Dr Paul Hurrion - Official Site of Putting Coach

GEL Putting Alignment Mirror - 9 Video Drills…

November 24th, 2009 | GEL Golf, Tuition

GEL Putting Alignment Mirror - 9 Video Drills Introduction

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I have been in the world of putting biomechanics and research for over 10 years working scientifically to biomechanically analyse the putting stroke. I work with many PGA Tour Professional golfers and I am constantly using additional input to scientifically reassess principles and push the boundaries in the field of ‘Putting Biomechanics’. The GEL Putting Alignment Mirror is one result - a simple, yet extremely effective training tool, enabling golfers at all levels to improve their putting stroke.

The nine drills on the following page : http://paulhurrion.com/video/ will help you to use the GEL Putting Alignment Mirror to its best to help you ensure perfect alignment, promote consistency and ultimately enable you to make more putts…

The graphics and tools provided by the GEL Putting Alignment Mirror enable you to perfect consistent alignment of the putter face, shoulders, and eye position during each putt. The GEL Putting Alignment Mirror can be used on all manners of putts, breaking, straight and of varying length. Use this product indoors or on the practice putting green where tees can be used in specially designated positions. To purchase the GEL Putting Alignment Mirror please visit : http://www.gelgolf.co.uk or http://www.gelgolf.com

http://paulhurrion.com/video/

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GEL ORA Putter voted a finalist : in Golf Europe Product Awards 2009

October 7th, 2009 | GEL Golf

The GEL Ora Putter was voted the third finalist in the Golf Club category in this year’s Product Awards at GOLF EUROPE which took place from 27th to 29th September in Munich, Germany.

The GEL Ora Putter, launched in 2009, is one of eight models from the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range which is co-designed by GEL Golf and putting guru Dr Paul Hurrion using unique groove and insert technology. The four models from the 2009 GEL Paul Hurrion putter range which also comprises the Quasso, Pondera and Vicis models were all represented at the exhibition by GEL’s German distributors, WB Compagnie.

First prize in the Golf Club category was awarded to the Honma “Perfect Switch”, an adjustable putter which can be customized to suit any situation by exchanging the putter head appropriate for the conditions, with the TaylorMade adidas R9 Irons securing second place.

“GEL is honoured to receive this award from GOLF EUROPE and delighted to earn such recognition in the industry after only just over two years in the extremely competitive putter market,” commented Alec Pettigrew, CEO of Hong Kong-based GEL Golf, manufacturers of the GEL Ora.

For the third year running the GOLF EUROPE Product Awards were presented to those products voted the most innovative for the forthcoming season. A total of 113 products from 54 brands were analyzed by a high-calibre jury that comprised of independent industry and retail experts as well as members of the press. The jury based their voting on the functional aspect, design, degree of innovation and ease of use of the products.

For further information on GEL Groove Putters, visit www.GELGolf.co.uk

For further information, please contact Helen Heady of Heady PR, on behalf of GEL Golf, on helen@headypr.co.uk or +44 7966 491 509.

GEL Golf & Paul Hurrion

The unique Groove and Insert Technology that GEL uses in its putters is based on scientific testing that has proved that the use of grooves in the putter face creates instant forward roll on the golf ball, thus reducing the unwelcome effects of skidding and giving a truer roll.

GEL’s precision-cut, horizontal aluminium face inserts give a softer and more responsive feel than the milled grooves of other groove putters whilst consultation with Tour professionals during the design process resulted in the GEL putters being designed with larger, heavier and more balanced heads, encouraging an even smoother and more rhythmical putting stroke.

Manufactured from 431 stainless steel with a Plated Black SQ finish with a sand blast face and coupled with its distinctive inserts and colourways, GEL has ensured that the putters look as great as they feel.

The GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range uses even lighter aluminium inserts allowing weight to be distributed elsewhere in the putter head, pulling the centre of gravity up the putter face increasing forward roll. The Hurrion putters also incorporate tungsten weights to create MOI, and different shafts to reduce torque, particularly on miss-hits.

Hurrion, who has over 10 years of experience in sports biomechanics, has established independent testing company, Quintic, which provides a range of quality performance analysis software used at the highest levels in sport, health, and education across the world, and produces top-class coaching CDs.

