How to Putt Lesson 101 for Beginners
by Staff Writer
For those of
you just taking up golf you may have already realized how important putting is
and that it represents a little less than half the strokes in the game. In
order to get off in the right direction I have outlined the key fundamentals
that must be incorporated into your putting game to be successful. Although
putting styles do differ among professional tour players there are certain
fundamentals that they all follow.The primary focus of this golf putting
lesson is to highlight what you need to learn early and follow religiously until
they become second nature.
Before
getting started I would like to address the putting grip. This is probably the
one area in golf that differs the most among players because there are
different styles that all work. For starting out I recommend you use the
reverse overlap grip because it is the most common and very fundamentally
sound. It is basically the same as your regular golf grip except your left
index wraps around your right hand fingers. The main advantage of this grip is
that it encourages your upper body to act as one solid unit and helps reduce
your wrists from bending.
THE KEY PUTTING FUNDAMENTALS
Follow a Pre-Putt Routine: Every time you approach the green go
through the same steps every time of analyzing your putt. All professional
players have a pre-putt routine that they follow even though the steps may vary
among players. This evolves surveying the green, determining your target line,
where the ball may break and the condition of the green itself. By following
the same steps in the same order every time you well feel more confident that
you have gathered all the information you need to make a good decision. This
also reduces any last minute stress or second guessing before you take your
stroke.
Setup and Proper Alignment: After your pre-putt routine the setup
and proper body alignment is critical. Once you have determined your target
line you want to position your feet, hips and shoulders all parallel to the
target line. In addition you want to position your eyes directly over the ball.
Without a proper setup you well not become accurate and your ball well travel
in the wrong path.
Form a “V” Shape with Your Upper Body:
A key fundamental is
that your upper body forms a “V” shape with your shoulders and arms and they all
move together in unity. The putting stroke should mimic the pendulum movement
of a clock. Your shoulders will rotate during your stroke but your head must be
stable and your eyes always focused on the ball. The amount of speed that you
well apply to the ball well be based on the movement of your upper body. This
upper body movement and the length of your stroke is what controls your
distance. You want to develop a smooth pace to your stroke with the ultimate
goal of keeping your putter head on the target line and square to the ball.
Maintain a Stationary Lower Body: Keep your hips, legs and feet all
stable during your stroke. Any small movement or shifting will throw your putt
off course or may add unnecessary power to your swing.
Keep Your Head Down and Eyes Over the
Ball: This is
probably the number one bad habit of beginners in that they have a tendency to
look up too soon to see where their putt is going. You must keep your head down
and steady with your eyes focused directly over the ball in order to achieve
positive results in putting. A good habit to follow is to count to two after
your entire stroke is completed before looking up .Legendary golfer Gary Player
says this is probably the number one important aspect to good putting. He goes
on to say that he does not look up but simply listens to whether or not the
ball has gone in.
Keep Your Wrists From Bending: Any bending, flexing or turning on the
wrists will result in poor accuracy and lack of distance control. Beginners
also have a tendency to apply speed to the ball by turning their wrists and
then snapping them back in place. You well not be able to develop consistency
with distance and also not be able to keep the putter head square during
impact.
Visualize Your Putt: Most professional PGA players well use
some type of visualization technique. Once you are set up and taking a few
practices putts, close your eyes briefly for a moment and visualize in your
mind the putt going in. This should be the last positive thought on your mind
right before you take your actual putt. Remove any negativity from your
thoughts and above all do not second guess yourself or start to reanalyze your
putt. If any of these thoughts surface then step away and clear your thoughts.
Further
recommendations for beginners starting out are to practice a lot of short three
foot putts. By sinking a lot of short putts this will send a positive message
to your subconscious and help build self confidence. Secondly for longer putts,
say fifteen feet or more, concentrate more on distance then on accuracy. Spend
more time on the correct distance and speed rather than trying to sink a long
putt. If it happens then great but your goal on long putts should be to get
close enough on your second putt in order to two putt the hole. Even for
professionals the percentages for long puts is not that high.
By simply
incorporating these seven key putting fundamentals early on you well be able to
develop a very successful putting game. Try not to over analyze your game too
much early on but to simply learn the basics first. Learning the basics first
is the best golf putting lesson for you to master.
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