Putting is perhaps the most difficult golfing stroke as a golfer has to take into account the curvature of the green and various criteria while putting. The reason why putting is considered such a vital stroke when compared to other aerial strokes, is because putting requires more skill and concentration. If you are looking to improve your putting skills, here are a few tips that will help you improve your putting from the ground up.
Make contact with the centre of the putter face
No one's shocked anymore when Tiger Woods drills a 20-foot putt to win a championship. He's one of the best clutch putters in the game. But did you know that when he practices putting Tiger spends more time working on short putts than long putts. That's right. One media sources estimates he spends about 65 percent of the time he spends practicing putting working on short putts.
They are some tips for getting the most out of the time you spend on the practice putting green.
Here's how to do it:
1. Use the practice green to guage speed and work on distance control. Distance control (sometimes called speed control) should be the focus when practicing putting.
2. Hit your putts at a ball marker, not at a hole, to start with. Don't immediately try to make putts - simply roll the ball toward a ball marker you've put down about six feet away. Think about the stroke and centering the ball on the putter face.
Experienced golfers know the saying; "Drive for show and putt for dough." If you want to make par on every hole, your score will be based on how long the hole is plus the two putts you make on each green. A little calculating will bring you a world of joy.
Par is always based on the two putts on each green and then reaching it in what is called "regulation". This is just the prescribed number of shots that a golfer has to reach the green. Regulation can mean either one shot, two shots or three shots depending on the length of the hole but putting always means just two shots on every hole.
For many of us the fun filled days of mini-putting as kids has turned into painful frustration as adults on the golf course. One hole we can drop a twenty foot putt across a major break on the green, on the next hole that three foot putt eludes us.
The biggest problem in putting is not the breaks in the green or the distance from the hole, it is your mind.
The solution to better putting is not in focus or concentration; it's in your ability to "let go" of needing to sink that putt.
To become a consistent golf putter you must do two things. (1) Control distance and (2) Make a three-footer.
Once you feel that your golf stroke is fundamentally solid, most of your practice time should focus on distance control and securing the "feel". You can be taught golf fundamentals, but your level of feel will fall upon your shoulders. You need practice and more practice on the greens.
On the surface, it appears that putting should be dead easy compared to the rest of your golf game. You're only trying to move the ball a couple of yards in most cases and putting looks like a simple movement. But for many players, putting is the weakest part of their game. Successful putting technique is very demanding in terms of smoothness and precision and can only be achieved with consistent training.
There is really no such thing as one model putting technique. In the final analysis, the perfect putting technique is the one that works for you consistently. Although there are probably endless variations, most players rely on one of these techniques: the Langer grip, the anti-yip grip, or of course, the orthodox grip.
As a golfer, one of the most important pieces of equipment that you can own is a putter. As you probably realize, your putter is used more times in one round of golf than any of your other clubs. Knowing how to truly use a putter displays your excellence as a golfer.
After all, if you know how to properly use a putter, then chances are that you are experienced at reading a green, as well as figuring out and controlling the speed and distance of your ball. You may even have the knowledge of how to create a pure roll with your golf ball; but this information is useless if you do not know how to use a putter. Knowing how to use a putter has many, many benefits.
GOLF--How To Instantly Expand Your Putting Ability
On the surface, it appears that putting ought to be the simplest part of playing golf. You're only trying to move the ball a couple of yards in most cases and putting looks like a simple movement. But for more than a few golfers, putting is where their golf game is won or lost. A winning putting technique requires a smooth and precise movement and can only be obtained with repetitive practice.
How many golf putting aids do you have? I'll bet you have one even in your office right now. Even though putting bores me (and my putts per round show it), it is a critical component of your game if you want to shoot lower scores.
Practicing your putting can get monotonous and boring; and a training aid specific to your putting problem can make all the difference in the world. In fact, by keeping you interested in practicing, these aids can hone your putting leaps and bounds ahead of your playing partners and competitors.