This putting aid helped Brian Harman win the 2023 Open Championship

By: Nick Dimengo

July 17, 2024

2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman dominated the greens last year. This putting training aid was part of his secret

Brian Harman was lethal on the putting surface at last year's Open Championship. Here's how you can be, too.

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Last year this time, few punters had Brian Harman winning the Open Championship. But the 37-year-old lefty didn’t just capture his first-ever major championship, he also dominated the field — especially on the greens.

How lethal was Harman’s putting? He finished +2.85 Strokes Gained: Putting versus the rest of the field, and drained a staggering 58 of 59 putts from within 10 feet, making his performance one of the most convincing major victories in recent memory.

Harman's the only one that touched -9, -10, -11, -12, and -13.

Straka was the only one who touched -8, and he held that number for 2 holes.

Just a truly legendary performance, and one of the biggest shockers (domination wise) in recent memory in a majors.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) July 23, 2023

While Harman has always been steady with the flatstick, it all came together last year on the grandest stage, showing just how much of a differentiator great putting can be.

Sure, neither you nor I will likely ever see the level of success on the greens that Harman did at Royal Liverpool, but it doesn’t mean we all can’t slowly dial in our short games. One way to do so is to use the same training aid that helped Harman run away from the field:

A simple putting mirror that helps with many different aspects to ensure your clubface and path are in the right spot.

Perfect Roll Putting Mirror

$29.99

Perfect Roll Mirror The Perfect Roll Mirror is a compact, low-profile putting mirror that helps you improve your putting stroke. It is just 1/8″ thick, so your putter head and stroke are not elevated as with some other mirrors. The mirror measures 6″ wide x 12″ long, so it is easy to store in your golf bag and take with you to the practice green. The Perfect Roll Mirror has a beveled entry port that makes it easy to roll a ball to the same fixed location every time. This helps you develop consistent setup and stroke mechanics that will lead to more made putts. The mirror also includes tee holes that can be used to secure it to the putting green if desired. These holes can also be used as stroke guides for putters with a 5 ½” head or smaller. White and green lines on the mirror provide additional feedback on your stroke path and the squareness of your putter face. These lines complement the TrueSquare™ slots through the impact zone, which help you ensure that you are making square contact with the ball. The Perfect Roll Mirror is a portable and functional training mirror that is perfect for improving your putting stroke. Order yours today and start making more putts! Here are some additional benefits of using the Perfect Roll Mirror: Helps you develop a consistent putting stroke Improves your stroke path Ensures that you are making square contact with the ball Reduces common putting mistakes Makes you more confident on the green If you are serious about improving your putting stroke, the Perfect Roll Mirror is the perfect training aid for you. Order yours today and start seeing results!

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Before prevailing at Hoylake, Harman referenced the putting mirror as his secret weapon.

“It’s a silly looking mirror where it’s got like a little better release pattern,” he said.

Why the need for an aid?

“I was just kind of cutting my putts too much,” he said. “I spent a lot of time just feeling the ball, almost hitting like a baby draw with my putter, and it’s been really, really good the last month or so.”

Talk about the best kind of endorsement, right?

So how does a putting mirror work? And why is it so useful? I asked golf instructor (and putting guru) Ralph Bauer to help provide some answers.

How a putting mirror like Brian Harman’s will help dial in your stroke

Putting mirrors not only help improve your alignment but also provide amazing feedback to make sure your starting position is consistent.

I strongly encourage my students to start their practice sessions with a mirror on a straight putt, which helps set a baseline for the day. I suggest starting from about 6 feet from the hole, setting up the mirror so that it points toward the center of the hole.

Once you get set up, you want to make sure your eyes are just slightly inside the middle of the ball.

Ideally, your eyes should be directly over the middle of the ball, but it’s easy for your eyes to line up over the outside part of the ball, which will skew your view of the target. It’s good to have a slight bit of insurance on this, so always have your eyes slightly inside the target line. The mirror will help you be consistent with this.

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Another way to build more consistency on the putting surface is to stand the correct distance from the ball. With a mirror, it’s relatively easy to measure where your toes should be in relation to the ball. A good rule of thumb is to have your toes 8-10 inches from the center of the ball (depending on your height and comfort level at address).

If you stand either too far away or too close, your posture will suffer, which makes it more difficult to control the stroke with your shoulders.

Finally, the putting mirror also can help with ball position, ensuring that it’s in the middle of your stance. You want to hit the putt on the upswing, so having the ball one inch forward of the middle of your stance allows you to do this without having to make any in-stroke adjustments.

So if you’re in need for some help on the greens (most amateurs are!), it might be worth taking Harman’s recommendation and see if a putting mirror can help you drop more bombs.