This game is great when it feels as though you can’t miss on the greens – when the hole looks the size of a bucket. Wouldn’t it be nice if that happened a little more often? Even better if, when it did, we knew exactly why we were putting so well and what it was that we were doing correctly.
I love teaching the concept of putting – the skill and art of what is a game within a game. In this article, I’ll help you to nail some of the basics, so that you can groove a more solid and confident stroke. I’m certain this curation of putting tips and the best drills will help you to become a better putter, capable of shooting much lower scores and banishing 3-putts for good…
1. The Line On The Ball
I do this as part of my routine for every single putt. For a breaking putt, I line the ball up with the widest point of the break. For a straight one, just straight through the middle of the hole.
By matching up the line on my putter with the ball, I’m more confident of making a centred strike, and when I know the aim is correct, I only have to worry about pace. It’s crucial that the line is not ‘leaning’ to one side or the other. It takes practice, but I’d recommend giving it a go – it can really help your green-reading.
2. Posture And Alignment
When your eyes stray too far from directly above the ball, it’s very hard to see the line of a putt. I see this a lot, and golfers can change from hole to hole without noticing. When golfers get this wrong, their perception of alignment when putting will be greatly affected.
(Image credit: Olly Curtis)
3. Neutral Hands
Ball position is crucial to putting success. Centred to slightly forward of centre will encourage a zero to ever so slightly positive angle of attack. This can come down to personal preference and will depend on how you see the putt.
When the hands aren’t neutral under the body, it encourages either positive or negative shaft lean. When you strike up or down on the ball, that’s when you can make it skid and bounce, which will make it much harder to achieve consistent distance control.
4. Keep The ‘Y’ Shape
This is a great drill to maintain structure through the forearms into the shaft. Try to maintain the angle demonstrated on the image below to create a pendulum with the putter head.
Picture the letter…
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