Looking to level up your golf game? Your personal golf instructor is here! Mastering the art of putting can make all the difference on the green. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just starting out, improving your putting skills is a sure fire way to lower your scores and enjoy the
game even more.
Putting may seem like a simple task, but it requires finesse, focus, and a dash of technique. With this article, we’ll help you explore various aspects of putting; from developing a consistent stroke, and useful putting exercises to reading the green like a pro. Get ready to sink those putts with confidence and have a blast on the golf course!
Posture And Stance
To the untrained eye, putting may seem like simply hitting the ball to get it in the hole. But as golfers, we know that it’s way more complex than that and that it requires a wide array of skills as well as good hand-eye coordination. As with any sport, there is a specific way to stand and face the ball. So, before we even consider hitting the ball, we need to have a clear idea of how to position our bodies.
Your putting stroke is heavily dependent on your hips because this is where your energy for the shot will come from.
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. This will give you more balance and also stop your head from moving too much. Keep your toes pointed
forwards. - Place the ball in the center of your stance, meaning you’ll need to place your feet on either side of the ball so that the ball is directly in the middle.
- Place the same amount of weight on each foot. Even when making the put, don’t shift your weight to different feet, maintain the weight and balance for a consistent stroke.
- Have a firm grip on the putter. The putter face must be facing the golf ball.
- Keep your shoulders square and in line with your toes. There should be a straight, imaginary line going across your chest to the hole. The same goes for your feet. Think of it as if the side of your body needs to be facing the hole, pretty much perpendicular
to it. - Keep your back straight and your eyes looking down, directly at the ball.
Once you’re standing correctly, we can then look closer at the correct movement of putting. Unlike other golf shots, you will not swing high when you putt. It’s a gentle, follow-through movement. You need to have the same speed and motion going backward as you do going forward.
Try to imagine that you are a large clock and your arms and putter are the pendulum. Your arms and putter move together as one.
- Keep your arms fairly straight with a slight bend at the elbows.
- Your shoulders need to act as a hinge. Don’t use your wrists to “flick” the ball.
- Keep your putter facing the ball as you move it backward and then follow through to connect with the ball.
- Concentrate on rolling the ball rather than hitting it. This will give you more control and take your mind off exerting too much force like that of driving the ball.
- Once you have made contact with the ball, follow through with your putter, not your eyes. Keep your eyes looking down at where the ball was. Wait for a second or two before looking up to check where the ball has gone.
Distance Control And Maintaining Speed
Managing your speed is vital when it comes to landing the perfect putt. You don’t want to have a short putt where you hit the ball to the other side of the green or worse, into nearby bunkers or water hazards.
Knowing the force to hit (roll) the ball will also help you conquer the break (i.e. how much the ball curves on the green). Golf balls that have more speed behind them will break less and travel further. Those that are hit softly will break more and travel shorter distances.
To help find your perfect speed to match the distance, you can practice putting using a counting rhythm. For example, when you pull back on the putter, count 1-2-3, and then make contact with the ball. For longer shots, you can add another count. This will mean you are pulling back further and, therefore, building up more speed for those longer shots.
For short putts, you don’t have to count because you won’t need to pull back far at all. Shorter putts are typically a lot easier because there’s less chance of the ball breaking. Too much speed will be your main challenge here.
Hosel Selection
The hosel is the connection between the putter head and the shaft. While it may seem like an unimportant piece, it can greatly determine the release pattern and balance of a putter – also known as a flat stick. This will impact your putting style. Before selecting a hosel, you will need to know which of two strokes you have: a straight-through stroke or an arch stroke.
You can figure out your stroke by having someone watch your putt, filming yourself and reviewing the footage, or simply by being aware of how your eyes follow the ball. You can then use this information to match your hosel to your stroke.
These are the four main hosel styles.
- Double bend
- Center shaft
- Short hosel
- Plumber neck
Shaft Length
To be good at putting, you need to have a putter that is suitable to your height and your putting posture. You need to feel comfortable when hitting the ball, so you need to find a length that doesn’t compromise your stance. The length of your shaft will determine the angle at which your putter makes contact with the ball.
A standard shaft length is 33 – 34 inches, which is generally suited to golfers who wish to get their eyes directly over the ball. Taller golfers may decide to get a 35-inch shaft, especially if they prefer to be more upright when putting.
Striking the ball incorrectly due to a shaft that is too long or too short could make your golf ball go in completely the wrong direction.
Putter Grip
To succeed in any sport, we need to hold the equipment correctly. Golf is no different.
Having the correct putting grip is so important to ensure the correct movement. You will need to grasp the putter firmly, but not too tight! If your grip is too tight, you may use too much flex from your wrists which will throw off your putt.
