Putting Tips

Even with the new driver and golf ball technology that can hit the ball farther than ever, that old saying still goes. If you have ever watched golf on TV, you would notice that it comes down to putting. The difference between the winner and the rest of the field usually comes down to putting. Improving your putting can be more than just practice. There is technique to the putting stroke that can be practiced on the green or the rug at home.

THE SET-UP

Grip: There is no wrong grip in putting. There is a grip that might be best for each individual to help him or her make a good putting stroke. You want to find a grip that helps minimize wrist and hand movement during the stroke.

Stance: Find a stance that lines your eyes directly over the ball (target line).

To check for this line, take your stance holding a golf ball in one hand, hold the ball between your eyes (on the bridge of your nose), then let go. The ball should drop on the line of the putt. If it drops outside or inside the target line, you need to adjust your stance.

Stroke: The less movement in the swing, the better the stroke will be. Keep your hips and head steady. Your lower body should have no movement at all. If you have trouble keeping your hips from moving, try changing your width of stance or see if a different stance helps you stay steady.

To help keep your head steady, practice putting and only listening for the ball to go in the hole. When you are finished with the putting stroke you should still be looking down at the green at the spot where the ball was.

Staying steady – with no action from the hands – will help keep the putter on the correct line and keep the putter face square to the hole during the stroke.

Drills: To help with your direction when putting, lay two clubs on the ground parallel to each other toward the line to the hole so that space between them is a little wider than your putter. Start with a putt that has no break about 6 or 8 feet from the hole. Make strokes keeping the putter in between the two clubs. This will help with centering your stroke on contact and also, the direction.

Speed is more important than direction. If you miss the hole, the ball should roll about 20 inches past the hole. Always put a priority on speed, especially on your longer putts. Here are two drills to help speed.

Take 8 or 10 balls and line them up in a line toward the hole with approximately two feet of spacing between each ball. The first ball should be two feet from the hole; the second four feet; and so on. Putt the one closest to the hole and move back to the next one. Each time you are getting a feel for hitting the ball an additional two feet. When you putt one after another you can get a good feel for what it takes to add distance to each putt.

Another great way to practice distance is to putt to the edge of the green trying to stop the ball as close to the edge without going off the green. When you take direction out of it your mind is only concerned with how hard to hit it, not how straight.

Keeping the putter square to the target will get the ball rolling to the hole. That is the easy part. Controlling your distance is the challenge. Spend your time practicing your distance and you will have fewer putts each round.