Dr Paul Hurrion - Official Site of Putting Coach

TPI Level 1 - Setanta College - The Sports College

November 18th, 2009 | Full Swing Biomechanics, TPI, Tuition

Setanta College – The Sports College : Specialists in Strength & Conditioning and Golf Studies Courses

Setanta College will be hosting (in association with Harrington Golf) a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Level 1 Fitness Instructor Seminar on 23rd & 24th Jan 2010 in CityWest Hotel, Dublin, Ireland. Tutors on the weekend will include personnel from TPI (USA), Harrington Golf and Setanta College.

Applications are being taken on-line This seminar will be limited to 120 places only and applicants are accepted on a first come - first served basis. For more details check the TPI section of this site. Also visit www.myTPI.com

The weekend course will serve individuals from Golf (the Teaching Pro and Fitness Instructors and Coaches), Medical/Physiotherapy/Physical Therapy, Biomechanics as well as the Leisure Fitness Industry and Strength & Conditioning Coaches who work with or wish to work with golfers at all levels of the game.

An added feature is the On-line Pre-Level 1 reading course which has an additonal cost to the main seminar. While this pre-reading is not essential for participation in the seminar, the course will give you preparatory and background understanding so that you will be well equipped for the seminar. In addition the On-line Pre-level 1 reading course continues after the seminar to help prepare you for the TPI Level 1 Golf Fitness Instructor examination

For delivery of TPI Level 1 Course and Pre-Course Reading Programme : Logon to: www.setantacollege.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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Up your putting know how : London Golf Show 09

April 24th, 2009 | GEL Golf, Tuition

If you’d like to attend a putting clinic by one of the game’a foremost flat-stick gurus, get yourself along to the London Golf Show.

And make sure you do so on Friday, May 1. You’ll find the show at ExCel in London’s Docklands. The clinic is to be given by Dr Paul Hurrion, putting coach to a number of top European Tour and Ryder Cup stars and the designer of the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range of Putters at ExCel in London’s Docklands

Hurrion, whose clients include three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and the precociously-talented Rory McIlroy, uses a biomechanical approach to putting that has seen him become one of the most respected coaches in the world of golf.

Visitors to this year’s London Golf Show will be given a rare insight into the putting methods that Hurrion has developed following over 10 years of research into the theory of sports biomechanics and which he now passes on to his star clients.

Hurrion is attending the Show on behalf of GEL Golf, manufacturers of GEL Groove Putters, and Assay Golf, the distributor of GEL Putters in the UK.

In partnership with GEL, Paul has designed a range of putters that combines his expertise in biomechanics with GEL Golf’s unique horizontal groove technology.

The result?

The GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range, is a range of putters that produce greater grip with the golf ball at the moment of impact, therefore enhancing a putter’s ability to produce the desired topspin roll on the ball.

Says Clive Wood, managing director of Assay Golf: “Paul’s illustrious client list is testament to the esteem in which he is held in golf so his appearance at the London Golf Show is a fantastic opportunity for golfers to glean some insider putting tips normally reserved for the stars of the game,”

GEL Golf will be exhibiting at Stand E20 at the London Golf Show where they will be showcasing both the GEL Paul Hurrion Signature Range and the original GEL Range of Putters.

www.gelgolf.co.uk

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The role of video analysis in self improvement

March 24th, 2009 | Quintic Video Software, Tuition

The commoditization of hardware has put digital movie-making within the grasp of everyone.

Consultancies such as Quintic specialize in capturing action images, and - with a combination of biomechanical knowledge and specifically developed software - clearly show how athletic performance can be optimized and risk of injury minimized.

But specifically how one can use this for best effect is something that not everyone appreciates. Humans have quite slow vision. The human eye can only separate a maximum of ten or twelve images per second. There are even some suggestions amongst scientists that events lasting less than a quarter of a second cannot usually be seen clearly, if at all.

Video cameras create the illusion of motion by ‘tricking’ the human eye. Video cameras play 25 flashing still pictures each second. As the eye cannot separate those pictures, we get the feeling of continuous movement. The use of a video camera is a very effective tool to help you improve sporting technique. Quintic video analysis software enables video capture at 25, 50 and 100fps. At 100fps each still image is 10ms apart, capable of capturing even the fastest of human movement. Add a second video camera, and the benefits of video have just doubled!

