"Golf Digest" is one of the most respected golfing publications in the world and has a circulation of nearly 1.68 million readers. "Golf Digest" regularly publishes tips on all aspects of the game from top coaches and professional tour players like Tiger Woods. According to author Jim McLean in "Golf Digest's Ultimate Drill Book," good putting comes down to reading the green properly, having a good stroke and controlling the speed of your ball.
Trust Your Instincts
"Golf Digest" contributor David Stockholm insists that studying your ball and lie on the green for too long is a short game recipe for disaster. When reading a green, you should quickly assess the break and aim to have the ball fall in the highest side of the hole. Once you know the line of your putt, address the ball and look at the target line in front of the ball rather than staring at the ball itself. From this position, you should let your instincts take over and give your ball a natural stroke rather than thinking excessively about whether you have the correct line and power.
McLean offers a similar tip in his book, encouraging you to follow in the footsteps of Masters and U.S. Open winner Fuzzy Zoeller by whistling softly while you take your putt, which takes your mind off of the technique and lets your natural putting motion come into play.
Play the Distance
Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus states in his December 2010 "Golf Digest" article "Should You Charge or Die Your Putts?" that the average golfer tries to overpower his stroke rather than playing the break of the green properly. "Distance is far more important than direction," he says. Lightly hitting the ball with a greater break will keep the ball from rolling well past the hole if you miss. This approach also increases the target size of the hole slightly because the lip of the cup will come into play and pull the ball in if it is rolling at a slow enough speed when the ball passes. This will not happen if you hit the ball hard and straight past the hole.
Hands Behind the Ball
If you are playing on a fast green or have a steep downhill putt to make, controlling the roll of the ball is your biggest concern. When finding yourself in this position, try putting your hands behind the ball at address like professional Zach Johnson, suggests Jim Flick, the "Golf Digest" No. 5 ranked greatest golf instructor. During your address, cup your left wrist and hold it like that throughout the stroke to ensure your hands move behind the ball. The result is a slightly lofted ball with a touch of backspin to control its speed.
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