The green may look like a place of sanctuary where your ball is at rest and safe from the hazards of sand and water, but in reality the putting surface is essentially a flat piece of hell. If you struggle on the greens with your putting, golf can very quickly degenerate from a pleasant day out to heartache. There’s no worse feeling than reaching a green in three shots on a par five, only to three-putt and finish with a bogey.
Here are some quick sure-fire ways to improve your putting:
- Practise, practise, practise – Face it, you’re not going to get any better unless you actually spend more time on the practice green before your round begins. A simple 15 minutes with a few balls can do wonders for your round. Each time I play, I try to spend a few moments at the very least to get my eye in before the round begins. It’s also a great opportunity to gauge the speed of the greens.
- Read the green correctly – Now I’m not advocating taking a leaf out of Camilo Villegas’ book and almost lying prone on the floor but take your time to analyse the slope and speed of the green. Greens are designed to deceive you and throw your ball off-course, so crouch down and take a careful look at the path your ball will take.
- Gripping stuff – Yes, strength and accuracy are crucial when it comes to putting, but how you hold the putter determines how strong the stroke is and where the ball goes. You shouldn’t be holding the putter too tightly, or too relaxed. Firm is best. As a certain sports car tyre company claims, ‘Power is nothing without control.’
- Go the distance – We’ve all had those cross-country putts. Those ones where you’re almost certain that your ball will get a passport stamp as it travels along. The best way I deal with these is by pretending the hole has become a lot bigger. While I’m not actually aiming directly for the hole, I want the ball to finish within a distance where I know I’ll be able to tap it in.
- Take aim and fire – To put the ball into the hole, you actually need to aim for it. Even if there is a blatant turn, you should be aiming for something such as a blade of grass. When the caddie says, “two balls right”, you should ignore the hole and rather be picturing that exact spot instead.
Check out the video where Dane Thomas Bjorn shares some key putting advice. For further hints and tips check out the Compleat Golfer instruction section here.
(Via Compleat Golfer)