Your follow through path should be a mirror image of the backstroke path. You also want your backstroke path to lie on top of your forward stroke path as seen in the DVPUTT screen shot below (the blue forward stroke line is exactly on top of the pink back stroke line).

Also, as seen in this screen shot, you want the length of your backstroke to be approximately the length of your follow through. A symmetrical stroke promotes repeatability regardless of the putting distance.

The ideal putting stroke has the putter face aligned exactly square at address and square again at impact. Addressing the ball with either an open or closed putter face and trying to compensate for that during the putting stroke does not promote consistency. DVPUTT will show your tendency with regards to AIM at address and impact and suggest methods to improve. Ideal measurements for AIM should be less than .5 degree for both address and impact positions.

Almost all competitive level golfers have a slight arc in their stroke path. The amount of arc that is best for you depends on your body type. Shorter golfers will have more arc; taller ones less.

In general, a "straight back and straight through" motion does not promote repeatability simply because that motion is not very natural for the human body and requires extra arm/hand manipulation. Find the amount of arc that is best for you and it will promote consistency for both short and long putts. An example of a model arc for a typical tour level player is shown below.

You always want to make contact with the center of the putter face at impact. Making contact towards the toe of the putter can open the putter face slightly and push the ball towards the outside of the hole. Also, hitting on the toe causes less energy to be transferred from the putter face to the ball and can cause the ball to come up short. Hitting on the heel has a similar effect. The degree of this effect depends on the design and weight of your putter but in general, it is best to have the contact measurement not exceed .10 toe or .10 heel.

The ideal putting stroke has a smooth, consistent, pendulum type acceleration from the top of the back stroke to impact. Being too aggressive with the putt or “punching” at the ball can cause roll distance inconsistencies. Being tentative or decelerating has the same affect. You would like all of your putts, regardless of distance, to read “smooth motion” as measured with DVPUTT.

To promote the highest level of consistency, you want to control the putter with your large muscles (trunk, shoulders) and not with your arms or hands. Also, the fewer muscles that are invovled in the stroke the better. If you are doing this properly, your face check measurement will display mostly white lines through the center of your putting stroke as shown below.

White lines mean you are holding the putter face very perpendicular to your path (regardless of how much arc you have). If you see blue or red lines, this means you are manipulating the putter either open or closed with your hands to compensate for some other problem in your stroke. Most of the tour players measured with DVPUTT show mostly white and in some cases, a few blue lines through the center of the putting stroke.

If you work to integrate these techniques into your putting stroke you will be single putting in no time at all!