Rule the green with these 3 keys to putting

By Dee Forsberg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- It’s a fact that 30 – 50 percent of your strokes occur with the putter.

- If you improve your putting by 10 percent you will lower your overall scoring average by 3 to 4 shots.

- Putting offers the biggest return on the investment of your time.

Focus on what is truly important in a putting stroke.

• Spot on contact.  Most putts don’t hold the line or speed because the ball wasn’t struck by the center of the club face.  Try this little test, sprinkle a light coating of baby powder on your putter face then make a few putts.  Do you see the ball impressions in a tight cluster on the center of the putter face?  If not you need to focus on improving your contact.

• Aim true.  Getting the club face aimed perpendicular to the putting line is quite easy when you are aware of your club face alignment.  Pull that orange snow stick out of the driveway and use it for your aim.  Place it alongside the path your ball should travel on and check that the club face is perpendicular to it as you line up your putt.

• On track. Place two sticks parallel to one another with enough space to place a ball between and make a putt.  Concentrate on keeping the follow through on track and moving forward to the hole.

Make the most of your practice time.

• Write is right.  Make your practice sessions accountable by keeping a journal or record. Just putt in groups of 5 or 10 and record those numbers into an excel sheet for future reference.

• Less is more.  Spend 5  minutes putting every day and make each putt count as if you were on course.  Effective practice takes concentration and long putting sessions are hard on the back and make you prone to daydreaming.

• Do this – not that.  Missing a putt is every bit as valuable as making one if you take the time to understand what went wrong.  Keep it simple and keep your self talk affirmative.  Never tell yourself to “not” do something or Murphy’s Law goes into effect.

It is easy to lose your perspective on the importance of putting with it being such a short stroke.  I encourage you to keep it high on your priority list and make a serious dent in your scoring average.

You can follow Dee Forsberg personal blog here.