In a repeatable, productive (ball went in the hole), putting stroke, there are many aspects to pay attention to, prior to, during and after you putt the ball. These aspects collectively add up to your probability of making putts.
My objective here is to enlighten the golfer about concerns of a solid and repeatable putting experience. I call it an experience because, it starts way back deciding your approach shot, where the ball actually ended up… around the green, or on the green, what you saw and felt as you were walking up to the green, when you walked across the green, views from behind the ball, views from the side and above the hole (if there is enough time without holding up play).
Once you’re on the green, imagine your ball rolling up or down hill, taking any breaks and going into the hole. This is much more useful than just picking out some line, without first visualizing the ball rolling and the speed it would be traveling, that will let the ball actually move in the direction of the breaks… then slowing and going into the hole, or not slowing, and just going into the hole. Wow, that is a lot you could imagine.
All this gathering of info, helps you decide at what speed and where you’d like to stroke the ball, to give you the best chance of making the putt (given only one chance to putt it).
Here are some tips* to help you decide:
When you setup to putt, your arms MUST hang directly under your shoulders… then use your FEET to move your hanging arms over to just behind the ball an inch or two. This is CRITICAL. I see many golfers and many Pros, take a practice stroke, then reach their arms out over to the ball (very bad move), then move their feet. This totally disconnected the arms from hanging under the shoulders and many putts are missed just because of this mistake. If you change, and use your feet to move yourself over to the ball letting your arms hang under your shoulders, you will IMPROVE!
~ Is the putt uphill of downhill?
If it is downhill, you want to look at a spot short of the hole (not the hole) that you will putt to. This will allow for the effects downhill gravity will have, so your ball does not end up too far past the hole. In other words, you will stroke the ball to a closer target than the hole. When it is done, it will end up at the hole and hopefully a little bit by. You also want to allow for more break on a downhill putt, because the ball will be rolling slowly, gravity will affect it a lot and mostly at the end of the putt. Also, putting to a spot short of the hole, allows you to still take firm stroke to get it rolling end over end (holds the lines better). Many golfers try to baby or they stop at the ball once it move… these putts miss short and low (not good)
Now, if your putt is uphill (the best to have), you want to look at a spot past the hole. Maybe a couple of feet, or more if it is a very steep slope. You also want to allow for less break, since the ball will be move very fast uphill, gravity will not affect it very much. You can also use a more aggressive stroke since the ball will stop quickly just past the hole due to the slope it is climbing.
In general, on your approach shot, you want to leave your ball directly under the hole to have the best chance of making it. Another generality is, on a 5-6′ level putt, you want to putt to a spot about a foot and half past the cup, to give you a speed that will go into the cup. The mistake is to look at the hole. This putt comes up short, and the ball will drift left or right as it is coming to a stop. One other thought is to keep your body (except your shoulders) ABSOLUTELY STILL all the way through the putt. Many golfers move their shoulders open (before they hit the ball) to look at where the putt went, and they end up pulling the putt. Another tip, you want to make contact with the ball after the bottom of the stroke (on the up-stroke), to create end over end rolling. If you hit at the bottom of the arc, that pushes the ball and it slides or hops and comes up short. This is usually because of flipping the putt with the back hand. DO NOT RELEASE THE PUTTER HEAD THROUGH IMPACT. You must lead the handle through impact, before the club head, to have a solid putt! Use only your shoulders to move your arms and putter through. Watch my putting series here
- Some of these tips are from Dave Peltz’s – Putt Like the Pros… thanks Dave.