Wicked Smart Golf · Michael Leonard

452: Marcus Potter - Proven Putting Secrets From a PGA Coach

December 11, 2025·1 hr 2 min·5 clips
Marcus Potter explains how using a metronome for tempo improves every putting metric, from launch numbers to face angle.
The greens get the whole show. Michael frames putting as the third Wicked Smart pillar, where confidence and calm can replace the usual dread of three-putting. Marcus Potter keeps it practical. As a PGA Tour putting coach, he steers the conversation away from pretty-looking strokes and toward tempo, repeatability, and a mind that can settle down over the ball. The metronome idea is the hook. Marcus says when players get good at matching the beeps, the machine numbers improve across launch, face angle, impact, and spin. That part matters because the drill gives the brain one clear job. The stroke can feel athletic instead of over-managed. He compares it to throwing. You do not calculate every inch before tossing a ball or shooting a basketball; you react, feel, and let the motion go. Michael moves straight into application. They talk through two-beep and three-beep systems, including the classic 67 and 90 BPM references Marcus uses for putting rhythm. The habit is simple. Start the day with headphones, spend five minutes matching the same timing, and your tempo has a better shot at staying stable. Michael ties it back to his swing. He remembers thinking his transition was the problem until Boyd Summerhays pointed out the real issue was an extremely slow backswing. One session changed that feel. That story keeps the putting lesson grounded, because the bigger point is timing, trust, and repeatability you can actually use. The closing message is blunt. If you can lag putts close and make the short ones, the rest of golf feels easier because pressure stops spilling into every hole.

As heard by us

A focused putting lesson that makes tempo feel repeatable and practical.

Marcus Potter's visit to Wicked Smart Golf keeps the focus tight on putting and on the habits that make it steadier under pressure. Michael Leonard steers the talk through tempo, setup, and the kind of confidence that can stop the green from feeling hostile, while Potter's…

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Why you'd press play

If your putting feels rushed, this gives you a cleaner tempo to trust.

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