Tips

Every golfer knows that there are many factors that come into play which can elevate your aggravation levels as more holes are played. While one can't always rely on his swing to help him reach more greens in regulation, good putting can make up for losses in other parts of your game. In this section you can find a few pointers to help lower your scores once you reach the putting surface.

The equipment an athlete chooses for themselves greatly varies. While some say it's the equipment that makes an athlete, most will agree it's a combination of talent, practice, and inner drive. Choosing a putter that works for an individual can help add confidence to other areas of their game. I am not one to say one type of putter is better than another. Our bodies are all made differently, and so will be the way we putt. Personally, I like to use a heavier putter to help keep it from swaying off line while stroking the putt. Select a putter that seems to stay on line for you (when alternating your backstroke and forward stroke) without a ball in the way. Notice the "blurr" each putter makes, take your time, try out many different makes and models. You might find a twenty dollar putter is balanced better for your stroke than a one hundred and eighty dollar model.

Understanding the make up of each green will better inform you of difficulties that may arise. While making your way towards the green, observe the surrounding areas. Paying close attention to the contour, elevation, and how other player's shots have reacted when reaching the surface. This will greatly increase your chance for making a good putt once it's your turn to roll the ball. If your off the green yet and trying to make a nice chip, pick a spot in which to land the ball that will set you up for a putt with a greater percentage of getting close to the hole. Try to leave yourself with a flat uphill putt whenever possible. Always read your green, walk around the "entire hole" and observe the slopes. Play a game in your mind. Tell yourself "the putt is going to break to the left or right" then walk around all sides of the hole to discover if you were correct about what you decided on. More times than not, this will prove that you guessed wrong about what you previously had thought. You can then go on to setting up for the right putt.

Alignment of your body in relationship to where you want the ball to travel is very critical to making consistent putts. If you don't know where your headed, it's hard to reach a destination! Successful putters work hard on their alignment. Approach each putt as if there were a series of lines laid out with chalk on the green. Visualize yourself setting the tips of your feet on one of these lines (perpendicular to your target line) like a set of railroad tracks, the tips of your feet on one line, the putter on another. Another tip I teach, is to see yourself as a person looking down the green with a bird's eye view. Picture a series of streets in a town, and your putting your ball down one of those streets towards the hole. I teach students that the importance of positioning their feet is the best friend one can rely on to assist them with straighter putts.

Once you've situated your body and positioned your feet squarely with your intended target line, squaring the putter blade is the next step. The direction the putter should travel with its follow through, depends on how square the blade is at address. The blade and target line should form a perfect sideways "T" when lining up the putter. Practice makes perfect, so always practice stroking the putter squarely no matter what the results are. If you stroke it squarely each time and your ball still rolls to one side and you know your feet were square, then you must devote more practice time on squaring up the face of the putter to form the "T" I spoke of.

While no golf book has ever advised to putt standing taller and let your arms hang almost straight down, this is a method I take credit for discovering. I have found that all the books on putting, teach you to bend over, keep your eyes above the ball and your elbows bent considerably. I do not teach this method. If you notice in that position, your hands are very "sloppy" at the bottom and you can push or pull a putt very easily. I have found better putting success with my students when I have them assume a taller stance, let their arms hang longer, and lift up on your chin until the putter comes up slightly off the ground. This will "lock" your hands and shoulders into a closer relationship. So, set up squarely to the ball, stand up straighter with your back and arms, sole the putter on the ground, then "lift your chin" until the putter hovers just off the ground and stays there. If done properly, you will have a hard time moving your hands from side to side with the putter in your hands. You will gain a more pendulum (arms and shoulders) stroke, with a better follow through on the ball. Widen your stance more on days the wind is blowing hard.

Like anything in motion, outside forces coming in contact with a vehicle will affect the way it arrives at its destination. The same rules apply with the motion of a golf ball. Acceleration can help reduce imperfections on the green's surface giving a truer roll of the golf ball. Not everyone follows my theory, but I like to teach "the more acceleration the better." You can only use this effectively if you limit your backstroke to the proper ratio of your forward stroke. On your backstroke, bring the putter back only far enough so you can strike the putt with good authority. Strike the ball on the upswing as well. This will put a "billiards shot" type of roll on the ball resulting in greater spin speed. This "greater spin speed" will help the ball travel straighter to the hole, less affected by the outside forces that were discussed earlier.

We hope this tips section has brought more insight available to you about the importance of learning putting mechanics. Pros all have their own different styles and theories about how to putt, but they all rely on certain mechanics that are necessary to keep their consistency. Consistency is the only difference between an excellent amateur golfer and a mediocre touring professional.