The success of GEL putters, launched just over two years ago, can be measured by the fact that they have already enjoyed six Tour victories; one each on the Asian and Canadian Tours, two on the China Tour and one on The European Tour when American Anthony Kang won the 2009 Malaysian Open using a GEL Rego Putter. Most recently Wales’ Becky Brewerton won the Ladies Open de Espana on the Ladies European Tour using a GEL Rego Putter to hand GEL its sixth Tour.

www.GELGolf.co.uk and www.quintic.com

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Wilding Golf launches GEL Golf’s unique horizontal groove technology

September 3rd, 2009 | GEL Golf, Putting Biomechanics

Wilding Golf, Asia’s most advanced golf training and fitting centre founded by CEO Shane Wilding recently organised a media putting workshop to introduce the revolutionary range of GEL Putters with its unique horizontal groove technology as a sole distributor at its new Wilding Golf Performance Center, Bangkok, Thailand.

The event was attended by Alec Pettigrew, CEO of Groove Equipment Ltd and Dr Paul Hurrion, the co-designer of GEL Putter’s Signature Range, who presented a demonstration of a putting lesson as well as a GEL Fitting session.

Photo caption (from left): Dr Paul Hurrion, a co-designer of Signature GEL Putters, Shane Wilding founder and CEO of the Wilding Golf Performance Center, and Alec Pettigrew, CEO of Groove Equipment Ltd

About Wilding Golf:
Wilding Golf is one of the most widely recognised brands in the golf training market and renowned for the high quality of its products and services. The new Wilding Golf Performance Center features 12 Swing Bays with Golf Simulators, 2 Putting Studios and a VIP Corporate Suite complete with Asia’s ONLY 3D SimSurround Simulator. The center also includes an Equipment Performance Lab which features technology that helps match a golfer’s unique swing with the perfect equipment.

The Wilding Golf Performance Center @ Interchange Building (B2 Floor) is open everyday from 07.00 am till 11.00 pm. For more information, please call 02-6112552 or 6112553 or log-on to www.wildinggolf.com

For further information, please contact:
Chanpim Merakate
Public Relations Manager
Vivaldi Public Relations
Tel: 02 718 2191 Fax: 02 319 9303 Mobile: 081 425 7017
Email: chanpim.merakate@vivaldipr.com

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Brewerton bidding to top Henderson Money List

August 27th, 2009 | GEL Golf, ProStance, Putting Biomechanics

Helsinki, Finland – 27th August 2009

Solheim Cup star Becky Brewerton tees up at the Finnair Masters in Helsinki this week with a new goal in mind: to win the Ladies European Tour’s 2009 Henderson Money List.

The Welsh 26-year-old said: “At the start of the year a massive goal was to get into The Solheim and to win another tournament and I’ve done that already. Now looking at the position that I’m in, I have got a pretty good chance of winning the money list and that would be a huge thing to do. “That’s what my aim is for the rest of the season: to play in as many events as possible and keep doing well. While I’m confident I’ll keep playing as much as possible and hopefully try and win the money list.”

Brewerton – currently fifth on the LET’s Henderson Money List – finished equal seventh in Finland last year. This time she is determined to improve and with €145,669.48 already banked, largely thanks to her second LET win at the Open de Espana Femenino, a tie for 13th place at the Evian Masters and fourth place finish at the S4/C Wales Ladies Championship, she sits €127,946 behind top ranked Sophie Gustafson from Sweden.

This week’s €30,000 first prize would see her leapfrog Solheim Cup teammate Italian Diana Luna, who is taking the week off, into third position. However Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord, the current number four, is playing in the tournament. “I’m 30,000 behind Diana Luna at the moment so I could make that up this week with a win. Even if it wasn’t a (money list) win, if it was a top three, that gains you entry into a few extra tournaments next year. It’s a big thing,” she added.

With five top 10 finishes from her last eight tournaments, Brewerton has not been outside the top 20 places since May’s HVB Ladies German Open. She also intends to get off to a fast start in The 2011 Solheim Cup qualification process, which begins this week.

“I’m already just desperate to get to Ireland because I so want to win it more than anything and get some revenge,” said Brewerton, who won two points for the European team in their 16-12 defeat against the Americans at Rich Harvest Farms, Illinois, on Sunday.

