Putting Guru Works With Flyer Golfers

On a Wednesday afternoon last week at Legacy Golf Links in Aberdeen, 12 members of the Sandhills Community College men's and women's golf teams were tutored on the part of the game that on the average accounts for 40 percent or more of a player's strokes per round.

Geoff Mangum, a Wake Forest Law School graduate, stepped aside from his law practice when he was 38-years old to begin an in depth study of all aspects of putting that has led to a more than 30-year career of holding clinics worldwide, including in Europe and China.

The resident of Greensboro bases his teaching on four skills summarized as: (1) reading the putt (curve and predicted speed), (2) seeing the start line and aiming, (3) starting the putt where you're aiming and (4) starting the putt with the curve and pace you predicted.

This was the third time Lady Flyers Coach Herb Pike has had Mangum work with one of his teams. And he claims that Mangum's teachings have helped improve his putting.

For Ava Ray, a freshman from Fuquay Varina, improved putting could shave strokes off the mostly mid-to-high 80's scores she has posted in a promising first year of her college career.

Teammates Scotty Foley and Eleanor Smith, and Cidney Revelle, a senior at Grace Christian who will attend Sandhills in the fall, were the other Lady Flyers, soaking up the knowledge.

"I can get off the tee really well and my irons are strong," Ray said. "It's around the greens where I lose all my strokes. I'm going to take all of the information I can get."

Like Ray, freshman Tyler Owens, a product of Green Hope High School, remained after the other golfers had left for more repetitions under Mangum's watchful eyes. He's determined to reduce his estimated average of about 32 putts per round and felt he gained some valuable insights from the putting guru.

"It's all about shots on goal and who can make the most putts," Owens said. "If you hit the same amount of greens as someone else and make more putts you could end up playing for the championship."

According to Mangum, a first objective is to cut down on the number of three putts greens. One of his teaching points that resonated with Ray was the concept of letting the left hand (for a right-handed golfer ) be in control with a consistent thumb pressure.

"I'm right-hand dominant and tend to tighten up my grip on my right hand instead of letting my left hand have control," she said. "Now I'm letting my left hand do its thing and letting the right hand relax."

C. Bergmann