Putting, as you know, is one of if not the most important part of the game. It has the most impact on your score no matter what level you play. For example someone who shoots 99, would typically have around 36-40 putts with 59 shots made up of a collective other shots including Driving, Irons and Wedges. This means on average 40% of your score would be made up of putts only. Therefore next time when analysing how to reduce your score, I would firstly assess how many putts you have per round with the goal to bring your average down to around 30 Putts. You can see by the above example if this person simply reduced their putting average only, they would potentially drop 10 shots bringing their score to 90!
Now whenever I practice, I always dedicate time to Putting. I particularly focus on putts within 10 feet (2 metres). This distance is the most important because this range will be typically where most of your first putts will end up as well your wedge shots around the green. If you can hole consistently within this distance, you will create great momentum in your round as you will maximise what score you have per hole. This in tun has great psychological benefits as we often regret not the wayward drive or iron shot, but the missed short putt.
Now when I'm trying to improve this distance, I put a great emphasis on alignment. Most putts are missed from this range by the inability to aim correctly. What I do is I place two alignment sticks on the ground with one on my feet line and one for the clubface. The alignment stick I place on my feet line, I ensure is perfectly parallel to the hole. The one for my clubface sits just on the other side of the ball, aiming parallel to the hole. When I set up for my putts, I then ensure the putter face is perpendicular to the alignment stick along with my feet being parallel. This drill is extremely crucial to ensure you can see and feel whether the putter head is square. You want to ensure you are perfect in this area so that when you're on the course you can be definite that you're aiming for the line you had planned.
In terms of technique for Putting, I just ensure that I bend my elbows out to the side and focus on just using my shoulders during the stroke. You want to ensure you keep your wrists quite locked to ensure there is no movement. You also want to keep your head and body still during the stroke. The only movement that occurs in the body should be through your shoulders. The last step is working on tempo. You want to make sure that no matter what length putt you have, that you have the same grip pressure and speed for every stroke. You want to ensure your grip pressure is down to a 3/10 (10 being the tightest). The last step is ensuring that you have the same length backswing and through swing. Also it's a good practice to have the ball position just forward of centre.
If you'd like any further help in improving your Putting, just contact me at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.
Comments