“It’s a shame because we came so close and I don’t know if it came across to everyone how close it was in the end. After the front nine on the last day it looked like we were going to win. I think we gave them a good run for their money,” she added. Brewerton says she is reaping the rewards of the work she has put in on her short game with Dr. Paul Hurrion and on her swing with PGA professional Stewart Craig, part of a long overall process.

“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’ve been doing and play well and keep putting well because that’s what’s made the difference,” said Brewerton, who said she enjoyed the Helsinki course layout. “I think it suits me. The par fives, you can get up on in two. There are a lot of par fours where you can hit good drives and hit short shots into the greens,” she said.

The 5918 yard par 71 course at Helsinki Golf Club is hosting the €200,000 event for the fifth time and all four former champions are competing, namely Denmark’s Lisa Holm Sorensen (2005), Frenchwoman Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (2006), Germany’s Bettina Hauert (2007) and Finland’s Minea Blomqvist (2008).

Blomqvist and Brewerton are playing in a marquee group with Spaniard Paula Marti at 9am in the first round on Friday. Day one action begins at 8.30am 28th August 09.

http://host2.ladieseuropeantour.com:80/~ladies/content/let_article_item.php?Id=23217

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The GEL house rocks!

August 25th, 2009 | GEL Golf

Today’s Golfer - September 2009
p87

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GEL Golf expands the Paul Hurrion Signature range…

August 4th, 2009 | GEL Golf, Putting Biomechanics

If you haven’t heard of GEL Golf yet, you’re missing out. They are quite simply, the most forward thinking golf company out there at the moment, full stop. GEL’s new range of putters are just awesome and now, they’re adding four more to into the mix… GEL has just launched four new models, the Ora, Pondera, Vicis and Quasso models which look absolutely stunning. The Ora is an absolute masterpiece in my opinion, beautiful.

Co-designed by GEL Golf and putting master Dr Paul Hurrion, the innovative putters are now available in the UK through GEL distributor, Assay Golf, via selected golf shops and the internet at www.GELGolf.co.uk at a recommended retail price of £185.

In an industry first, the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range comes equipped with a GEL True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 iron shaft - rather than a standard putter shaft. This means the club will twist far less on impact with the ball which will help keep you on-line. It also help you to experience increased feel and improved pace control.

The innovation has allowed Dr Hurrion to reposition weight around the perimeter of the putter head using a unique, inline weighting system with tungsten concealed in the putter head leading to a more rhythmic stroke, better response and high moment of inertia (MOI) for a truer roll.

As with his first four models, Hurrion’s new line features the multi-layer, horizontal grooves developed by GEL Golf that are milled at a precise angle onto a soft aluminium insert. The combination of these new technologies creates instant forward roll of the golf ball, reducing the effect of skidding providing a straighter roll off the ball immediately after it has been struck.

Tests prove that the roll of a golf ball immediately after it has been struck is the most crucial element in directing the ball towards the intended target illustrating clearly why groove putters outperform all others on the market. When we say ALL others - we mean ALL others.

“We’re very excited to be releasing additional models to our already-successful line of GEL putters,” said Alec Pettigrew, Managing Director of Groove Equipment Ltd. “With Paul’s expertise in putting and sports biomechanics, GEL has truly delivered a putter for golfers of all abilities.”

Hurrion brings with him over 10 years of research and development in sports biomechanics and is now recognized as one of the top putting coaches on The European Tour. Amongst others, he currently coaches three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and recent LET winner, Becky Brewerton.

“Based on the success of the inaugural GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range, I have designed four new models to help golfers continue to enjoy the key benefits tour players look for on the greens,” says Hurrion.

“A putter designed with horizontal grooves to impart forward roll, peripheral-weighting that maximizes the sweet spot across the putter face and heel-toe weighting to increase the MOI for improved resistance to twisting on off-centre hits creates stability at impact in the area of the game that matters most,” he concludes.

Since its launch in 2007, GEL Golf has firmly established itself as the number one groove putter on the Asian Tour and has already enjoyed six professional Tour wins; one each on The European, Asian and Canadian Tours and two on the China Tour plus one on the Ladies European Tour.

