Steps to Stay on Top of Your Putting Game
by Staff Writer
A key factor
in keeping your golf score down is staying on top of your putting game. We have
heard time and again that putting accounts for roughly forty percent of the
strokes in a game however, amateurs and weekend golfers still spend the least
amount of time keeping up with their putting game. If you feel you fall in this
category it may be time to step back and assess your own situation and ask
yourself if you’re putting game could use some improvement. Below is a list of
some general guide lines to help you assess your putting game.
- Take time to review the basic fundamentals of putting and ask yourself if you are implementing them and whether or not you have picked up any bad habits. Take a look at your grip and ask whether this style is still working for you. The grip is one area of golf that does vary among professional players. Review your set up and posture and make sure you have correct alignment to the target line. Are you implementing the correct fundamentals of a solid putting stroke? Be sure you are rotating your upper body as one solid unit and keeping your lower body still.
- Check that you are striking the ball square at impact. The main purpose of your grip, setup and putting stroke comes down to striking the ball square with the clubface. A good way to check this is with the two ball test. Set two balls on the ground touching each other. Then take your normal putting stroke striking both balls. If the balls roll the same distance then you are in alignment. If one ball moves faster and farther then the clubface is not hitting the ball square and you need to review you’re putting fundamentals. A second test is use either a range ball that has a line around it or make a line with a magic marker. Then take a putt with this ball and see if the line wobbles or rolls straight. If the line has a lot of wobble then you need to work on your fundamentals.
- Be sure you are implementing a pre-putt routine every time you reach the green. All professional tour players do this because it helps make sure they have not missed anything in assessing their putt. Properly survey the green, pick the apex or breaking point of the putt and check closely around the hole for anything that may influence your roll. These are only a few of the steps that should be followed every time.
- Ask yourself if you are in control of the mental aspects of your putting game. If you are missing a lot of critical putts or getting in the habit of taking a lot of give-me putts then this is an area you may need some work on. Get in the habit of visualizing your putt before you take your putt. Most professionals practice a lot of visualization techniques. Remove any negativity when you reach the green and use your memory bank to recall past great putts that you have made.
- Practice building confidence and improving on your putting skills. Before a match spend time on the practice putting green doing a lot of short putts. This helps get your feel and rhythm going and builds confidence. By sinking a lot of short putts it sends positive messages to your subconscious and strengthens your self confidence. Also start a practice putting routine that well improve your accuracy and build consistency. Review the different putting drills commonly used by professionals and choose the ones that will focus on eliminating any weakness you may have.
List of all Articles & VideoTips
