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Putting Tips to lower your score



The putting tips I will cover here come from my own experiences with playing and teaching putting.

Putting is actually a game by itself and there is far more to it than striking the ball.

We need to develop a delicate touch for this game as it is all about “feel” and this feel comes from the fingers. Some golfers have better feel than others making putting easier or more difficult.

The grip plays an important role of developing a good touch. It can vary a great deal in putting from player to player and is not necessarily the same as for a normal grip used for a full swing.

I have seen many different putting grips but the basics should always be adhered to.

The putter is mostly gripped in the palm of the left hand with the right hand in the fingers. What is significant with all good putters I have seen is that both their thumbs are on top of the grip. Take a look at the picture.


It is evident that the palms are facing each other while the two thumbs are on top of
the grip. Having the two thumbs in this position enables me to follow the putter
head through dead on line with the hole.

Importantly, it adds topspin to the ball.






The stroke

I believe the putting stroke should consist of moving the arms and hands only with the shoulders being pulled along. This resembles a pendulum movement as illustrated in this putting tip exercise.




Swinging back and forth with your hands in the “praying hands” position gives you the feeling for a perfect putting stroke.

Note that my wrists are not flapping with the motion, but stay in the same position they were in at address on the back swing and after impact.

Practice this movement as often as you need to keeping your legs and head dead still.

Often I would see a student of mine practicing the movement and rocking their head back and forth at the same time with the arm movement. This must be avoided to get the full benefit of this putting tip exercise.

Now take a look at the putting stroke with the putter in hand.




What is important here is the arms and wrists stay in the same position throughout the stroke. A common fault with most beginners and good players is allowing the left wrist to bend on the back swing and after impact.

This is wrong, it leads to inconsistency in distance and lots of frustration.

The key to consistent putting is to keep the body as still as possible throughout the stroke.



Lifting your Head

I have seen many putts missed from this common fault of lifting the head the wrong way. Here are two pictures illustrating this.

The correct way is to let your eyes follow the ball by swivelling your head to the hole.

This allows the putter face and the ball to stay on line to the hole keeping the shoulders passive.

You should try to hold your finish position. This will tell you where your putter face is aiming. A very good putting tip.


Here is what happens when the head is lifted too soon. The putter face moves left of the hole and off target, shoulders follow and the putt is missed.

I have seen many touring pros do this and it is devastating.

If you actually think about it there is more than enough time to see where your putt has gone without having to lift up to see.












The two key elements in putting are the line and length of your putt

The length of the putt is the most important of these two elements. Yes, we have all heard it “never up never in” and nothing is further from the truth.

You will find how your confidence grows when you aim to putt the ball past the hole. Be positive.

Research has shown that for a ball to go in the hole it has to have enough speed to go eleven inches past the hole.

By concentrating on the length your eyes will automatically find the line. This I have proven in my own game and seen how my students do the same.

It works particularly well with medium to long putts. Go and try it out on a putting green near you.

It is easier to find the length in short putts and here you can concentrate mostly on the line of the putt.

Much has been written about the stroke itself and whether it is straight back or if the putter swings on a slightly inward path on the back swing.

I favour a slight inward path on the back swing because this is a more natural movement. The putter is designed for this movement. A word of caution is not to let the putter face open with the hands on the back swing.

The danger of trying to swing straight back and through is you can pull your putts very easily.

My advice is never try to take the putter straight back, let it move naturally on a slight inside path.


Stroke or Hit?

Here is another great putting tip.There are great benefits in stroking your putts as apposed to hitting them. You will have more control on your length, the ball will roll much further because your contact is better, and you will be able to keep the putter face square for longer.

Here is a great exercise for grooving a stroke action.

Place two tees on either side equidistant from the ball. The idea is to swing the putter the same distance back and through the ball. This ensures a smoother stroke, and acceleration through the ball.

It feels like your speed is the same on the back swing and the through swing. The ball will roll the same distance each time giving your more consistency with your length.

Practice longer strokes by moving the tees further away from each other. Notice how well the ball rolls and how far it can roll with this smoother action.

Once you get the feel for the stroke try putting some balls from 40 feet, working your way up to 20 feet and 10 feet. You will soon start developing a smoother stroke.


Sharpen Your Aim with this Putting Tip

Instead of practicing your putting to the hole try this aim exercise.

Set yourself up to a ball and putt it to another ball a few feet away. Try to hit the other ball. If the balls land up too close to each other move them further apart and start again.


This exercise sharpens your accuracy for putting to a target.







One last sound advice and the most important putting tip I can give you is to believe you can sink putts.

In order to develop belief in yourself you need to practice your putting especially the ones you are weak at.

This builds up a memory of strength and accuracy for you to apply on the golf course.

Take a look at some more putting tips here

Go from putting tips to golf swing fundamentals

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