GEL offer truly top class putters and are currently in a league of their own. It’s just a matter of time until all the pros are using putters like these and taking training from bio-mechanics legend, Dr Hurrion.

Just as technology in drivers has changed the game, technology in putting is going to do the same with GEL Golf’s new putters. See our article “Forget everything you thought you knew about putting” for the full story.

Check out the company’s website at www.gelgolf.co.uk for more information or see the tech specs of the new putters below.

Dr. Paul Hurrion Signature Range Tech Specs:

ORA - (Edge)
A modified alignment, face-balanced blade with an inline weighting, a ‘crank-neck’ hosel and full shaft offset. Weight alignment arms create unique weight distribution within the putter face. Three-line alignment system squares the putter face to help focus the putter to the target. Loft 3.0 degrees. Lie 73 degrees. Standard shaft length: 33″ to 35″. 431 stainless steel material. (385gm head weight).

PONDERA - (Balance / Equilibrium)
A heel-toe, weighted mallet with a ‘crank-neck’ hosel and full shaft offset. A single alignment system squares the putter face to help focus the putter to the target. Loft 3.0 degrees. Lie 73 degrees. Standard shaft length: 33″ to 35″. 431 stainless steel material. (360gm head weight).

VICIS - (Time)
A heel-toe, weighted modified blade with a ‘crank-neck’ hosel and full shaft offset. Loft 3.0 degrees. Lie 73 degrees. Standard shaft length: 33″ to 35″. 431 stainless steel material. (365gm head weight).

QUASSO - (Break)
A heel-toe, weighted modified blade with a ‘crank-neck’ hosel and full shaft offset. Loft 3.0 degrees. Lie 73 degrees. Standard shaft length: 33″ to 35″. 431 stainless steel material. (350gm head weight).

http://www.findthefairways.com:80/golfnews/gel-golf-expands-its-epic-range-of-putters-in-2009-2190.html

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Brewerton wins in Spain…

July 20th, 2009 | GEL Golf, Ladies European Tour, ProStance

Becky Brewerton recorded a stunning six-shot victory yesterday (July 19) at the Ladies Open de Espana on the Ladies European Tour to hand Hong Kong-based GEL Golf its sixth Tour win since the launch of GEL Groove Putters in 2007.

The 26-year-old followed opening rounds of 65, 69 and 66 with a final round 70 at the Panoramica Golf & Country Club in Castellon with the help of a GEL Paul Hurrion Rego putter to secure the title with a remarkable score of 270, 18 under par.

“Even when I was a bit nervy, I was really positive with my putts and that was the thing that got me my win,” commented the Welshwoman, who has greatly improved her chances of making Europe’s Solheim Cup Team with the win.

Brewerton’s performance on the greens in Spain was particularly impressive and included 25 putts on day one and just 24 in the final round. Her total of 108 putts over the 72 holes of the tournament gave her an average of an astonishing 27 putts per round.

“Becky has made a lot of changes to her approach to the game this year and it is obviously paying off now,” observed Dr Paul Hurrion who coaches Brewerton on her putting skills. “She has also put in a great deal of hard work over the last six months so she really deserves this success and hopefully this is the start of things to come whilst personally I am both delighted and proud that she is using a Rego model from GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range,” he concluded.

“I’m so, so happy. To have such a big lead at the start was nice because it was a little bit nervy at the end when the wind was gusting up. It was a brilliant week,” Becky said.

At the start of the week, Brewerton declared her hopes of making Europe’s Solheim Cup team, due to play at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois from 17-23 August.

“I said in my interviews after the first couple of rounds that it was an absolute must that I had to win here to get some Solheim points, to get into the Evian, to give myself a better chance of making that team and it paid off. I tried to stay like that all the way to the end. Even when I was a bit nervy I was really positive with my putts and that was the thing that got me my win,” she added.

Becky works with ProStance and the ProStance team on all apsects of her game. Asked about ProStance, Becky Commented: “Since Stewart came to Holland something just seems to have clicked. Everything feels good.

“When I went to see Stewart Craig I thought that he could make my short game better and I thought working with Paul Hurrion would make my putting better but I didn’t think he would be able to make my long game any better because it was quite good anyway but he has. Working with ProStance and Stewart has given me more length and more accuracy which I was really surprised at and it was an added bonus, so that all seems to have helped. Hitting fairways when you’re hitting it longer makes it so much easier.”