More and more athletes, coaches, scientists are using video feedback as a coaching aid. Video can very quickly help athletes to understand the basic fundamentals of a specific movement. Providing athletes with immediate performance feedback via Quintic video software is a very powerful analysis tool… the images are used to assist coaches in their task, as the athlete’s performance can be repeated afterwards and slowed down during critical phases.

“With the assistance of Quintic analysis software I’ve transformed my putting stroke. What you think you are doing, compared to what you are actually doing, can be two totally different things.”
David Howell

By comparing performances of previous movements, or even other athletes, Quintic software enables you to compare video images via the computer screen. Differences between the techniques can be identified (competition vs. training) and this information made available immediately to the athlete. The coach and the athlete can discuss what they see and plan a strategy for improvement, then repeat the process. How the feedback is presented to the athlete when using Quintic is highly dependent upon the skill of the coach or analyst.

By studying your technique in depth, (frame-by-frame), you can start to build a picture of what you’re trying to achieve. Seeing an improvement can boost your confidence. Normally it’s difficult to correct a fault, even if you know what you should be doing. This is because you don’t normally see yourself in action. You can learn a great deal from studying your own technique on video. The benefits of video apply to all levels of performance, from the beginner to the professional golfer.

Some simple tips will greatly enhance the value of your images… There are four basic operations, which can significantly influence the use of cameras and the quality of images:

· zoom
· focus
· iris
· shutter speed

Zoom
During set-up of your camera, it is important to be at right angles, or 90 degrees to the action. The zoom function in the camera changes the picture size and allows you to stand much further back from the action. It is important that the athlete is as large as possible in the camera view. The zoom allows you to have all the details of the performance on the camera, with the view restricted to show only the golfer and nothing else if possible.

Focus
The camera should be set up so that the entire body is contained within each frame. The correct distance between the camera and subject should be recorded, to allow comparisons in the future (Typically 8-10metres). Set the camera to automatic focus. Data collected using Quintic Biomechanics must have a repeatable and consistent set-up protocol. This will ensure the numeric & graphical representation of variables such as speed, distance, acceleration are accurate. Quintic also accounts for any Parallax error values during the calibration of any particular video.

However, if using a panning or moving camera often a manual focus will ensure correct images are recorded. Auto focus constantly checks and focuses based on what is at the centre of the picture. This, though, is not always practical when videotaping athletes. By learning to use manual focus, you can avoid this problem. Manual focus is set for a certain distance (you do not need to know the distance) and anything that distance away from the camera is in focus. This is another reason for you to stand far away from the athlete (and use the zoom function).

A good hint for manual focusing from a long distance is that you zoom in as close as possible, focus your camera using something like the text on an athlete’s clothing and then zoom out to a desired level so that the whole athlete can be seen in the picture. The image stays focused as zoom and focus are independent of each other.

“Quintic Performance Analysis Software provides comprehensive, easy to use, tools to allow me to analyze my full swing, chipping and putting in fine detail, whether I’m on the practice range, indoors or away on Tour.

I am able to immediately synchronize and compare my swing action and tempo, whilst the use of the drawing tools enables me to calculate the speed and acceleration of my club and arms.”
Padraig Harrington

Iris:
The iris is the function in your camera, which allows the light come into the camera through the lens. Many cameras have this only as an auto function and so you may not be able to change it. In any case, auto iris is not such a bad thing as the lighting conditions could change during the session, as happens when clouds go in the front of the sun. If you have a camera with a manual iris option, then you can test out its influence on the picture quality. Obviously, more light (smaller iris number) makes your picture brighter (but can also make it too bright), while closing the iris makes the picture darker.

Shutter Speed:
Shutter speed options are essential for good quality video taping of athletics performance, particularly when the speeds are fast… In a normal situation, the picture is taken over 0.04 seconds (25 pictures in a second). During even that short time, however, an athlete can move a great deal and thus you see a blurred image in your slow motion tape (like TV slow motion repetitions of a tennis ball in a close line call - often you do not really see the ball at all, just a trace of blurred ball images). Shutter speed allows you to reduce the time over which the individual picture is taken. The majority of camcorders today have automatic settings for various filming projects (refer to manufacture’s guidelines). However, the sports setting - typically a picture of a golfer or runner will provide you with the highest shutter speed setting.

