December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nRELATED: Hot List 2025: Best performing blade putters<\/p>\n
That was the scene in Albany on Wednesday as Woods offered a brief putting symposium. In the clip, Woods, who was recently cleared by doctors to begin chipping and putting following his latest back surgery, explains how he uses the mass of the golf ball to naturally control his putter speed and shorten his follow through.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just putting all the energy into the ball, and the ball ends up slowing the putter head down,\u201d Woods explains. \u201cYou see some players have a follow through like that [demonstrates an elongated follow-through]. I don\u2019t understand that. If you see a guy hit a punch shot, his swing\u2019s gonna be shorter on the follow through versus a guy hitting up on it \u2026 it\u2019s the same kind of concept. You have the weight of the ball stopping the putter head and the momentum is going to be slower on the front side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woods explains that while it may look like he\u2019s punching or pushing his putts because of that, that is an illusion created by a heavier object in motion\u2014the putter\u2014naturally slowing as it comes into contact with a lighter object at rest\u2014the ball. In other words, Woods is letting his equipment do the work, maximizing the energy transference between his putter head and the ball. This is where it gets interesting.<\/p>\n
If you feel like you don\u2019t see that kind of putting motion on tour these days, Woods says there\u2019s a reason for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy overall mass of a putter is much lighter. And because it\u2019s much lighter, it\u2019s much more affected by the weight of the golf ball than these newer putters. Putters with bigger grips, bigger heads, more mass, it\u2019s going to go through more than my putter does. Ben Crenshaw\u2019s little 8802? It stops right away. There\u2019s no mass to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED: Steal this from Tiger\u2019s putting stroke<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a fascinating distinction that shows how equipment advances and trends don\u2019t just impact performance, but the way the game of golf is actually played. As Woods explains, the mass of modern putters renders this putting techique practically obsolete. That\u2019s a reality check for most 30-something golf fans, who watched Woods evolve the sport at an unprecented rate throughout the late \u201990s and aughts. His continued impact as a personality and executive, combined with his rampant success, make Woods feel current despite his age, but as a player, he is part of a bygone age\u2014one where technique and nuance always bested bomb and gouge.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to argue with the success of modern players like Scottie Scheffler, who became the dominant golf force on earth after transitioning to TaylorMade\u2019s Spider Tour model in the spring of 2024, and J.J. Spaun, who the won the 2025 U.S. Open with a cutting-edge LAB putter in his bag, but as Woods demonstrates, the old ways still have a place in golf for those brave enough to embrace them.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Why the next generation of top amateurs is finally killing this putting myth<\/p>\n
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com<\/p>\n