Ah, the putter. Is there anything in golf more fickle? When it’s bad, things are really bad. When it’s good? Life is really good.
Jason Kokrak has lived on both sides of that sword throughout his professional career, but on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar podcast, he explained to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz how he stumbled into a fix for his game around the greens at the beginning of 2021 — and how he’s stuck with it ever since.
“Yep. You guys don’t have a D-Rob, I’ve got to hand it to Cabernet Dave, he’s an incredible green-reader when it comes to Bermuda grass, he’s really good at it. I’ve got to hand it to him. I’m not a bad green-reader by any means, but he’s that much better. I trust his reads and went with it.”
Of course, Kokrak is referring to his caddie, David Robinson, whose keen vision has proved a massive asset around the greens since the beginning of the season. But that’s not all he’s done to fix his putting game. One other fix has come in his gear.
“I think a little bit has to do with moving to a 36-inch putter instead of a 35,” Kokrak said. “I’ve got both hands on the putter grip now as opposed to it sitting at the end of my palm with the 35. So, a little bit more comfortable, and stuck with the same putter, stuck with cross-handed for a while, too.”
In 2021, Kokrak ranked sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting, averaging more than a half-stroke gained per round (.628) and second on tour in total putting.
It should come as no surprise to hear consistency is key when it comes to building your putting game. Good technique isn’t enough to build a skilled putter, it takes hours of repetition and muscle memory … mixed with a good set of eyes.
“I would hand (Robinson) most of the credit for that,” Kokrak said. “I always hit the ball pretty good at Bay Hill and most of those events, but when it comes to Bermuda, I just don’t read the grain as well as he does. I’d read it a ball outside, and he’ll say to me, ‘no, the grain’s left-to-right, hit it straight,’ and I’ll hit it straight, and it’s right in the hole.”
Ultimately for Kokrak, his putting revolution has added a new dimension to his golf game, and who doesn’t want that?
“It’s fun to be talked about in the putting stats instead of just being talked about for bombing it.”
To hear the rest of Kokrak’s interview, including to figure out which public course he says has greens “as good” as Augusta National, check out the video below.
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