As part of my ongoing series on how we can learn from the great golfers of yesteryear, I would like to examine how the equipment and methods utilized in putting have changed since Jim Barnes, the first PGA Champion, put together one of the first golf instruction books, "Picture Analysis of Golf Strokes: A Complete Book of Instruction," in 1919.

Perhaps no aspect of golf has changed as much as the way golfers roll the ball across the putting surface. The reason for this is that the putting greens themselves have changed drastically since the early days of golf. The legendary Byron Nelson, when asked to name the biggest improvement in golf equipment between the dawn of the game and his prime era of the 1940s and 50s, answered "The Lawnmower."

The earliest golfers teed the ball up one club length from the hole. This was before the designated putting green area. As greens developed golfers changed equipment and the way they played the putting stroke.

By the time Barnes won the inaugural PGA Championship at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. in 1916, advancing agronomic practices had the greens smooth and able to roll at about 6-8 feet on the Stimp Meter (also known as the "Stemp Meter," this is a simple device used to measure the speed of a putting green).

Today, Greens Superintendents are asked to maintain green speeds in excess of 10 feet on the Stimp Meter. Translation: propelled by a similar putting stroke, a ball that rolled 6-8 feet (on a level green) in the 1920's will cover 10-plus feet today. (At this year's PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., green speeds are expected to be set in excess of 11 feet on the Stimp Meter.)

This speed change has dictated the difference in putting style and equipment.

The putter Jim Barnes used was a wooden shafted blade. It was very thin made of iron and the sweet spot was small and toward the heel. Facing a very fast or downhill putt, Barnes and his contemporaries would often deliberately strike the ball toward the toe of the putter, as that would cause it to leave the putter face with less speed.

Barnes' putter had 6-plus degrees of loft to get the ball on top of the long grass. Often players of this era would carry two putters: one with more loft for long putts, and one with less loft for closer and faster putts.

Today's putters are made of space age materials. The designs create a large sweet spot (no striking on the toe necessary) and the lofts are often as low as one degree to accommodate the faster greens speeds.

In my next article we will take a closer look at how the putting stroke has changed over the years.

Meanwhile, if you would like to own a copy of Barnes' groundbreaking "Picture Analysis of Golf Strokes: A Complete Book of Instruction," -- originally published in 1919, and re-released just last year -- visit www.PGA.com.

To find a PGA Golf Professional near you to help you master your putting stroke and purchase the right putter for your game, be sure to visit www.PlayGolfAmerica.com, and use the ZIP code search tool.

Rick Martino is Director of Instruction for The PGA of America. He teaches at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and is ranked among the Top 50 instructors by Golf Digest Magazine. The author of the PGA Manual of Golf (Warner Books/$34.95), Martino can be reached at (800) 800-GOLF or by email at pgalearningcenter@pgahq.com.