How is your putting stroke?

October 29, 2009 by Parshooters

Many golfers don’t realize that almost 50% of your golf scores occurs from your putting. Almost 70% if you include pitching and chipping around the greens. Yet this is the least practiced!

Everyone is focused on having the latest in driver technology. They feel if they can pound their drives around 240 yards or more that everything else will fall into place in shooting par golf. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Your best golfers have that magic around the greens, its what separates themselves from the high handicappers.

Let me ask you, “how is your putting?” If your leaving a lot of putts around the hole but, their not falling in. It means that there is one additional stroke you have to add onto your score. Over 18 holes it can mean the difference between breaking your low score or having a frustrating round.

There is no right or wrong way to putt, and there is not one standard grip but many to choose from. It all depends upon your comfort zone and being able to see the lines of the putt on the green. Putting is all mental and strategizing over breaks and inclines and slopes of how best to lag your putts close to the hole is half the battle.

Are you feeling depressed and frustrated over your putting? There are two vital key areas to putting. Keep your eyes directly over the ball, and you must stroke the ball to make it rotate end over end. The ball can only see the line when your eyes are directly over it. If you don’t do this you will hit it off center line every time . When you are seeing the lines and picturing how the ball will travel, what your doing is essentially stroking the ball more solidly and accurately.

There is less chances of mishits (cuts or pulls), and there will be no side spins. With less chances of hitting the corner of the cup spinning off and not dropping in. Reading greens is a science all by itself. Breaking and Speeds are the two main factors when you read greens. It’s good to practice putting before playing but, I tend to find that there is inconsistencies between the practice and regulation greens with regards to speed.

It takes me 3-4 holes to adjust to the speed of my putts. There is certain things you can do around the greens. Watch how the ball reacts after you or someone in your group is chipping. Take your time and don’t rush your putts. Align yourself by looking over your putts from behind the hole and behind your ball. Make the necessary changes and commit to the putt good or bad.

You need to stay focused and mentally record what took place. You might find yourself in the same situation and when you go back over the days round in your head this will be something you can reflect upon in improving another part of your golf game.

Are you having control problems with putting long distance? Prepare yourself before hitting that putt by doing a few practice strokes to get the feel of the pendulum motion that your about to execute. One of the all time great putters Tom Watson would imagine a bulls eye attached to the back of the cup. With his stroke he would make sure that his putts would go by the hole 2-3 feet past. Being aggressive and having a target to putt to encourages you to accelerate the putter through the ball and keeps the club face square moving straight to the hole.

Need work on your short putts? Keeping your head still through impact will lead to more consistent putting. Head movement causes your shoulders to open and your putter to cut across the ball. Your eyes must not follow until well after the ball has been struck. Leading with your eyes and not your hands in a pendulum motion causes the ball to be mishit.

Having trouble with downhill and breaking putts? This is where the science comes in because most times it’s a guessing game. Downhill putts tend to be fast and tricky. Try hitting the ball with the toe only of the putter, and not the sweet spot. It deadens the jump on the ball and less speed from happening. It stops the ball from rolling way past the hole. Uphill putts you want to hit more of the sweet spot of your blade.

With breaking putts you want to always favor the high side. The law of averages tells you that as a putt is breaking towards the hole, gravity will work in your favor if the ball is above the hole. The only time this doesn’t apply is when your on a seaside course. The ball will always break towards the water and away from the hole.

I always felt that this was my strong part of the game. Anywhere from 100 yards in. Including chipping and putting. I have played on many different greens with different types of grass textures but, I always had a knack for reading lines that weren’t there. I learned by watching others including pro’s and observing how they prepared themselves to make their next stroke. Golf is based on confidence and being focused mentally especially around the greens.

Do You have confidence in your putter? There are many kinds and makes of putters and their being designed everyday for golfers of all skill levels. When you’ve been putting badly for a while it sometimes is good to break away from your old putter and invest into something newer on the market. I prefer the 2ball Odyssey putter because it makes the alignment of the putt so much easier.

There is a great company called Callaway that has a wide assortment of putters. Go to their link now:

Shop Odyssey Putters at Callaway’s official online store! Low prices and flat rate shipping.

Shop.CallawayGolf.com

Check out this wonderful putting tip from Bobby Eldridge and PurePoint Golf on how to correct your back swing during the putt. http://www.purepointgolf.co…