Note: That does not allow you to take any more pictures: there are still only 25 / 50 or 100 fps frames per second (as this is pre-determined by the camera and computer software), but each picture is taken over a shorter period of time. A shutter speed of 1/500s means that each picture is taken over a time frame of 0.002s. The down side of increasing the shutter speed is that you need much more light. This is not usually a problem outdoors, and it is recommended to use at least 1/1000s shutter speed for athletics movement if possible, shutter speeds of 1/10,000 can be used for particular sharp and clear images. However, sometimes when filming indoors you need to compromise and use a lower shutter speed. Additional lighting may well be required.

Quintic would recommend you to make a verbal report to the camera after each shot, throw, jump… for example; commenting on the flight, distance, result… Without this information, the subsequent viewing of the tape will not give the best possible information. Finally, remember that the videotapes always rewind slightly at the end of the recording, so be careful not to cut away the end of the performance when you stop the recording. Film a few seconds prior to and after the actual performance. This also makes easier viewing, as there are distinct sequences on the tape.

Ensure that the camera is a 3CCD - CCD stands for Charged Couple Device - it’s the device that colours the pixels (little dots on your screen - comes from the words ‘picture element’). The majority of cameras only have one CCD using a filter to split the colours to RGB (Red Green and Blue). However a 3CCD camera boasts a CCD for each colour, resulting in better picture quality as the colours are more defined and accurate.

For further details please visit www.quintic.com

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Putting to the Nth Degree - Ball Roll

February 24th, 2009 | Putting Biomechanics, Quintic Ball Roll, Tuition

Out of one of the foremost biomechanics software laboratories comes a world first. The New Quintic Ball Roll System gives putting coaches and putter custom-fit professionals the kind of analysis tool they’ve never had before. What it means is that golfers need never be uncertain of the performance of their putters again.

The 2009 Quintic Ball Roll software tracks the ball for the first 12″ of the putt. It then instantly and clearly shows the ball speed, sidespin, angular rotation, vertical bounce, launch angle and point at which true roll occurs. Crucially as well – and this is the most significant advance on Quintic’s already pioneering analysis tools – all of the above are reflected graphically and numerically in a way that was formerly only available for full swing analysis software for irons and woods.

Putter manufacturers can use this tool to test their equipment, design better putters, and as a sales tool to show the golf professionals how to increase putter sales over the counter. The over-the-counter part is key. Pros who make a living out of retail and coaching have been victims of “web-watch-time-wasters” for too long. This is the practice whereby customers waste a pro’s time by trying out equipment in the shop and then sourcing the cheapest price on the internet.

Golf professionals will be able to more accurately fit their customers for a putter, give better coaching and sell more putters as part of a demonstrable package. Golfers themselves can all benefit from using the system because they will be getting facts to back up their decision on which putter is performing best and see if any alterations need to be made to fine-tune the putter to their stroke.

Shifting the Putter Paradigm

The brains behind the new software is Dr Paul Hurrion - Quintic MD and biomechanics adviser to top European Tour Pros and bodies like the Hi-Tec and Titleist Performance Institute (TPI).

“Putting accounts for over 40% of a golfer’s strokes and yet, most players buy a putter by taking a few off the rack and trying them in the shop or on a practice green - often after a bad round,” reasons Hurrion. “Up until now, you could get a vague idea that your ball was skidding and then rolling forward, but there was no actual way to quantify it alongside hook or cut side spin analysis.

“Attaining proper lie and loft will help the ball roll better but there are other factors involved. The ultimate goal is to get the ball to roll as soon as possible with as little side spin as possible. This easy tool shows you exactly what effect the putter is having on the ball. You need to understand what is happening to the golf ball in order to teach putting!”

Another important point is that the software calculates the point at which true roll occurs. Side spin (hook or cut) will have a negative effect on how soon the ball achieves true roll. It’s now possible to know, through this new Quintic Ball Roll Software, that a ball could have more forward rotation at 18″ but not achieve true roll as quickly as a ball that had less rotation at 18″, due to greater sidespin imparted by the putter.

“We introduced the software at the PGA show in Orlando in January 09,” beams Hurrion. “In less than 5 minutes we were able accurately to fit a golfer to the most suitable putter for him - not just from a lie and loft perspective but also as to blade vs mallet, centre shaft vs heel shaft, and face balanced vs toe heavy. Golfers were both amazed and impressed by how simple and easy it was – suddenly they had tangible results that they could see for themselves. Golf Professionals just couldn’t wait for the launch of this Software to enhance their putter fitting and putting coaching capabilities and convert more enquiries.”

