Putting has always been one of the most important parts of golf. A great drive may look impressive, but the scorecard is often decided on the green. That is why golfers have spent decades searching for better ways to build a repeatable, reliable putting stroke.
The Putting Arc was created to help golfers do exactly that.
The Idea Behind the Putting Arc
The story of the Putting Arc began in the fall of 2001 at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi. V.J. Trolio, then a young assistant golf professional, was watching a tournament on television when he noticed something interesting about Jay Haas’ putting stroke.
At the time, many golfers believed the best putting stroke moved straight back and straight through along the target line. But V.J. noticed that Jay Haas’ putter did not move that way. Instead, the putter moved slightly inside on the backstroke, returned to square at impact, and then moved back inside on the follow-through.
That observation sparked the idea that would eventually become the Putting Arc.
To study the stroke more closely, V.J. attached a line laser to his putter and measured how much the putter moved inside at different distances from the ball while keeping the laser aimed along the ball-target line. He then shared those measurements with Dave Hamilton, a member at Old Waverly.
Dave passed the measurements to his son, Joey Hamilton, a mechanical engineer with a strong background in math and computer programming. Joey analyzed the numbers and discovered that the putter was moving on a very large circle tilted on an inclined plane. The vertical shape created by that circle was an ellipse, a curve first documented by the ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius of Perga more than 2,000 years ago.
That elliptical curve became the foundation of the Putting Arc.
From Math to a Training Aid
Once the math was understood, V.J., Joey, and Dave created the first Putting Arc by hand. They used a bandsaw and a string to lay out the ellipse. Later versions were cut from plywood using a CNC router and tested with touring professionals.
The feedback was extremely positive.
The first product was called the Deluxe. It was a heavy, beautifully finished wooden model made using materials and components from Mississippi’s furniture industry. Many of those original wooden Putting Arcs are still used today by longtime teaching professionals.
The Putting Arc, Inc. was incorporated in 2002 in Mississippi and based in Shannon, Mississippi. The product was built by V.J. Trolio, Joey Hamilton, and Dave Hamilton all listed on the patent.
Each person played an important role. V.J. recognized the putting stroke pattern. Joey developed the mathematical foundation. Dave helped design the physical product.
The First Tour Success
The first known professional win connected to the Putting Arc came in 2002, when Graeme McDowell won the Scandinavian Masters.
Earlier that year, McDowell had been named the top college golfer and had graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before returning home to Ireland, he visited Edwin Watts in Birmingham and saw the original wooden Deluxe model. He purchased two Putting Arcs, giving one to the UAB golf team and taking the other home with him.
That fall, he won his first professional tournament.
It was an early sign that the Putting Arc could help serious players train a more consistent stroke.
The T3 and the Growth of the Product Line
The Putting Arc was first shown on the PGA Tour at the 2003 Doral tournament. When Greg Norman saw the wooden version, he suggested that a smaller version would be more practical so a caddie would not have to carry the larger model back to the locker room before play.
Within two months, the smaller T3 model was introduced.
That idea helped make the Putting Arc more portable and easier for golfers to use anywhere. Over time, the product line expanded beyond the original Deluxe model to include the MSIII, the double-sided MS-3D, the T3, the Arc Glider, the T4, the Folding Arc Mirror, the Putting Practice Kit, and the Alignment Mat.
Each version was designed around the same core idea: helping golfers learn an on-plane, arc-style putting stroke.
Why the Putting Arc Works
The Putting Arc does not try to invent a new way to putt. Instead, it helps golfers train the same type of arc-style stroke used by many of the best putters in the modern game.
Great putters such as Tiger Woods, Ben Crenshaw, and Brad Faxon have long been known for using strokes that naturally move slightly inside on the way back and slightly inside after impact. The Putting Arc gives golfers a simple guide to feel and repeat that motion.
Because the product has no complicated adjustments, it is easy to set up and use. Golfers can practice indoors on a putting mat or outdoors on a practice green. A few minutes of consistent practice can help improve stroke path, face control, and overall confidence on the greens.
Trusted by Teachers and Players
Since its introduction, the Putting Arc has become one of the most recognized putting training aids in golf. According to the company’s history, the Putting Arc has been associated with more than 1,500 tour wins since 2002.
It has also been voted the most used putting training aid in the Golf Range Association of America’s survey of top teaching professionals for multiple years. That recognition speaks to one of the biggest reasons the Putting Arc has lasted: golf instructors trust it because it is simple, repeatable, and based on the natural motion of great putters.
A Lasting Legacy in Putting Practice
More than 20 years after its creation, the Putting Arc continues to help golfers improve their putting stroke. What started as one assistant pro’s observation during a televised tournament became a patented training aid used by professionals, instructors, college players, juniors, and everyday golfers.
The Putting Arc’s staying power comes from its simplicity. It gives golfers a clear, physical guide to practice a better stroke without overcomplicating the process.
Putting will always be a major part of scoring. For golfers who want to build a more consistent stroke and feel more confident over short putts, the Putting Arc remains one of the most proven training aids in the game.
