There are plenty of things golfers can do to give themselves the best chance of making a putt, like investing in the best putter, reading expert putting tips or spending some time exploring the right putter grip. Ultimately, however, if you don’t get the ball to the hole you are going to whittle away shots, even if you are reading the greens correctly.
Dialling in your pace on the greens is crucial to avoid three-putts, so we asked Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach John Jacobs to share his expert tips to ensure you never leave another putt short…
1. Rhythm
Good putters have a solid understanding of rhythm, which stays the same regardless of the length of the putt. But a lot of players keep their backswing the same length, then attempt to hit it further by increasing the speed from one length of swing.
This is a common cause of leaving putts short. You wouldn’t do that when pitching – you would have a longer backswing for a longer pitch and a shorter backswing for a shorter pitch.
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
2. Follow-Through
Your stroke length needs to match the length of the putt, so you have to vary backswing length. But you must still commit to it and keep the follow-through going. Increasing the length of your follow-through will help get the ball to the hole.
A one-to-two ratio is good – your follow-through should be almost double the length of your backswing, allowing you to ‘collect’ the ball on the way through rather than hitting at it.
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
3. Read The Line Past The Hole
Many golfers read their line up to the hole, but if you’re leaving putts short, imagining your line going a couple of feet beyond will help you visualise it running past the hole if you miss.
The hole is merely in the way on your line – it’s not the end of the journey. I would also recommend taking your practice stroke three feet behind your ball as you will have then rehearsed the slightly stronger stroke needed to stop leaving it short.
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
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