Putting is such an important part of your golf score. It is the part of your golf game that itself is a game. In order to become a good golfer… you have to be able to putt well.
Think of your putter as just another club in your bag for a moment. In a normal round of 18 golf holes, let’s say you use this club we call the putter just twice per hole. That’s 36 times you and your putter will have the opportunity to affect your golf score! Are going to hit your driver 36 times? Or your 7 iron 36 times? Not hardly.
Yet with such overwhelming statistics, most mid to higher handicap golfers really don’t spend enough time working on their putting. In reality, it is the putter that can most rapidly improve your game. Just imagine, by improving your putting you could easily save yourself 10 strokes per round by consistently making those 4 to 6 foot putts and rarely three putting. That’s going from a golf score of 100 to 90 or 90 to 80! That’s very significant.
So with renewed focus and enthusiasm for improving our putting, let’s take a look at a few tips we can use to doing so.
Position the ball slightly forward (toward your front foot) in your stance. You want your eyes just slightly behind the ball. From this position you will be able to get a good sight line between your ball the intermediate target in your putting line.
The grip is the ‘feel’ you have for the putt and these days there are numerous variations of putting grips. The important concept here is that you realize that your grip (hands) should not be used to take away or manipulate the putter through the stroke. The putting stroke originates and is implanted through a pendulum type motion provided by the shoulders. Not the hands. Find a grip that is comfortable for you and one that you can keep inactive during the putt.
Once you commit to your putting line, pick out a target on that line that is just ahead of your ball. Now visualize an imaginary line that runs from your target line just ahead of your ball back through the ball and right through the center of your putter. You want your putter face to be absolutely square to your line. Once you’ve done this don’t adjust your grip, body position or anything, else you risk losing your perspective.
The putting stroke like all your golf swings is one of rhythm. It is accomplished through a pendulum motion of the shoulders. The key is to minimize all other body movement and don’t follow the putter through the stroke with your head. Any body or head movement will greatly increase the possibility that your putter face will move off of square to your line.
And finally, always work to achieve the same stroke distance and tempo through the golf ball as you had going away from the golf ball. Your putting stroke should be of equal length both back and through.
Consistently allocating a portion of your practice time to your putting stroke is without doubt the easiest and quickest way to start shaving strokes off your golf score. If you only eliminate but one putt for every other hole, you’ll immediately take 9 strokes off your score… not a bad return from your putter at all.
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