Putting Tips
Marking your ball. There are as many ways to mark a golf ball as there are ways to color your hair. You need to mark the ball so you can identify it to avoid playing the wrong ball. So, if you have to mark it, why not mark it to help your putting? A line along the center of gravity will help you line up your putter and help you start it on the line you pick to start your putt. How do you do that? One of those ball spinning machines will do it easily and quickly and they do not cost a lot. One more word on marking your ball. Choose a color that is your favorite color. this will give you a better frame of mind and set it at ease for those testy putts.
Dave Pelz. Need I say more? If you want to know everything there is to know about putting, Dave Pelz is the authority on it. Period. I will incorporate as much of his learning into putting lessons as possible and reading his books such as "Putt Like The Pros" will help to some extent. There is still no replacement for having a teaching pro watch you putt to diagnose any problems and then correct them. So read up and learn, as there are a lot of things to learn!
Grip Position. When you take your putting grip, the fingers is where the feel is. Take your grip, lay the putter in your grip rather far back in your fingers and then wrap your palms around the club to the front. Pay attention to your fingers so they remain on the grip and then apply enough pressure using BOTH hands until you feel the hands "lock" in place. This will aid the straight back and straight through swing and let you concentrate on the feel you need for proper distance.
Grip Pressure. Mush is said about how tightly or loosely you should grip the putter. Since everyone is an individual and have different ideas about how they grip a putter, it is impossible to quantify an actual pressure. Plus, I firmly believe in the saying "To Each Their Own". Here is what I tell people to help them make a quality decision on a putting grip pressure. Use enough pressure to make your hands act as one. More than that and you will produce tension in your arms and shoulders. Less and you will let the putter head waver off course during the stroke and the shock of impact with the ball.
Point Your Finger. Can you point at a car as it goes by and follow it down the street? Can you point at a falling star as it goes across the sky? Can you point at the hole after making a 20 foot putt? Then you can putt! Use your pointing finger to follow the line you picked to start the ball on. Imagine the line as it goes through the ball and even farther back to see the back swing line as well. then just point your finger at the line and follow it all the way to the hole. It is that easy!
Putting. Putting is all in the mind, period. Working on the stroke will help but only minimally unless you know you can make those testy 3 footers for par. Put your mind to work, pick a line and stay with it. If you miss, forget it! The next hole is the next hole, not the start of a torture test.
Pick a Target. Always pick a target. A spot on the green, a tree in the distance, a swell on the green, always pick a target. Every shot you play on the golf course should have a target for you to aim for. Start with a fairly large target, then work your way down to smaller and smaller targets. Pick the smallest target you can see and see that in your mind and let your autonomic system take over. If you do not aim, you will not hit the shot you want!
Dominate Eye. In a lot of sports the dominant eye plays a major role in how well you can play it. Golf has not seen much emphasis on this factor until lately. To find your dominate eye, first get someone to help you. Next, have them stand facing you about 15 feet away. Hold your dominate hand at your side and then, quickly point at the helper's nose. Ask the helper which of YOUR eyes your finger lines up with. They will easily see which eye is dominate.
How to use your dominate eye. There are many uses of your dominant eye. This tip was given to me by a kind lady from Virginia. The first place to use it is on the putting green. I have found that for me, having my dominant eye towards the hole has helped me see and putt the line much easier. That means for me, a right handed player and right eye dominant, I putt left handed. About 40% of right handed players are left eye dominant, so putting right handed should be a benefit. For the rest of us, give it a real try and see if the scores go down!
Betting Yourself. Try making a bet like, I bet I can make 5 in a row from here. reward yourself when you do it. Then make it tougher. Instead of putting straight in from 2 feet make it 4 feet. Then put some break into it. This will make practice putting fun and the pressure you feel will make it easier on the real greens.
Day to Day Putting. Putting is the one thing that will show up one day and be gone the next. Everyone has bad rounds of putting and the best thing to do is to forget it and enjoy the scenery. The next round it can show again and you are off to the bank. To minimize those days, a good putting routine is needed. A pressure relief valve is needed during your routine to let off the pressure. This can be as little as a a tap of the finger on the putter grip prior to setting up to putt. There is no end in the possibilities such as tapping the putter on the ground, a scratch of the ear, putting your ball marker back in the same place every time, or anything else that will settle your nerves. You will want to practice this every time you putt until you do it automatically without thinking. Get a routine, stick with it and it will stick with you no matter the pressure!
Putting Every Day. I know this sounds like the tip above, however putting every day will keep your touch honed. Putting is simple math. You need to hit the ball on the right path and at the proper speed to make the putt. Putting everyday keeps you looking at putts, staying in touch with the grip, and making the mental calculations to stay at the top of your putting game.
