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A Secret Putting Tip

Every golf shot combines two basic elements: One is judging distance and the effects of the terrain and wind on the ball. The other is a complete execution of your swing. When it comes to putting, the mental calculations count more for for this shot than any other shot you will make.

Putt shots will also prove to be more difficult as well, but there are ways to help yourself.

Many golfers simply pace the distance to the cup. Instead of this common practice, try to just stand over the ball and look at the line to the hole, while at the same time measuring the distance in 5 or 10 foot intervals. Then check the texture of the grass and remember this last important tip: Take notice of which direction the grass is growing!

You obviously do not have to hit a putt as hard when the grass is growing towards the hole, as opposed of growing towards you, but the grain can be a little difficult to see unless you look closely. So take a moment and use the direction of the grass growth as a gauge to aid in how much power you need (or less) in your putt.

Putting Tip: Recognize That Every Putt Is Just A Straight Line

The green will break in many different directions on each hole, and on any golf course you may play. Therefore one of the secret tips to successful putting is to understand that regardless of the break, right to left or left to right, your stroke must always be made on a straight line.

Pick your target, one that will allow for the break, and simply roll the golf ball in a straight line directly to that spot. The green will do the rest of the work for you and carry the ball toward the hole.

Most golfers attempt to steer the ball and vary their strokes, but breaking greens are actually your friend, so long as you treat each putt in the manner described above.

The same goes when attempting a chip shot toward the hole. Do not vary your swing. Just choose a spot that will allow for the break and make your chip shot directly down the target line, straight to your chosen spot.

Putting Stroke Tip

After you read the break of the green, find your target line, choose a spot, and get your eyes over the line, you need to concentrate on swinging the putter back and forward along the line, always keeping the following three fundamentals in the back of your mind:

1) Throughout its entire movement, keep the putterhead exactly on the target line. The putter needs to travel straight back on the target line and then straight forward on the target line, never going off the mark.

Note: To help your stroke stay on the line, keep your head, shoulders and legs as still as possible. This will help you swing the putter with mostly your arms and hands.

2) The putterhead must be kept square and aimed directly at the target. The face of the blade should be kept perpendicular to the target and stay that way throughout the entire stroke.

Note: The blade face should not wobble. It should remain true to the arc of the putterhead. (You can help maintain the direction of the putterhead by keeping your wrists solid).

3) During the swing, never decelerate the putter. As you often hear in golf:

Are you seeing too many angles when you stand over a putt?  Have you checked to see if you may be lined up incorrectly? Your conscious alignment may be at war with your subconscious sense of straightness, and your putting stroke is caught in the middle as your body tries to issue a correction.

Pick a hole on a flat spot on the practice green and drop your ball the few feet from the hole.  Stand behind the ball and line up the putt. Be sure to use the printed brand name on the ball as a helper. Position the ball so that the name points straight at the hole. When you get over the ball with your putter, match the aiming line on top of your putter to the line of the logo on the ball.

Put the putterhead flush behind the ball on this line. Now take notice of your feet. Are they perpendicular to the line created by the logo? How about your shoulders? Finally, are you taking the putter head straight back and straight through during the stroke?

Looking up or peeking to see if the ball goes into the hole is a sure way to miss a putt. Resist the temptation to watch the ball. Keep your head still over the ball and stare down at the empty spot the ball he used to occupy long before you hit the putt.

Listen to hear if the putt falls. You may also catch yourself, one afflicted with the yips, watching your putterhead go back away from the ball and come back through contact. Don’t allow your eyes to follow the putterhead during the stroke. To help focus on the ball, pick a small, noticeable mark on the ball to look at. Keep your eyes fixed on the brand name, printed logo, a simple dimple, or an identification mark throughout your stroke.

