Putting Under The Microscope

Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 major championships, was one of nearly 2,000 golfers to take part in a comprehensive study of the mechanics of putting conducted by the World Scientific Congress of Golf Trust at St Andrews during Open week.

The research, held with the assistance of the St Andrews Links Trust, the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish National Golf Centre and Edinburgh University, took place on a practice green close to the 16th tee on the Old Course.

The aim was to improve understanding of putting performance relative to handicap, age and gender. Each participant were asked to attempt to hole putts from distances of three, 12 and 24 feet and were filmed in the process and the results will be placed eventually on the Trust's website, www.golfscience.org.

Nicklaus, who was also joined in the experiment by the USPGA's technical director Frank Thomas, holed out from both three and 12 feet, but needed two putts over 24 feet.