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How Marcus Potter Helped Rebuild a Struggling Putting Stroke

After putting solidly the previous year, the player began his PGA Tour career with an uncharacteristically poor stretch on the greens. He was losing around 0.9 shots putting, nearly four shots overall, which erased much of the advantage he was building off the tee.

His struggles covered nearly every part of putting, including technique, speed and start line. Playing on Poa annua greens did not help his confidence. After beginning to work with a new caddie, Ollie, he knew the problem needed to be addressed.

He contacted Marcus Potter after discussing potential putting instructors earlier in the year. Lee Hodges also influenced the decision. He liked the way Hodges’ stroke looked and believed Potter could help him make a similar improvement.

Around Cognizant and Valspar, he decided to start over. He moved away from a Scotty Phantom 7.2-style fang putter, abandoned his left-hand-low grip and removed some unusual finger positioning on the shaft. Before meeting Potter in Houston, he switched to a neutral, conventional grip and used a GoLo putter that he pulled from a bag on the practice green. The change helped him produce an acceptable week at Valspar and finish around zero in strokes gained putting.

When they met in Houston, Potter identified an early release in the stroke. The player’s right hand was becoming too active, causing the toe to close too soon and creating inconsistent start lines. He would then lean back and fight to keep the face open, which could lead to pulled putts.

The initial work focused on reducing that early release, using the shoulders more effectively and keeping the hands from adding or removing too much loft at impact. Potter also helped make the setup more consistent.

Another challenge involved seeing the intended line while standing over the ball. The player could line up a 10-foot putt two cups outside the hole, then address it and feel as though the ball was aimed at the right edge. Even when he knew the alignment was correct, that visual disconnect made it difficult to putt with confidence.