The win takes Becky up to 5th on the Henderson Money list and 10th on the Solheim Cup Standings.

Brewerton now joins an elite group of professionals who have enjoyed professional Tour wins using a GEL Groove putter.

For further information on GEL Groove Putters, visit www.GELGolf.com & www.pro-stance.com

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The Guinea Pig: The Putting Doctor

July 2nd, 2009 | GEL Golf, ProStance, Quintic Ball Roll, Tuition

Matt Cooper, golfer: a hacker playing off 15. Gentleman, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic golfer. Matt Cooper will be that golfer. Better than he was before. Longer, straighter, holing more putts.

Read the final words of our mission statement again: “Matt Cooper … better than he was before … holing more putts.”

Holing more putts - how does that happen? How about meeting the man responsible for polishing the putting stroke of double Open Champion Padraig Harrington?

That man is Dr Paul Hurrion and meeting him is a bit like finding yourself in an episode of Thunderbirds, becoming a member of International Rescue and discovering that Brains has a putter in his hands and is ready to tell you all about his latest genius idea to save the world (or a few shots on the greens at the very least). If that sounds absurd, trust me, it isn’t - this man has dissected the putting stroke to such a degree that he understands every dynamic, every angle, every force at work on the ball, the putter and the golfer.

We met at the launch of GEL (Groove Equipment Limited) Golf’s new revolutionary Fitting Centres, an initiative that utilises the ethos, expertise and knowledge of Hurrion, allowing golfers of all abilities to take advantage of his research and GEL’s precision equipment.

It was an afternoon of revelation that had one or two cynics wide-eyed with wonder as old notions and myths were blown to pieces by the quietly spoken Hurrion.

To appreciate his methods it is important to understand his background: he is a biomechanist who has worked with Manchester United, the England cricket team and UK Athletics (amongst many others) but his passion for golf and his forensic analysis of putting has led him to work with the likes of Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy.

But it is with Padraig Harrington that he has formed the perfect partnership because the two thrive on the detailed application of well-researched theories that refuse to be clouded by conventional wisdom. As a simple exercise in the importance of biomechanics Hurrion asked those of us present to sit with our backs straight and feet flat on the floor. “Now, without leaning forward,” he asked us, “stand up.” Of course, we couldn’t: it was a simple, but highly effectively, demonstration of what biomechanics is: the science of human movement.

Using that science Hurrion has sought to develop a coherent technical model of the putting stroke; eliminating all that is bad, highlighting all that is good.

Hurrion is no lunatic evangelist however - he still believes that putting is an art rather than a science but insists that basic keystones are required to produce the ideal stroke. Once those basics are understood and applied, then the skills of the putting artist can shine through.

Ultimately one important element counts: the fact that the putter and ball collide for only half a millisecond and in that short space of time it is essential that there is minimum manipulation of the putter face.

Get it wrong, as traditional putters do, and the ball begins with a slide, a skid or backspin.

Hurrion craves forward momentum: he wants us to “believe in the roll”.

Prior to launching the Fitting Centres, Hurrion deconstructed the putting stroke to demonstrate his points.

The response, as mentioned above, was remarkable: sceptical faces laughed in astonishment and wise men gasped as previously trusted ideas were proved wrong.

Essentially Hurrion craves repeatability in the putting stroke - only when the player has a stroke he can trust and understand can he identify the difference between a poor stroke, an unlucky break or a bad read.

And the one part of the putting stroke everyone can repeat without fail is the position of the ball, right?

Wrong.

Amazingly Hurrion’s research reveals that Tour pros will vary their ball position by as much as three ball widths in just ten putts.

This contrasts with a variance of one ball width in ten drives by the same player - and yet they hit only 14 drives per round and roughly twice as many putts!

Despite demanding accuracy and quality repetition in all other aspects of their game, in putting even the greatest golfers on the planet are slapdash when addressing the most fundamental features of a putting stroke.

Everyone in golf knows the phrase “Drive for show, putt for dough” but this is clear evidence that the message is not getting across to even the smartest brains.

Vijay Singh, for example, is renowned as one of the hardest workers on tour - on the range at least.

