The Zen Oracle Tour Putter or Trainer?

The Zen Oracle Tour can be used as a regular putter or as a putting trainer, and if fact it has been approved by the PGA for use as a regular putter in tournament matches.

It is basically a mallet putter with a hole right through from top to sole that is slightly wider than a normal golf ball. With a golf ball in the hole, or aperture, you should swing your putter smoothly and with acceleration so that the ball remains in contact with the back of the aperture. The putter is intolerant of a jerky putt that will cause the ball to release itself before you want it to.

Detect the deceleration in Your Swing

Many poor putters have a tendency to decelerate the swing before striking the ball, but if you do that with the Zen Oracle, the ball will run away from the back of the aperture and when you release it won’t go very far! Since deceleration is a common fault, this is great tool to detect it and for checking that you have overcome it.

It can also be used to check your alignment. Even with the smoothest swing in the world and the correct amount of acceleration throughout your putting stroke, you won’t sink that ball if your alignment is wrong. If you put a ball into the aperture, then another at the club face as for a normal putt, then putt as normal, the two balls should travel, one in front of the other, on the same line if your alignment is correct. If this does not happen then you need to work on your alignment, and if the back ball stops quickly, you need to work on that acceleration!

Zen Oracle Tour Putter Trainer

The Video Shows You How

If you find that difficult to understand, the package includes a video in which Rick Smith, who has taught Jack Nicklaus, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickeleson, shows how it works. His 20 minute demonstration shows all the ways in which you can use it to improve your putting.

The Zen Oracle is not just a training aid though, and many people find it better than their own regular putter. It has a good feel and the latest version has adjustable weight so you can set it just right for you. It has a poured elastomer compound through the centre of gravity to the club face which gives a nice balance a good feel on the strike.

Many professional golfers use it to improve their putting, though there may be a tendency, which is also apparent in the video, for long putts to fall a bit short. That is a problem that should be able to be resolved with practice, and otherwise the putter looks good and feels good.

You Can Use the Zen Oracle Tour in your Home and Office

The Zen Oracle Tour putting aid is a new way of improving your putting, and magnifies any faults you have in your putting stroke. It tends to be used more by the professional than by the average golfer, and while that may have something to do with its price, there are outlets from which you can get it for less than $100. Apart from the fact that it is a pretty good putting trainer that you can use in your home or your office, it is also an excellent regulation putter.

Positives

1. It shows you what your putting faults are if you understand the theory behind it.
2. It magnifies the faults, so that even if your alignment is only slightly off, you can see it.
3. It is an approved putter and a training aid in one.
4. You can get some putting practice in while waiting to get onto the next tee.
5. The price is good – for a putter and a trainer combined, it is very good.
6. It comes with an instructional video, so no need to decipher these unreadable instructions.
7. It is a highly portable training aid, and can be used at home or in your office.

Negatives

1. It shows the faults up but does not cure them. That is up to you.
2. Many average golfers will need a professional to help them use it to its full benefit.
3. It is a bit heavy compared to the average putter, even if practice gets you used to it.
4. There is a tendency to putt short, so perhaps the elastomer used absorbs too much energy.

If you want to read more golf putting aids information, stay on this site!