Maybe the best way to steady your eyes and to play in the subconscious is to stand over the putt, put your putterhead on the ball, stare at a spot on the ball, and then stand perfectly still for five seconds. During these five seconds of still and calm, let the gaze of your eyes go out of focus. Your eyes still focus on the spot of the ball you were staring at, but everything else becomes fuzzy and soft. Go ahead and stroke the putt with your eyes and mind this blurry, meditative state. You may be surprised by the results!

Because the major contributors to the yips are tension, anxiety, and ack of confidence, one way to help rid yourself of the yips is to empty your mind. Play in the subconscious - forget about the stroke, forget about the results, and forget about the circumstances. Just play, in the literal sense of the word.

If you step inside your local pub to play darts or shoot some pool, you probably do not get all bogged down in your technique when you toss the darts or set up for your corner shot. You may want to win the pool game, but you probably do not hang the balance of the world on your shot on the 8-ball, right? You just play casually, sipping a beer, and enjoying yourself, even when you miss.

 Try to put yourself into the same mindset when you putt. Just play and let it happen. Let your athletic instincts take over. Trust the practice and effort you have put toward your game thus far. Just step up to your position and make the shot, putting in the subconscious.

How To Read Greens & Take Action

No green is totally flat. Thus, most putts have a degree of break on them - often subtle, sometimes severe. The best way to deal with breaking putts and sloping greens is to treat every putt as if it is straight.

Here is how it works:

1) Identify how much break there is on a putt. For example, a 3 foot break from the left - the hole itself now ceases to be your target. Your new target is an imaginary hole positioned 3 feet to the left of the actual hole.

2) As you go through your pre-shot routine, aiming the putterhead and aligning your stance, your focus should continue to be the imaginary target.

3) Now hit a dead-straight putt at your imaginary target to the left of the hole, and the slope on the green takes care of the rest. The advantage of this method is that you are far more likely to make a pure putt stroke when hitting a straight putt than you are when trying to guide the ball on a breaking putt.

Putting Drill: The Perfect Short-Putt Drill

Below is an exercise which I consider to be the perfect short putt drill. It is best to practice this putting drill on a relatively flat portion of the green - the straighter you can putt the better.

1) Place the putter on the ground and place two tees on both sides - one on the heel and one on the toe of the putterhead. There should be a gap left of about 1 half an inch on either side. This gap can be reduced as your confidence builds with the drill.

2) Now place a ball down and simply hit putts, with the goal to swing the putterhead through the gate formed by the two tees.

If your stroke is at all crooked then either the heel or the toe of the putter will collide with one of the tees through impact. In this way, the drill forces you to make a straight stroke.

If you miss a lot of putts during this practice drill, check the aim of the putterface at address. It could be that it is not square.

Putting Drill: The Perfect Long-Putt Drill

One of the best ways to improve your judgement of pace on long putts is to rehearse this simple, yet effective practice drill:

1) Place a handful of tees in the ground, starting at about 20 feet and working away from you at intervals of about 3 feet. Use as many tees as the space on the green permits.

2) Now putt the first ball to the first tee, the second ball to the second tee, and so on.

The idea is that you get one chance at each putt, just as is the case on the golf course during a real round of golf. You can mix things up a bit by hitting putts randomly to the various tees.

This simple drill is so effective because it trains you to see a putt and then translate those visual messages into a feel for distance.

Putting Tip: Keep Your Head Still Like A Rock

A common problem with golfers who have trouble with their putt shots is too much head movement.

In fact, as little head movement as possible is advised because just a slight vibration made before the ball is hit tends to knock the shoulders out of its natural path. The shoulders then knock the putter off the correct path and the result is a crooked stroke and a bad putt.

This bad habit is especially damaging with short putts due to a player’s natural tendency to want to take a sneak peek to check that the ball is heading towards the hole.

Total Stillness Counts More Than You Realize

Having explained the issue in its simplicity, the key objective you should start paying attention to when putting is to keep your head totally still - like a rock - throughout the entire stroke.

The easiest way to achieve this is to consciously keep your head down until you literally hear the sound of the ball sinking into the hole.