He once admitted that he uses whichever putting technique “feels” right at the start of the day. He would never allow such woolly thinking to compromise his long game so why permit it on the greens?

It doesn’t make sense.

If simple research has allowed Hurrion to identify sloppy attitudes, more profound science has proved that our perception of straight lines is fundamentally flawed.

Remember the old notion of positioning the ball below your eyes? Unsound.

How so? Well, one by one we were invited to look down a line of 12 golf balls and confirm that they were in a straight line (they had been laser checked previously).

We then addressed the first ball as if planning to putt along the line of balls whilst Hurrion stood in front of the second ball to block our view. He then stepped away and asked for our perception of the line.

Cue cries of surprise and confused shaking of heads: depending on the golfer, the line (previously confirmed as straight, remember) moved either left to right or right to left.

It had bent before our eyes! To correct this problem each golfer must move the head inside or outside the line until the line is straight. Only then will our eye position reflect reality when looking towards the target and reduce the tendency to manipulate the putter.

The perfect example of this in action is Justin Leonard who famously stands a long way from the ball in his address despite being a fine putter. The experts said it was technically wrong but Leonard had observed the difference between perception and reality himself years ago.

Further enlightenment was provided by Hurrion’s personally-designed Quintic Ball Roll software which filmed our putts at 1,000 frames per second and then allowed us to instantly observe the action of the ball.

The results were astounding. Two of those present used their own putters (manufactured by Ping and Scott Cameron) to strike 15-foot putts. We then watched replays of them in super slow motion and literally laughed out loud as one ball after another skidded off the club face before bouncing along the surface like bombs dropped by the Dambusters.

When viewed in such minute detail it is almost absurd how haphazard the ball’s path appears to be. It becomes clear that the impact of downhill, sidehill or uphill lies on a ball landing with that initial backspin could be incredibly detrimental. It also becomes evident that the sooner the ball assumes forward roll, the more accurate the putt will be. Indeed, tests have proved that the initial performance of a golf ball after strike is the crucial element in maintaining the line of the putt.

Which is where the Groove technology of GEL putters comes in: with its optimal angle milled into the aluminium insert, it creates near instant forward roll and reduces skid. The evidence was right there in front of our eyes: when we used the GEL putter the ball had less bounce and achieved forward roll considerably sooner.

We were astonished by these revelations but you can be, too. Not only has 2009 seen the launch of GEL’s Paul Hurrion Signature Range (featuring a bigger sweet spot, reduced twisting on off-centre hits and a heavier shaft to aid stability through the stroke), but new Fitting Centres are opening right across the UK and Ireland in the next few months.

At each centre you can enjoy the expertise, tools, cameras and software that so wowed us - and leave wielding a putter that has been expertly fitted.

“Our personally-trained pros will be able to use the specially-designed tools to analyse a player’s putting stroke and allow him to accurately fit each and every golfer with the most suitable putter,” explains Hurrion. “Not only will they ascertain suitable length, loft and lie. but also blade against mallet, centre versus heel shaft and face-balanced against toe heavy.”

“Believe in the roll”? I do. For more information, including slow motion footage of putting strokes, go to www.gelgolf.co.uk

by Matt Cooper - The Guinea Pig
http://www.golf365.com/features_story/0,17923,15870_5406217,00.html

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Forget EVERYTHING you thought you know about putting!

June 17th, 2009 | GEL Golf, Quintic Ball Roll, Tuition

I had the absolute pleasure of visiting East Berkshire Golf Club last Thursday to attend the launch of GEL (Groove Equipment Ltd) Golf’s new putter fitting centres. It was quite simply, the most interesting presentation I have ever seen about golf.

When I say, “Forget EVERYTHING you thought you knew about putting!” I really mean it. What I learned yesterday totally changed how I look at putting and more importantly, how to practice the dark art. I’m going to try and pass this info on to all you lovely Fairway Finders so you can start having some more success on the greens.

The astonishing presentation was made by bio-mechanics expert, Dr Paul Hurrion who has spent over ten years studying the science behind putting. To say the chap knows what he’s talking about is an understatement. Quite frankly, he’s the Don of putting and he can prove it.

