We have all had days when the putting yips have gotten the better of us and we felt a need to apportion blame onto our putter usually, but why blame the putter? We are prone as a species to blame something inanimate sooner than ourselves when we find ourselves in a situation where we are not getting what we want! So we can go out and buy another putter and put the old one with the rest of the old ones that have already let us down, does this sound familiar? It is we as a golfer using a putter that are at fault and not our golf putter. So what is the solution? First stop blaming your putter, find a putter that you have already bought and reappraise the reasons it did not work for you. Select a putter that feels comfortable to your hands and that you feel you can set your eye with it. You may have a putter that you have used before but rather than admit to the putting yips, you went out and bought another putter and put the one that stopped working for you away? Think about it honestly, it is the person using the putter that's changed, so here is where the solution lies. So do not rush out and buy the most expensive putter you can afford, look at what you are doing, and reflect on the past games or putting practice. We all age at different rates and that is to say we can be a youthful fifty compared to another for instance. Now let’s get back to the game play: Your golf swing will change as you age, this is why we have to keep up the practice and a really good excuse to get in an extra round where you can. Sure we all get a bit weaker as we age but that should not affect our putting game, a great deal of physical strength is not required usually when putting, so that should remain a focus for your short game. So where are you going wrong you may well ask? You may have been a really good putter in the past and a master of the short game, if so it is probably something that you have chosen to do differently and perhaps without realizing it. This being the case, it is probably something very minor you may have changed within you putting stroke, or the way you focus upon the ball changed, ask yourself if you are not keeping your posture as still and balanced as you used to? There are many questions that you can ask yourself; have you changed your posture? Are you gripping your putter tighter than you used to? There are so many variables that it could be, so it is not a simple question to answer outright as it may be several things and not any one or two picked out of the list just read. These are all factors in changing your putting drill. Why do I say putting drill? Because that is how you should approach regaining your putting form, go through the routine of setting up your putts on something like a training green or even your own lawn with a target to aim for, you want somewhere that is flat and you can practice with distractions, then go through the drill bit by bit.
So why have you lost your form at all? This can be because of many gradual changes have probably been made and you did not notice the subtle changes that one by one they built up into a changed short game! The perceived outcome is an improved short game. Just go through the swing part of your putting drill for a few minutes before each actual strike of the ball, try and relax there is no need to feel the yips now, this is not a game, you are just finding where you lost that putting form! When you feel that you have a consistent putting swing drill, then move on to focusing for the putting shot and practice the full drill with a goal of getting every putt into the hole or marker. Then as you find your form returning, you will find that the putter in your hand feels like an old friend and to be treated as such. Now you are set up for your putting drill, get to know your putter even better, take short putts to start with and only hold the putter in one hand, the hand that is your prominent golfing hand and swing through as if making a putt with both hands on the club, this drill may not work for everybody and I am not claiming it will, these are just some tips to try and recover your short game with your putter. Nothing here is rocket science, it is designed to be just a few tips that we can all do, and who knows it may just bring your form right back? The final points I would care to suggest is to; also practice your follow through when carrying out your putting drill, make sure that you are following the flow of the putter through the ball.
Imagine you had a credit card was a $500 limit, and in the run-up to Christmas, you nearly maxed out your card. Before taking that last shopping trip of the season, you went online to check your balance and saw that you had $19 of available credit. "No matter," you say to yourself, "I'll pay the balance in full when I get my Christmas bonus from the office." The only other charge you made was for a couple of mochachinos at the local coffee house, but two days later you were shocked to learn that you somehow went over your credit limit! Worse yet, your card company hit you with a $29 fee! The Mochachino That Broke the Camel's Back
This can happen a lot easier than you might expect. In the above example, you may have recently "paid at the pump." Oftentimes a gas station charges your card only $1 at the point-of-purchase and applies the remainder of the charge to your card later that day (or the next day). Let's say you had $17 in gas that you forgot about. That would reduce your available credit to $3 ($19 - $17 + $1 for the refunding of the temporary charge). Then when you bought two $2.50 drinks, you pushed your balance to $502, exceeding your credit limit by $2, and receiving a whopping $29 fine. It happens all the time.
The real question should be, "Why do credit card companies let this happen?" After all, couldn't they just reject your card at the coffeehouse? The gas station reserves the funds on your card even before it charges them, so shouldn't you not be able to buy the coffee and go over your credit limit? It depends. Some people would find this embarrassing fate more horrible than the $29 over-limit fee, particularly if the second coffee was for a romantic interest or client. But the reality is that credit card companies exist in the world to make money. There's nothing wrong with that, but you need to be aware of the fees and expenses associated with your card and do your best to avoid them. Tips for Avoiding Over-Limit Fees
1. Use a separate card for your gas purchases. Since "pay at the pump" can distort your true balance, it is wise to use one card exclusively for gas. This can be an actual gas card or just a regular card card that you designate as your own gas card. It might be okay to have some recurring charges (cable bill, subscription charges, etc.) also on the card, but don't use it to make "discretionary" purchases. If you have $200 of recurring charges on your card and you typically spend $80 a month on gas, this means you'll only need a card with a $300 limit. Then again, $500 would be better for a little cushion in case you spend more on gas - either because you take a trip or because gas prices to through the roof!
2. Check your balance on a daily basis. If you maximize the benefits of your credit cards by nearly maxing them out each month and then paying off the balance in full, then you need to spend a little more time making sure managing your cards. Check your balance online every day and look at the itemized charges. Sometimes charges don't show up right away, so be on the lookout for anything that's missing. And if you do use your card for gas, make sure you keep your gas receipts so you know how much you really spent when your statement still says "$1."
The Real Cost of Exceeding Your Limit
No one likes paying $29 extra for a couple of coffees, but the even greater cost of going over your credit limit is the damage it does to your credit. Many card companies begin charging you the maximum interest after just one overage - and not the card you went over on. An entirely unrelated company might also jack up your interest rate, even though you've always paid your bills on time with them, so do everything you can to avoid going over.
Credit cards are wonderful tools, but they come with serious responsibilities. You should be using a credit card to your advantage - whether that means getting an interest-free loan every month by paying your balance off in full, or just the simple security and satisfaction that having extra buying power at your fingertips can bring. But when you start paying $29 fees and higher interest, you are letting the powerful tool wield itself against you. Be a smart consumer, but also check the over-limit fees and practices of cards before you sign up for them. No one intends on exceeding their credit limit, but it does happen to most people, so be aware!
Both Fred Monck Monck & James Marshall 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.
Fred Monck Monck has sinced written about articles on various topics from Golf Guide. Fred Monck been an avid fan of the great game of golf for many years, but now he has to be content with watching others and writing about golf.