One of the most frustrating moments during a round of golf can definitely be when you miss a short putt. It can affect you psychologically and no doubt be the key difference between you having a great round and an average round. In the majority of golf lessons that most golf coaches undertake will primarily be about changing your technique of your full swing, but the real secret to maximising your potential will always be improving your short game, more specifically putting.
I will always state that you can always turn around a bad day no matter how bad you hit it, but that is contingent on having a consistent short game. When focusing on putting, the most important aspect is holing putts from under 8 feet (2 metres). The reason why is that this distance will be typically be where your chip and your first putt will often reside to.
Now the Number One Reason why people miss short putts is alignment. As you can imagine if the putter face is not aligned to where you think you are, the ball will unlikely go in. Therefore it is imperative that during your practice that you do a drill that ensures that the putter face is always square. The best way is using an alignment stick or golf club as a guide. Set yourself up to a hole around 4 feet and place an alignment stick along your feet line. Ensure the alignment stick is perfectly parallel to the hole.
Now for every putt you want to make sure that your body is aligned including your feet, knees and shoulders but also most importantly your putter face. Just ensure that before each putt that your putter face is perpendicular to the alignment stick. Now for the stroke itself, just ensure that it is a shoulder stroke and that you take the same length back and through. The last element is grip pressure. Ensure your tension level is roughly a three out of ten (ten being the tightest).
If you're having trouble with your putting, just contact myself at David Waters Golf at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.
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