Five steps to improve your putt
During golf lessons, I teach that when putting, you can use all kinds of ball positions, grips, and stances and still be a good kicker. It’s a lot like hitting a baseball. If you’ve ever watched a professional baseball game, you’ve probably noticed that each batter has his own approach to hitting the ball, including his own stance, position in the batter’s box, and “pre-swing” routine. But if you really looked closer, you would probably have seen that there are certain key fundamentals that every good hitter does well that make them a good hitter. The same goes for putting.
Below is a brief golf instruction session on putting, perhaps the single most important influences on your golf scores. In this golf tips article, I highlight five fundamental keys common to all good putters. If you want to improve your putting and therefore reduce your golf handicap, you must execute these fundamentals well, regardless of anything else you do while on the green. Otherwise, it will get by like your average putter and average golfer.
1. Keep your eyes squarely on the ball If you ask a good player what the secret to kicking well is, they’ll most likely tell you it’s preparation. And one of the keys to getting the setup right is keeping your eyes directly on the ball. When you place your eyes directly on the ball, you know for a fact that you are aiming directly at the target line. It also helps you keep the putter close to the ground and square to the target. And it helps keep your weight centered on the balls of your feet, which eliminates any tendency to rock back during the shot.
2. Use an inside-to-square swing path Many successful putters use an inside-to-square swing path once they’ve squared their stance. An open stance encourages the putter blade to cut the ball through impact. That gives the ball a sideways spin instead of a topspin effect, causing you to miss putts to the left, if you’re a right-handed putter. An open stance also makes it more difficult to hit a ball solidly on longer putts. A square stance, on the other hand, encourages an inside-to-square swing path, a better swing path. It also encourages a pendulum-like swing and helps keep the putter blade square with the hole longer.
3. Long, low follow-through Another common fundamental to a good putt is using a long, low follow-through. With a short follow through, your stroke feels stunted and abrupt. This, in turn, encourages you to continue with more of a “hit” at impact, creating the sensation of chipping the ball rather than putting it down. However, if you keep your arms comfortably bent, you can easily extend your stroke towards the target line with little effort. That means you can go further on putts, maybe up to 15 inches on a putt or more. Therefore, the ball rolls more smoothly and bounces much less. From a short distance you can be sure that the ball will not bounce off the stick unpredictably. Long, low tracking also helps you determine the correct pace on faster greens.
4. Change the backswing stroke, not the tempo There are certain elements of putting that are too often ignored in golf lessons but are important nonetheless. Time is one of them. The texture of the green’s surface doesn’t matter as much as maintaining the same swing rhythm during the putt. The same goes for the stroke length. If you are going to improve your placement, you need to learn what tempo (speed of stroke) works best for you and then stick to it. Trying to produce different tempos to match different surfaces is extremely difficult. It’s best to vary the length of your backswing, then the rate at which your swing sizzles. Learning to keep the same rhythm while varying the length of your stroke will increase your kicking consistency and confidence.
5. Speed determines the line Rhythm and flow, like tempo, are sometimes ignored in golf putting instruction sessions. The teacher and student are often much more concerned with the mechanics of the putting stroke than with these elements. That doesn’t mean they aren’t important. Both rhythm and flow are critical in determining the line of your putt. Knowing your own trends also helps you calculate the line. If you are normally an aggressive person, leave less line for your serve than if you are a late putter. And vice versa. Once you have decided on the direction of your putt, point the ball mark towards the desired target line. This will give you confidence that the blade is square to the target line.
These five steps to putting all seem to be common elements that good putters excel at. You need to work on them to become a good putter and single digit golf handicap player. But are not the only ones. So keep your eyes and ears open. Try to get other golf putting tips that can help you become more than just an average putter and golfer.