The difference between being able to two-putt and three-putt often is all that separates the intermediate player from the advanced golfer. Once you're on the green, the name of the game is control. Learning the basics of putting and adding some visual or mental tips to help you remember those basics when it's crunch time can get you closer to taming your favorite course.
Tick-Tock
Losing control of your putter often happens when you take too big a backswing or follow-through. The most frequent putting tip given to duffers by their golf pro is to make their takeback and follow-through the same length. This will prevent a wild takeback, which needs to be controlled going forward at the expense of a correct follow through. Visualize the timing of a pendulum on a grandfather clock or metronome on a piano and say, "tick tock" to yourself prior to putting. As you practice your stroke for the upcoming putt, measure it by saying, "tick tock" to yourself to determine the rhythm you want for the putt. When you make your putt, say, "tick tock" in the same rhythm as your practice putts to create a smooth stroke.
Hit Three Balls
Players often hit the ground before they hit the ball while putting because they feel the ball is the end point of their stroke rather than the halfway point. Trying to hit the ball rather than hit through it can cause you to push your club downward, causing early contact with the ground. To learn how to hit through a ball, line up your ball for a medium-length putt on the practice green, then place two more balls directly in front of your ball. Practice your putt as if all three balls were glued together, and you are trying to move all three at once, in unison. This should lengthen your contact point in such a way that you keep your swing pace after you hit the first ball, rather than slowing down before you hit it. After you have tried this practice method three to four times, practice putting with one ball, visualizing the other two balls in front of it, to maintain your three-ball swing.
Hit Long
If most golfers had a dime for every critical putt they left short, they'd be able to golf free for the rest of their lives. On days when you just can't get the ball to the hole, try to purposely hit your next several putts 1 foot long to adjust your range. While you may add a few strokes on your card, you will make the true adjustment you need to lengthen your putt. Thinking about getting the putt to the hole frequently doesn't work. In fact, trying to hit the ball long may immediately produce a better putt---since you've been hitting short all day, your foot-long putts may end up one foot short of that, and in the hole.
Member Comments