Putting
Putting is a huge part of the game. Putting is the maker or breaker of your game and all it requires is some basic confidence and technique. Putting is an essential, if not the most important, factor in playing golf. The simple task of rolling a golf ball to a hole a certain distance away, would be considered by most to be the easiest skill to learn in golf. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you can never practice your putting enough. Luckily, there are a few drills and tips you can use to improve your putting aside from just going out and practicing.
One putting drill that you can do starts with placing 5 golf balls a foot away from the hole. You can continue this process as far away from the hole as you want, but this will allow you to practice putting from multiple distances all over the green. When it comes to putting, confidence is everything. At the most extreme, you can practice putting with your eyes closed to get a feel for your stroke. While there are a plethora of putting drills and tips that can help improve your putting, practice is the number one key to enhancing your putting skills.
Putting
The more time and effort you put forth into practicing putting, the more confident you will feel on the greens. The main techniques in a good putting stroke include standing square to the target, not breaking the wrists, keeping your eyes over the ball, making sure the putting backstroke is shorter than the follow-through, and keeping your head still. Remember, a good, solid putt is accomplished not by slapping at the ball, but by putting through the ball a longer distance than you took to hit the ball. You can initiate the putting stroke by a slight press forward.
The time spent on the green can be shortened by reviewing the putting surface when walking up on the green. You can speed up play by looking at your putt while other players are putting and be ready for the shot when it’s your turn. The putting line and speed should be reviewed from both sides of the hole. You’ll find that you can develop techniques to compensate for the influence of the “grain” on each individual putting surface.
Golf putting is an art, not every one can putt perfectly. If you practice your putting techniques more than you practice your back swing, you’ll find that you will save strokes. If you are going to invest time and money on lessons, spend more resources on taking chipping and putting lessons.