The Man Who Couldn’t Miss
The Man Who Couldn’t Miss
by Dr. T. J. Tomasi
Keiser University College of Golf Senior Faculty and Director of Research
This is the true story of Paul Trevillion, an artist and avid amateur golfer, who, during what turned out to be his last round of golf, reached a long par five in two mighty whacks. Left with a simple four-footer for his first ever eagle, he missed badly and became so overcome by his failure to make three that he knocked his ball into the woods and never played a game of golf again. But some good came from the quit. Stewing over the inequity of a 300-yard drive down the middle counting the same as a four-foot putt, he resolved to become the best putter in the world, and in the process, he invented one of the most unusual putting styles ever seen, as simulated in the photos below. To most, it looked ridiculous as he bent doubled over like a man looking for his contact lens. But tittering aside, it had one significant advantage – it worked – it is said that in money putting matches, he was never beaten.
So how did he develop his putting style? Trevillion studied champion pool players and noticed that they all place their eyes low and directly down the line of aim, a feature he incorporated into his method. Here is a synopsis of his unique but very effective method.
- You need a shorter putter, one that comes up just a bit above your knee.
- Bend over to the ball so that your eyes are directly over the line. Allow your arms to hang down, making sure the fingertips of both hands hang to the same level. Keep your shoulder blades back.
- Stabilize the top of the putter with your target hand.
- Slide your trail hand down the shaft until it’s near the neck of the club with the palm facing the line of start. Allow your target arm to bend as you do this.
The Stroke:
- Make a piston type stroke featuring your trail hand, keeping the clubhead on the target line back and through.
- Allow your left wrist to break normally as the putter swings.
- Outside of four feet, move your trail hand progressively up the shaft as you need additional power.
Takeaway: Odd yes, but does it work? I tried it years ago when my back was OK, and I never putted better from 10 feet and in. So, if you’re having trouble with the short ones and don’t mind some tongue soup from your buddies, give it a try – you can apologize for looking silly while you collect the money.
Make sure you assemble yourself the same way every time using the routine outlined above. Trevillion did and made 1000 4-footers in a row — and he never lost a challenge putting match. Note: I’m using a 35-inch putter even though the method dictates a much shorter shaft, but still the club swings freely with no anchoring – meaning the method is not in violation of the anchoring ban.
Short putts are often missed by opening and closing the putter face – note how square to the hole I kept the face. The only way you can miss with this method is a mis-read because the ball rolls exactly where you aim it.
If you’d like to study with Dr. Tomasi and other PGA Master Professionals, contact The College of Golf today.
