A golf putt is a shot played from the green of a hole and towards the hole. It takes skill to make accurate putt golf, but those good shots will be worthless if you aren’t able to putt golf the ball into the hole. But it can be done by following these simple steps:
1) Line up your ball on the intended line.
2) Take two practice strokes before making your final stroke.
3) Try to strike the ball with as little backswing as possible so that you don’t have any excess power when hitting it forward.
4) Use all of your fingers on both hands for better grip (especially if you are right-handed).
5) Keep your head down until after you hit the ball and follow through in order to ensure accuracy.
6) Aim left or right of where you want to go.
Don’t despair, putting is one of the easiest golf shots to master. It just takes a little time and practice. I’ve been playing for years now, and I still have my share of struggles with it. But you can do it! Read on for some great tips that will help you get better at putt-putting in no time!
These are the 6 steps to putting mastery
Step 1: Approach the ball on green
Begin to look at the hole from your position as you approach the green.
Now it’s time for you to decide:
- Is it uphill, or downhill?
- Is my ball on a higher or lower level?
- Does the ball go past will the hole uphill or downhill?
Many weekend players’ perspective on approach shots to the green is they need to do everything possible to avoid any chance of a three-putt. Their thought process goes like this: Let’s play it safe and hit away from the trouble; if I can’t get close, at least I won’t be in a bad situation for par. The problem with this thinking is that many times there are better options than hitting away from the pin, especially when you’re faced with difficult shot locations or very fast green speeds.
When you first study the ShotLink data, it’s easy to get consumed with average distances and tendencies towards certain clubs off tees of different lengths. And as we all know – every hole is different and some holes are played more frequently than others. But once you start to study the data from a hole-by-hole basis, you’ll find that there are many holes on our courses where certain approaches stand out as being much better than others in terms of approaching the pin or getting within range for an average third shot distance of about 20 feet.
This is especially true when it comes to difficult pin positions. Check out how approach shots affect your ability to get up and down for par. For example, if you’re faced with a 15-foot putt after hitting away from the green, you would have a 30 percent chance of making bogey and a 40 percent chance of making par (assuming no 3-putts). But if 80 yards closer is a spot where you only have 15 yards to the hole, you’d increase your chances of making par by 10 percent and decrease your chances of making bogey by 10 percent.
Step 2: Guessing the line by marking the ball
Once you have arrived at the green, your ball should be on the green. There are many reasons why we mark our golf balls on the green. The main reason is to make it easier for your partners to putt golf. You can also mark the ball on the green to clean it and to make sure that you replace the ball in a strategic way.
Let’s first talk about marking your golf ball. A coin is a great marker. When you place your marker, make sure it is directly behind your golf ball.
After your marker has been placed on the ground, you should clean your golf ball. The way your golf ball rolls around the green can be affected by a small amount of mud.
Not least, marking your golf balls allows you to make strategic changes to the ball. Most golf balls have branding/writing that looks like a thin line. You can also draw a thin line on your ball using a permanent marker or a ball marker accessory.
You can replace your golf ball on the green in front of your marker, but you must line up the golf balls at your target using the line on your golf ball. The target is not the cup. Your target is the line you want the ball to start on. If the putt is turning 6 inches left to right, and you see that the ball is moving 6 inches right to left, your target area for your golf ball’s line should be 6 inches to the right.
Step 3: Take a look at the slope
This step is the most important as it could make or break your putt. Make sure to stand back and analyze what line you think will be best for this situation with both of your eyes open, not just one eye on a specific spot like before. Your caddie might help but they should also stay quiet during this time so that you can use all of your experience from previous rounds in order to find the perfect path towards victory!
Stand back after marking your ball with the striped coin and look at which way you’re going to hit the through-line where there are fewer obstacles blocking its path between here (the target) and there (your hole). Analyze these things before moving onto this next step of getting ready for a successful approach.
