Kuykendall Piston stroke... Maxspin putter

[cloran]

Jack Kuykendall just released a video for his putter, MaxSpin. While I'm not too keen on using my putter from deep rough ( ), I have always found myself falling in line with this "piston" action... styled after Jack Nicklaus' stroke.

I'd try and try and try to get a pendulum stroke going, but I struggled mightily. A few years ago I gave up on what I considered "normal" mechanics and adopted whatever felt good. I used an 8802 style putter, ball in line with left foot, shaft in line with left arm, little forward press, and a pop-piston type stroke. It made my putting feel very athletic and natural. Killer from short range.

Since that time I've drifted in and out of putter heads and setups, but I find myself continuously coming back to this setup. Perhaps Jack (both Jack's actually) had it right, at least for me!?

What a week for me, lol. First BM tells me it's ok to use MY natural motion... then JK tells me it's ok to putt with MY comfortable setup and action.

What's next? Sugar is GOOD for you?

(Better question: Why do I feel the need for professional approval? Time to schedule a meeting with my shrink.)

[Richie3Jack]

I'm not a fan of the piston stroke. I think it's easier to develop a rhythmic stroke with more of a pendulum style than a push stroke.

However, I like a lot of what I see here. I'm always surprised when I see somebody with some type of claw grip who doesn't understand that you are supposed to push with the trail arm/hand and try to use a pendulum stroke instead.

There was a TGM stroke designed very much like this.

What I do like is that they explain the stroke motion well and they have developed a putter that fits it.

Nicklaus mostly used a George Low Wizard blade style putter in his career. I've found that those style of putters work well with forward shaft lean (look at Crenshaw with the 8802).

Personally, I think you would get a bigger kick and improve your putting by going to an AimPoint instructor. I think that it's right in your wheelhouse as far as how you think.






3JACK

[Richie3Jack]

One other thing...

It appears that like the Yes! golf putters, they are trying to make the claim of not having *any* skid and getting 'immediate overspin.'

The problem is that all putters have some skid. I believe that they have to in order to conform to the USGA rules.

What I was told, and I believe Mangum has written about this as well, is the way Yes! measures 'skid' is different from the way others measure skid. I can't remember the exact specifics, but I didn't agree with Yes! golf's way of measuring it.

What I found was that Yes! putters reduced the skid overall...they just don't eliminate it. However, if you get an Edel Putter, they fit you for loft to help reduce the skid.






3JACK

[gmbtempe]

I met Jack last week briefly, I had met him 15 years ago but had no clue about golf swing theory back then.

[fullback]

I putt far better with a piston-type stroke than with a pendulum action, too. As effective as that was for Nicklaus, it's interesting that he said he'd putt cross handed if he was young and starting all over again.

[secondary]

I have been comparing this with the "brush stroke" in the GDigest Best Putting Book ever. I like the idea, but I think the "brush stroke" concept of the longer backswing vs this more short Pop stroke method is a bit more appealing personally. I have a hard time using the short backswing on real fast greens. Probably just me. Thanks for posting this video.