Putting stroke: Arc vs Straight drill

Use two alignment rods in the pathpal — one in the ground tunnel below the 35-degree marker, pointed directly at the target line as the baseline reference, and a second inserted into the 75-degree hole as the plane reference. The 75-degree angled stick defines the stroke plane. The golfer's goal is to feel the putter shaft, hands, and clubhead ride up and down the 75-degree plane throughout the stroke — naturally following the arc the putter's lie angle geometry requires rather than forcing a straight-back, straight-through path.

The straight-back, straight-through stroke is geometrically impossible for a standard putter because the shaft is not vertical at address — it sits at an angle. Any pendulum that hangs at an angle naturally swings on an arc, not a straight line. Forcing the putter straight back and straight through requires the golfer to consciously override the natural plane and manipulate the face angle throughout the stroke, which introduces timing variability. The arc is not a stylistic preference — it is the physical consequence of the putter's geometry. Brad's drill acknowledges this by setting the pathpal at 75 degrees to match the natural lie angle plane and training the stroke that works with that geometry rather than against it.

Riding the plane means the putter head moves slightly inside the target line on the backswing, squares at impact, and moves slightly inside again on the follow-through — the natural arc that results from the shaft angle. The 75-degree pathpal stick makes this tangible: the hands and putter shaft track along that angled reference from the start of the backstroke through the finish. The face appears to open slightly going back and close slightly coming through relative to the target line — but it stays square to the arc throughout, which is what delivers it squarely to the ball at impact.

No — and this is where the pathpal's 13-angle system is directly relevant to putting. The degree of arc in a putting stroke is determined by the putter's lie angle, the golfer's posture, and how far they stand from the ball. A golfer who stands more upright with a more vertical shaft will have less arc — closer to straight. A golfer who bends more and uses a more angled shaft will have more arc. Brad sets his student's reference at 75 degrees as the appropriate plane for that specific putter and setup — not as a universal prescription. The pathpal allows the plane reference to be customized to each golfer's actual geometry rather than applying a one-size-fits-all arc.

The two drills represent different points on the putting philosophy spectrum — and together they define the full range of valid putting stroke shapes. Jason Kuiper's drill uses the pathpal at 70 degrees with the heel riding the rod to produce a near-zero, highly linear path suited to golfers working on start line consistency with a more upright stroke. Brad's drill uses 75 degrees and trains the natural arc that the putter's lie angle produces — suited to golfers who have been artificially forcing a straight stroke against their geometry. Neither is universally correct; they serve different stroke types and different golfers. The pathpal's adjustable angle system is what makes both approaches teachable with the same tool.