Step 4: Make a comment and aim your golf balls
What you do next is important:
- Look where the coin stripe is pointed.
- Look at the ground between your ball and the hole and decide on the line you want to hit it on.
- Double-check that your coin line points in the correct direction. If it doesn’t, you can put the ball down again to turn the coin so that it points towards your target. This is easiest to do: Find a blemish on the line you have chosen and align the stripe of the coin with that line. Grab the ball once more and wait for others to play.
- To line up your putt, it’s important to make sure that the stripe on your ball is perfectly aligned with the desired target. To do this, you need to align both a coin and the stripes from each side of its hole so they’re pointed in one spot. Once these are lined up correctly, place them about two inches behind where you want for putting distance.
Step 5: Practice strokes to feel the distance
Keep your distance from the ball to avoid hitting it during practice strokes. Next, look at the hole and swing your club back and forth. Feel the distance from the hole. Now you can relax and not worry about the line. You are done! Feel the amount of power required to hit the ball past a hole by one foot.
Imagine the putt entering the hole while you do this. You should see the putt curving into the center of the cup along the line you have chosen. Before you can take your putt, you must be 100% committed to your stroke and line.
The Feel It will also depend on how far the hole is from you. To get a feel for the greens, it’s a good idea to hit the practice fairway before you play. There is no secret to feeling the greens. It is all about practice and playing.
Step 6: Place the ball (with an extremely important tip for putting-making)
This is the part that you will love the most.
You’re now confident that you can hit the ball. My Padawan, it’s not so fast!
The pre-putt alignment of your putter is crucial to getting the ball in. Before you even make a stroke, line up the tip of your golf club with where you want it to go. If that’s down and right for example, then aim just outside left-center on the ground or marker before lining up so when you do strike through there will be no way for anything but success!
It can seem like an easy task to align yourself with one straight stripe from a flange if all goes well–but don’t get too complacent after doing this once because putting doesn’t always happen as planned. A simple secret every handicapped golfer who misses many makeable putts needs help fixing: Always try aiming ahead at targets.
It doesn’t matter if your stroke is open-to-closed, inside to inside, rounded or straight back and through – there’s no ONE right way to putt a golf ball. Whatever works for you is perfect. But one thing you CANNOT DO on any putts within 10 feet…
Setup and Head Movement
Head movement
During the putting stroke, your head must be completely still. Your eyes should be focused on the place where the ball rests. You must not let your eyes see the putt entering the hole.
This is much easier said than done. Although it may sound easy, once you get on the course, you will find yourself looking up and feeling anxious. This is why shorts putts are so common for guys. I’m sure if you can figure out this one thing, you will drain way more putts.
Below, you will notice that there is absolutely no head movement:
Stand with either an open or closed posture. As long as the ball is on the correct path, you can swing the putter however you wish. My one request to you sir is: Never lift your head!
Setup and use your body parts
Quiet eyes
Every golfer has heard the expression “Keep your head down”. This is an important principle of putting. It may sound easy, but it is essential.
Beginners tend to follow the putter head, the golf ball, and their eyes with their heads. Inconsistent strikes can be caused by movement of the head/eyes.
Arms, shoulders, and legs
Only your arms and shoulders should move when you are putting. Your wrists should not move and your head should remain still. After hitting the ball, your eyes should be still looking at where it was before and after it has been hit. You can also put a thicker grip like the Superstroke on your putter to reduce wrist movements.
Your legs should not move at all and your feet should remain still. There is no weight transfer.
Hands
At setup, place your hands in front of the ball. This will cause the shaft to lean forward, which is perfect. You can have fun with it. It’s possible to get great results by moving your hands 6 inches ahead of the ball or even by one hair. You can do whatever you want.
This encourages a forward-rolling ball, without any backspin. The ball won’t bounce or skid along the green. You lose control of your putt quickly if it skids.
