You have read the all the latest books by Stan Utley, Dave Pelz, Fred Shoemaker, etc on different putting theories in an attempt to improve your putting stroke. You have been working and working on your putting motion or stroke and you think you have improved. How do you know for sure? You are just looking for a way to challenge yourself in your practice sessions to lower your scores. Here are some ideas:
Take Notes - Keep track of your practice sessions by using The Ultimate Golf Journal or your own notebook. It is also important to keep track of your putting statistics to find out where you need the most practice. To improve your putting you must keep track of the results from your rounds of golf and to improve even faster, keep the statistics from your putting practice sessions as well.
Take the hole away - Stroke multiple putts to the fringe. With the goal being, to stop the ball where the putting green means the green's collar. Again, it is very important that you hold your finish for three seconds. When a player has trouble with their lag putting, it is typically due to the putter re-coiling at the end of the putting motion. Stroke putts from different distances to improve your lag putts. This putting drill works on the speed of your putts.
Keep track of your misses. If you are missing the putting cup more to one side or another, the face of your putter is either opened or closed at impact. You can fix this by putting balls from just two feet from the hole on the practice putting green. In addition, hold your finish for three seconds. The good news is you really have to hit a poor putt to miss from this distance and more importantly you will bee able to see the line of the putt you hit. If your putting line does not improve, look into purchasing a laser pointer that will easily attach to your putter. Most are inexpensive and will give you instant positive feedback.
Compete and play game against a friend. There is no end to what could happen with this idea. My friends and I like playing the putting game named pullback. Here is how you play - Pick the amount of holes you are going to play prior to starting. In this version, we will play nine holes. Decide who will go first. This person will pick a hole and stroke a putt at the determined target. If made, it is one stroke. If it is not made, you must pull it further away from the hole and putt again until the ball is holed. You can bet a coke for overall score or a dollar a stroke, whatever makes it fun and competitive.
Use this article along with the techniques that you have gained from your reading of Stan Utley, Dave Pelz, Fred Shoemaker, etc. to improve your putting motion and stroke. Then get ready to watch your scores get better and better.
As we all are looking at how to lower our scores and improve our handicaps, we all know the answer. We simply do not want to hear it. To lower you scores you need to improve your putting stroke. Before you start making excuses, let me say, I already know. I already know that practicing three foot putts or hitting putts to the fringe to work on your distance control for hours on end is not as sexy as stepping up on the range and banging the big stick.
With that being said, there still is a lot of truth in the statement that you drive for show and putt for dough. It really does not matter how far that you can hit it off of the tee or how close you can place your ball to the flag if you cannot make a good enough putting stroke to wiggle the golf ball in for a birdie.
There are three putting fundamentals that you need to make sure that you employ in your putting stroke. Even if you change your practice sessions, so that you putt 50% of the time and spend the other 50% on the driving range you will be amazed at how quickly your scores will go down. Here are the three putting fundamentals:
KEEP YOUR EYES OVER THE BALL -
While you are putting, you must stand to the side of the golf ball. So, your eyes must be over the golf ball. We have all heard this one before, correct? In addition, your eyes should not be ahead of the golf ball either. To learn where your eyes are positioned during your putting stroke, simply take your putting stance. Then drop a golf ball from the bridge of your nose and between your eyes. The ball should drop onto the ball on the ground or just behind it on the target line. There are also many golf putting aids that can assist you with where you are positioning your eyes while putting.
KEEP YOUR HEAD STILL -
You should hold your head still to keep the putter on path throughout the stroke and there are many ways to do this. If you travel, you can practice this at home or in a hotel room. Take your putting stance. Make sure the top of your head is touching the wall and as you take your stroke you should not be able to feel your head move off of the wall. If you do you have too much motion in your putting stroke your head will stay on the wall. Another way to do it is to incorporate a friend. While you swing your putter back and through, have your friend place his/her hand on top of your head to hold your head still. This also provides instant feedback to you. If you are by yourself, take a putting stroke and after the ball is gone, look at the spot where the ball was and slowly count to three and listen for the ball to fall into the putting cup. Although counting to three will seem like an eternity, this is the key to become a good putter under pressure.
KEEP A STABLE BASE -
Watching the tour players, you will see that no matter how long the putt is, they do not move their lower body during the putting stroke. To keep you lower body still during the putting stroke, the following putting drill will keep your lower body in place during the stroke. Find an empty wall and take your putting stance while placing your bum against the wall. Now simply take some strokes without allowing your bum to move off of the wall. While out on the putting green, take your putting stance. Then wedge a rubber ball between your knees. You can use a cheap kids ball or a volleyball. You will need to squeeze the ball slightly to create a solid foundation and not to let the ball drop from between your knees. Eventually, you will develop the feeling of stability. Keeping a stable base is a fundamental of a consistent putting stroke.
Using some of your practice time to improve you putting will quickly pay dividends. Implement the putting fundamentals above and your scores will drop and so will your handicap.
Both Max Johnson & Maxx Johnson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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