroke will cause players to pull putts because the hands end up completing the putting stroke arc before the putter head actually does. This is where offset can hurt a player. By taking away offset of the putter, you’re able to give that putter head a little bit more time to complete its arc through impact. This may not be something that affects those of you playing a straight back straight through putting stroke, but it absolutely can impact players who may be playing a putter with lots of toe hang and by adding a forward press notice that their closure rate increases.

Thanks to our friends at Edel Golf for sending us their new line of Array Putters and Breakthrough Golf Technology for providing the Stability putter shafts you see used to help demonstrate. Click either logo above for more information on the equipment used or to purchase your own!