He started his presentation by lining up 12 golf balls in a dead straight line. They had been checked with a laser to prove they were dead straight. He then asked me to step up to the first ball and set my aim so that I would hit the middle of the second ball if I putted it. While I did that, he put his leg in the way to block my view of the other ten balls. I’ve shown this in the photos below so you get the idea.

Then Paul simply removed his leg from my view so I could see the rest of the twelve balls. Looking down the line of balls, they looked like they curved to the right, like a fade. It looked so curvy, I would have put money on the fact that the balls were not straight but I knew they were which was very strange!

As you move your head forward and backwards, the line of balls appears to curve one way or the other which, when you think about it, is amazing. You see, it’s all about your perception of straight. Everyone is different and the way they see straight is totally unique and that my little fairway finders is why we always miss putt after putt. If you can get this right on your set-up, you WILL hole more putts.

This theory completely blows everything you’ve heard about putting out of the window. The usual thinking of dropping a ball from the tip of your nose, watching where it lands and always hitting it from there is utter tosh. Fairly unsurprisingly, it turns out that we are all in fact, different and as such we see things differently. This is why we all need a personalised set-up that is completely unique to us. It sounds so obvious doesn’t it?

Dr Hurrion has worked with a host of tour stars and analysed their every putt and the figures he has in his arsenal are just astounding. For instance, a tour pro setting up for a drive, will tee up the ball in almost exactly the same position in his stance every time. In fact, it’s within the circumference of just one golf ball. That repeatability is key to their success, so you’d imagine it would be same with their putting wouldn’t you?

Well, you’d be wrong. Dr Hurrion says that in fact the ball position in the stance can change up to THREE full golf balls width (130mm or 5 inches) in any direction. That’s astonishing when you think about it and these guys are tour pros, the cream of the crop. Just imagine how badly an average amateur gets it wrong…

On tour, apparently 40% of all eight foot putts are missed which is totally rubbish when you think about it. If they missed 40% of their short irons into the green, they’d never be there in the first place, so why is it ok for putting?

I think for the first time, you can see why all these putts are missed. It’s all to do with your perception of what is straight; if that’s not right you’ve got no chance. Yes, you have to have the right balance when putting and a perfect shoulder only stroke but without your perception being right, your body compensates for your eyes and twists your hands, wrists or whatever to get the ball on the right line and that’s where everything goes wrong because it’s not truly repeatable.

In my opinion, this research sets GEL Golf and Paul Hurrion apart from the rest of the putting crowd. They know what they’re doing, and they can prove it.

All this research unequivocally proves that you really MUST have your putter fitted just for you in just the right way so that you can see perfectly straight every time and start holing those putts. This is what GEL Golf is launching and I can see it taking the world of golf by storm.

The new range of Paul Hurrion signature putters are masterpieces. The technology behind these babies is awesome and I’ve seen it proved with my own eyes. They have a wealth of features to help you get seriously better at putting which, with the right practice will pay dividends.

The most significant of these features is the grooved aluminium insert which gives a lovely soft feel for starters and makes the ball roll better off the face. When I say better, I mean significantly better.

Using high speed cameras as they did in their demonstration, you can easily see the benefits of the grooves. A Scotty Cameron putter we tried out made the ball backspin off the face of the club and bounce along the ground for the first few inches or feet depending on the length of the putt. Conversely, the GEL putters made the ball roll almost instantly off the face, getting the ball on the ground and rolling significantly faster than any other putter.

It might not sound that significant until you start to think about the greens you’ll be playing on. If you have a putter that imparts backspin on the ball and you’re putting uphill, the ball will ‘bite’ on the green just like a wedge but to a lesser extent. But how can you possibly know how much the ball will bite and therefore account for it when judging distance? The truth is - you can’t.

A putter that promotes roll straight off the face and also has the perfect set-up allows you to more accurately repeat the same thing time after time and that is the ultimate goal. You can practice uphill, downhill and distance putts and be confident that you can achieve the same thing over and over, removing as much error as is humanly possible. A much, much better idea I’m sure you’ll agree.

The other features of the groundbreaking putters include stiffened shafts to prevent club head twist at impact keeping you on target and weighting in the top of the shaft to help you centre yourself properly.

As I’m sure you’re thinking though, all of this effort is useless without the right tools to allow you to practice effectively and build a repeatable putting stroke that is on target, every time and that’s where GEL’s brand new putting mirror comes in. The nice chaps will show you how to use it properly when setting you up with your new purpose fitted super-putter.