There are many different ways to grip the putter and many professionals such as Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, and Lee Westwood all use different methods. So, there’s a lot of freedom here to use the grip that works best for you.
Reading The Green
Reading the green is so important. By doing this (or at least trying), you’re imagining and foreseeing where your ball will run once you’ve struck it. By reading the green, you can plan whether your putt will be straight – if the ground is flat and even – or if you’ll be putting it to the side of the hole in preparation for the ball to break with the contours of the green.
You can follow these steps to read the putting green:
- To begin, start by moving to the side of the green and looking at your shot perpendicularly.
- Get low by squatting down. This will give you an idea of whether the green is flat or if you’ll be putting uphill or downhill to the hole. This will impact your target line as well as the speed you hit (strike) the ball. When practicing on your own (or when no one is around) you can also lie down to get a better perspective.
- Find the apex of the line. The apex is the exact point on the green where the ball will turn toward the hole. Finding this point is crucial when picking a line.
- Once you’ve got an idea of how the green is lying, you can then stand behind the ball to double-check your assumptions and start picking a line.
- Watch how other players’ balls behave on the green. Use this to your advantage to influence your own shot. If you’re playing alone, then you’ll just need to follow your gut.
- Decide whether your goal is to land the putt or just get near the hole (lagging) for an easy tap-in. If you have an extra shot to play with before reaching par and the putt is long, you may want to get as close as you can to the hole and then finish off nice and easy. However, if you’re on your final shot, you may need to go all in.
You can start pre-planning your putt while other players take their turns. Just remember to
stand still when they make their putt so that you don’t distract them.
Practice Putting Drills
We’ve all heard the term “practice makes perfect” so it’s probably no surprise that we’re
bringing it up here too!
Yes, some golfers are more talented than others or have a more natural skill, but with dedication and practice, you too can see desirable results in your game. You can improven your putting skills by focusing on specific areas of your game with drills that hone in on muscle memory and repeatability.
Here are some common putting exercises that you can use on the practice green, at the golf course, with a practice mat at home, or simply on any flattish open ground.
Putting Gate
This drill will improve your accuracy, which will greatly benefit your putting stroke and leave you with a strong short game. Here’s how it works:
- Take two tees and insert them into the ground about 4 inches apart, perpendicular to
your target. - Put your golf ball in the middle of the golf tees and ready your putter behind the ball.
- The aim is to practice short strokes of roughly 4 feet and to keep your club face
square to the tees and target.
Four Corners
This drill is great for building your confidence when making short putts. It’ll also give you practice from all directions on the green, which may have varying ground levels.
- Get four balls and place them around the hole at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9
o’clock. Have each ball about 4 feet away from the hole. - Move around the hole, putting each ball in. If you sink a ball, move on to the next. If
you miss, replace the ball with a new one and continue to move on to the next one. - Keep making your way around the hole until you’ve sunk all the balls.
Ladder
This is a simple drill that is perfect for learning how to adjust your speed based on distance.
- Take 3 golf tees and 9 golf balls.
- Split the 9 golf balls into 3 sets of 3, with each tee.
- Place 1 set 3 feet away from the hole, the next set 6 feet away, and the last set 9 feet
away. You should be left with 3 balls at each distance, lined up behind each other. - Start with the shortest distance (3 feet) and putt the balls into the hole. Don’t move
onto the next distance (6 feet) until you’ve sunk all 3 balls in a row. - Once you’ve sunk all 9 balls, you’re finished.
- You can always adjust this drill by adding more balls and increasing the distance to
practice for those long putts.
Try to complete this drill in only 9 strokes – 1 for each ball.
FAQS
How do you fix poor putting?
There are many different ways you can fix your putting. You can take lessons with golf instructors, practice more at home, analyze your stance and style, have your eyes checked, or even buy a whole new putter if you’ve run out of options. The trick is to not lose hope and to keep trying..
What is the trick to putting?
The trick is to have a light grip pressure. This will allow the putter to swing freely with your arms before making contact with the ball.
Do putting mats improve putting?
A putting mat is an excellent investment if you’re looking to improve your putting. You can use them during your putting exercises to help align your body to the ball and to get a good, straight swing. You’ll notice an improvement in your putting stroke as well as build your confidence.
How do you tell if a putt is uphill or downhill?
To decide this, you’ll need to take a look at the putting green from the side. Stand perpendicular to the hole and your ball and get your eyes as low as possible. You can also imagine throwing a bucket of water onto the green and trying to perceive where the water will run. If your ball is lower than the hole, you’ll be putting uphill. If the hole is lower than your ball, you’ll be putting it downhill.