The Quintic 2009 Ball Roll Software is available from www.quinticballroll.com. A single licence costs just $1250 and discounts apply for 5 or more licenses or if purchased with other Quintic Video Analysis products. For more information please email: info@quinticballroll.com

Quintic Ball Roll camera stand, light & digital video camera

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Operation ‘Laser Sugery’

December 15th, 2008 | Tuition

Golf International 007 Bond Issue - No more 003 putts! Jan/Feb 09

MATCHING PERCEPTION WITH REALITY…

Our laboratory at the Quintic facility here in Warwickshire is kitted out with the sort of gadgetry that wouldn’t look out of place in Q’s underground workshop. But for all the sophistication of the high-tech video reconnaissance equipment, a simple builder’s laser and trusty putting mirror are by far and away the most important gadgets that a golfer could wish for in terms of keeping his or her putting stroke in order.

I am not giving away any trade secrets when I tell you that the correct alignment of the eyes and the putter-face is vital in the process of developing and repeating the mechanics of a sound putting stroke.And yet it’s no exaggeration to say that upwards of 90% of the golfers who pass this way (most of them top amateurs and professionals) display fundamental flaws in their alignment that demand some sort of compensation in the stroke itself. In other words, they are simply not aiming the putter where they think they are. The simple procedure you see me demonstrating here is designed to confirm both the alignment of the putter-face and the position of the eye-line above the ball.

And if you are serious about improving your putting over the winter, then my advice is get yourself kitted out and follow these rules.

To download the PDF article please click: no-more-003-putts-gi-jan09

www.GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2008

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2 minutes with Paul Hurrion - Planet Golf

November 1st, 2008 | Tuition

Golf International Nov 08 : Planet Golf - P24

Trust in the (biomechanical) appliance of science and you can be a tour-standard putter.

Wheter you are an aspiring young player hoping to one day make it on tour or a club golfer with ambition to cut the handicap and reach the elusive ’single figures’, I can guarantee that improving your putting stroke - and then practising to maintain those skills - are key to the process. We are working with a growing number of leading players at our Quintic HQ in Warwickshire, where state of-the-art systems allow us to measure and record every single detail of a players putting stroke. and when I say detail, I mean detail…

To download the article click: nov-08-ph-instruction

Golf International Nov 08 : Planet Golf - P24

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Putting Doctor - Phil Archer & Dr Paul Hurrion

July 27th, 2008 | Tuition

with Phillip Archer & Dr Paul Hurrion
The appliance of science (and common sense can take your putting to a new level)

I have been working with Paul since November ’05, and at that time I was barely keeping my tour card. I was using a belly putter as a ‘quick fix’ on short putts, and I managed to survive the season with it. But I knew inside that putting was my problem, and my lack of confidence on the greens was affecting the rest of my game. At the end of that season I was 148th in the putting table.

I’d heard about Paul through the grapevine and so i went to see him. The ideas he had were common sense, really, like standardising the set-up procedure and looking closely at the grip. Paul stressed the importance of a consistent set up, which sounds too simple but was a problem I was aware of. Every
set up felt different to me. He helped me develop a pre-putt routine that gets me into the perfect position every time. The grip was a key issue. He helped me to position my hands in such a way that the shoulders are level. I like this palms-together grip, which I have found has been further enhanced with this oversize grip that I have been using for the last couple of months.

The results have been great. I’m now up to 10th in the putting stats and the result of my improvement is that I don’t feel I need to stiff it all the time to have a chance of making birdies. If I hit greens, I know I have a chance to hole a putt. I shot a 60 at Celtic Manor in 2006 – actually missed a 7-footer for a 59, a left-edge putt that I hit exactly where I wanted to. The consistency of my play over the last couple of years simply reflects the fact that my confidence has spread from my putting
to the rest of my game.

The same benefits can be yours if you follow Paul’s advice. There is no quicker way to improve your scoring potential (and your confidence) than to improve your putting. I use the Putting Rail for half and hour or so daily, a thin silver rail that helps you to keep the putter-face square through impact. After that I simply focus on fine-tuning the set up, my grip position and the rhythm of the stroke, swinging the putter-head low-to-low for a solid and consistent strike on the ball.

Golf International - Issue 82 July 08 Page 112 - 116
To download the article please click: phil-archerfi82hurr

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