The mirror allows you to set yourself up correctly with your eyes and body in the right position which is totally unique to you and then helps you to practice that set-up over and over. You can use it for a host of putting drills which will help you hit the right distances and get everything in-line, every time.

Using this, together with a fitted GEL putter is quite simply the best way you could ever learn to putt short of booking a lesson with Dr Hurrion himself. It’s based on quality science that’s impossible to argue with and I just can’t recommend it enough. It’s a true revolution in putting…

I was given one of these mirrors on Thursday last week and have practiced with it for about half an hour since. I played yesterday and I didn’t three putt a single green which is unusual for me I can tell you. I also holed a 50 foot dead straight putt, a 30 foot curved killer putt and seven or eight ten footers. It saved an otherwise poor round and proved to me the worth of this system.

It’ll cost you £185 for a Paul Hurrion Signature Putter, £25 to have it fitted and £39.99 for the putting mirror. Fitting centres are now being rolled out across the UK and are sure to be everywhere very soon. Honestly, if you buy one thing to improve your game this year, make it a fitted GEL Paul Hurrion putter. You won’t regret it!

Currently, they are available at the following locations:

UK
East Berkshire Golf Club, Crowthorne, Berkshire
Costessey Park Golf Club, Norwich, Norfolk
Hinksey Heights Golf Club, South Hinksey, Oxford
Nevada Bob’s, Broadgate, London
Nicky Lumb Golf Centre, Hambrook, Bristol
North Berwick Golf Club, North Berwick, East Lothian

Opening soon:
ZFL Golf, Benton, Newcastle
Nevada Bob’s, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire
The Golf Depot, Straiton Retail Park, Edinburgh

Republic of Ireland:
Martins Golf, Golden Island, Athlone
Charleville Golf Club, Charleville, Cork
County Cavan Golf Club, Cavan
Ballina Golf Club, Mossgrove, County Mayo

For more information on GEL’s new range of putters, please check out their website at www.gelgolf.co.uk or look at Dr Hurrion’s work at www.quintic.com

by Jonathan Ashworth – FindtheFairways.com
http://www.findthefairways.com:80/golfnews/forget-everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-putting-1761.html

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High Fives all Round - GEL celebrating another Tour win!

June 15th, 2009 | GEL Golf

GEL Golf is once again celebrating a Tour win, its fifth in just over two years, following Chinese Chen Jian’s victory using a GEL Ruby putter in the Luxehills Golf Championship on the Omega China Tour.

The 34-year-old secured his first title on the China Tour yesterday (June 14) over the Luxehills International Country Club in Chengdu after overcoming Australian Rowan Beste at the second hole of a thrilling sudden-death play-off.

Chen no doubt benefitted from the support of the large local gallery as well as his GEL putter after as he recorded a two-under 70 for an 11-under total of 277 while playing partner Beste shot a 69 to finish level after four rounds.

“I’m so excited. Winning this is a dream come true. I don’t really have the words to express how I feel,” said Chen, a Kunming-based teaching pro. “With so many people watching, I really wanted to prove I could play, that I belonged here. When I birdied the eight and heard the crowd roar, I felt great. It was just an amazing atmosphere.”

With his win, Chen joins an elite group of professionals who have enjoyed professional Tour wins using a GEL putter.

American Anthony Kang secured the Malaysian Open on The European Tour using a GEL Paul Hurrion Rego putter in February at the Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur whilst in 2008 Hsu Mong-nan of Chinese Taipei claimed the China Tour’s Shanghai Championship with a GEL Jade and American Tom Stankowski clinched the Canadian Tour Championship using a GEL Emerald.

GEL’s first ever win came at the 2007 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open when American Bryan Saltus won the event on the Asian Tour using a GEL Topaz.

“Given that we only launched GEL at the start of 2007 and already boast five Tour wins, we have made excellent progress into the market with our groove putters,” commented Alec Pettigrew, founder and managing director of Groove Equipment Ltd (GEL) Golf. “Moreover GEL Golf has established itself as the number one groove putter on Tour in Asia and is marketing itself globally so I am sure that we will be enjoying further victories in the near future.”