How to make more short putts
Be more aggressive and take fewer breaks
It can be frustrating to make short putts. You know what it feels like: After all your hard work to get the ball within four feet for a working man’s par, your monkey brain decides that you must see if it will hit the hole. You baby it, and you lift your head so that the ball lips are on the right.
How to fix it
Warning: Before you try this technique on the course, I recommend that you practice it a lot. You could get a longer return putt if you miss the hole.
Fixing one-foot putts: Hit the cup hard and aim for the center. Don’t lift your head. These are common mistakes, and I have been guilty of them. However, it is impossible to miss if the cup is in its center with a firm stroke.
Putts of 2-4 feet: It’s better to aim for the hole in 99 percent of cases. These putts are not for me. I do not go beyond the left or right lips. Next, I make sure the putt hits the cup firmly so it touches the back. This negates any potential break. Do not let the ball drop into the cup. Instead, hit the back of it.
To hit the back of your cup, use a short putt drill
My scorecards show that 94% of my putts within 5 feet are within my statistical range. This is a great tip that I hope you will be able to implement into your game. This is just KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN AND WAIT FOR THE RATTLE!! This is how I hit short putts.
How to hit a short putt
It’s a good idea for short putts to have a quick backswing and a long following-through. Your follow-through should be longer than the backstroke. Keep your head down and wait for the rattle. You can see it below.
When you are practicing on the practice green, don’t be afraid to let the ball go slam-dunk on short putts. There are many ways to test your skills.
Three Easy-to-Do Putting Drills For Beginners
1. Train tracks
For both novice and experienced players, a straight-back stroke is essential. It should pass straight through the impact zone. The stroke length will increase on lag putts, so the arch of your putting stroke will move slightly to the inside. This is normal. However, the first 3-4 inches of the backstroke and following through must be the straightest.
A putter head with a square clubface that moves through the hitting zone will ensure consistency in strike and direction. This will allow for more putts to be drilled with great speed. This fundamental is easily practiced with the train track drill.
Two alignment sticks (or golf clubs) should be used to align the two pieces in the form of train tracks. You should allow your putter to move between the tracks.
This drill will help improve your putting stroke. It can also be done at home, which is great news for beginners.
2. Prayer Grip
Good rhythm is another key element to a consistent putting stroke. A good rhythm will improve your putting performance by allowing you to strike consistently and control your distance.
To have a rhythmic putting stroke, it is essential to use your shoulders to rock and roll the putter through. You can grip the putter only with two fingers. This drill will make you use your shoulders to stroke the putt.
Place your hands open wide and place them on either side. Your hands will look like hands in prayer. Line the grip so that your middle fingers touch the putter grip.
Although it may feel difficult to putt the ball at first, your body will soon realize that your shoulders are necessary to generate sufficient speed to produce a proper putting stroke. This drill is great for improving your rhythm and shoulder turn.
You can leave your putter and some golf balls behind in your living area on the carpet. Hit 10 putts using the prayer grip each time you pass. This drill is great for beginners.
3. Two Putt Speed Drill
The most important thing about putting is speed. Beginners should be able to putt quickly on the greens. Amateur golfers, especially beginners, blame short putts for missing out on a few 3 putts per round. But distance control is often the problem with longer putts.
To find the root cause of your putting problems, it is crucial to look at your whole game. A 2-putt speed drill can help eliminate those 3 putts. Pick 2 holes on your putting green, approximately 30-40 feet apart. Take two balls, place them between the holes and then continue to putt until you have 10 consecutive putts.
This drill will improve your speed putting and challenge your mental game. The pressure of golf can be difficult for beginners. If you practice in similar situations, you’ll soon get used to it on the course.
Conclusion
For beginners, a good setup is essential for success. Proper alignment and power from your shoulders will help you get off to the right start with your putting stroke technique as soon as you pick up a golf club! The final thing that’s important is practicing consistently – all of these things are crucial in creating habits at the beginning of one’s golf career.
