May 17, 2012

You are here: Home / Archives for Putting Tips

Reading the Green Properly

September 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Putting is an integral part of golf. If you are a good putter, you will be able to save yourself a ton of strokes during your round, as a shanked shot her or there can be remedied with a good putting game. Reading the green properly is the first step in a good putting game.

Before learning proper setup and proper stroke, you need to learn how to read a green properly. You should start each round by practicing some green reading, as this will be vital in helping you to sink the tougher putts.

Here are some tips for learning to read greens properly.

  • Survey the lay of the land and the general terrain before you even reach the green. Look for things like high and low areas, along with how the green runs and the basic slopes that are in the surrounding area. You may also take note of the green speed (if posted).
  • Get as low as you can to view the characteristics of the green and the surrounding area. Don’t be afraid to bend down and get your face close to the ground to survey the green. This is totally legal and will give you a better understanding of how the terrain on the green runs.
  • When choosing your line you need to first determine you speed (green speed as mentioned above). If green speeds are not posted, then you will have to estimate on the first hole, and then use that knowledge for the other holes.
  • After you choose your speed, then choose you aiming line. Pick a spot on the green to aim at, then hit the ball directly there. The spot you pick will depend on the speed and break of the green. Again, this could be a guessing game on the first hole, but then you may have some info to go on for the rest of the round.
  • Finally, after you have hit the ball, judge your putt and see where you ended up. Take note of how the ball behaved and what adjustments need to be made for you to be more successful on the putting green.

Reading the green properly is vital if you want to continue to become a better putter. Using the above techniques will allow you to become a better putter and allow you to save some strokes off your round.

Filed Under: Putting Tips Tagged With: , , ,

Take the Time to Read Your Putt

August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Why do you see so many top-tier and professional golfers always sink tough putts, yet you have trouble with a straight-on 3-fotter? Simple, those golfers take the time to properly read their putts.

Putting is a strategic part of golf and can more often times than not really save you some strokes. It is important not to get in a hurry on the putting green. Remember, most of golf in played in your own head, therefore slowing down and taking time to properly read a putt will allow for a better chance at a one-putt. Speed up and take the putt too fast, well then you could be looking at a three putt every time.

Squatting down to read the angle and depth of the green is important. You may not get the hang of it without some practice, but in the long run it will serve you well. See bad putting can be attributed to a couple of different things. We all know about “the shakes,” but rushing through the process can also cause bad putting. There are many common problems that cause bad putting, but slowing down will definitely help.

So, what have we learned?

  1. Slow Down on the Green
  2. Read the Putting Surface Properly
  3. Walk Around Your Shot and View all Angles of the Green
  4. Practice Your Back Stroke a Few Times
  5. Approach the Ball and Hit it Toward the Line you Have Chosen

Most importantly: Trust your line and your swing speed. Many times it will not feel correct, but the sooner you learn to trust your lines, the better off you will be.

Filed Under: Putting Tips Tagged With: , , ,

Techniques to Curing Your Putting Problems

June 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As Getting to Scratch has said before, poor putting can cause more added strokes and more heartache then almost any other part of the game. Most commonly known as the “yips,” this problem can cause golfers too miss easy put after easy putt. Even the greatest putters in the world suffer from this sometimes.

So what are some things you can do to not only be a better putter, but to also cure some of the common problems that you have been facing on the green during your putts. Try one – or all, of these putting cures, and see if one of these will allow you to become the putter you want to be.

Change Your Grip

This is the most common aspect of the putting area that is changed by golfers. Many of you have indeed already changed your grip during putting, but what is the very best change to be made to your grip?

The most popular type of putting grip change is known as the “cross handed method.” Instead of gripping with the right hand below the left hand, simply reverse your hand positions so that the left is now below the right – vice versa for left handed golfers.

This encourages a smoother pendulum like swing, and also locks the left wrist up during the swing, which will prevent the yips if practiced some and implemented properly.

Swing Low and Smooth with Your Shoulders

Too many golfers swing the putter with their arms instead of using their shoulders and a pendulum. While the putting swing with arms can be perfected, it is much easier to just swing using your shoulders. This creates a straighter and slower path to the ball and allows the club to properly strike the ball during the follow through.

Keep the Left Wrist Locked

Right wrist if you are a left handed golfer.

It is important to keep the left wrist locked and steady throughout the swing. This allows the clubface to stay square to the target line. You can combine this method with the cross handed method if needed.

The yips are common amongst the golfing ranks. If you are indeed struggling with your putting some, then why not go ahead and give these simple techniques a try? We are sure that you will be shaving strokes off your game from the green in no time.

Filed Under: Putting Tips Tagged With: , ,

Choosing the Right Putter

June 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There is one club in your bag that is related to the individual characteristics of a player more than any other, the putter. The club design, the grip, the shaft, all of these components on the putter bear little resemblance to the other clubs in your bag. Even with all these little things, choosing the right putter may be easier than you think.

Simply put, if your putter feels right, then it probably is right. I know, I know, why can’t that be the case for the other clubs? Well, golf is a complicated game. Often times an iron may feel right, but it may not be right for you. If a putter feels right, then chances are you need to stick with what is comfortable.

Putter design is always changing, but you can narrow it down to four basic putter designs.

Perimeter-Weighted Putter: This putter has an offset neck for better balance.

Blade Putter: Clubhead has a smaller sweet spot (Phil Mickelson uses this type of putter).

Mallet-Headed Putter: Comes complete with a thicker head and line markings to help with better alignment.

Center-Shafted Putter: The sweet spot of the putter is marked with a line.

It is worth testing as many types of putters as you want, as most golf places will have a practice area. Take your time and get something you feel comfortable with. If you want, you may try all four types of putters. Whatever you settle on will allow you to be more than comfortable on the green.

Filed Under: Putting Tips Tagged With: ,

A Good Putting Game Will Save you Strokes

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Okay, so you have finally gotten decent off of the tee box. Your fairway woods and irons are coming along, your short game is hit or miss, but your putting is still terrible.

Most amateur golfers neglect their putting game more than any other aspect of their game. Why? It seems that most golfers think that putting is either the easiest aspect of the game to learn, or that they think it is the least important aspect of the game to learn. Both of these statements could not be further from the truth.

The truth is that putting is arguably the most important aspect of the entire game, as being good on the green will save your game more strokes then you think. If you just sit back and do the numbers in your head, then you will immediately realize how many strokes you are loosing by 3 and 4 -putting every green.

Here is a great example. You are standing on a par-4. You hit a decent tee shot, just miss the green with your second shot, and then chip up onto the green with your third. You are sitting 3 on the green. A 2-putt will still get you a respectable bogey, and a 1-putt will score you a fantastic par.

The fact of the matter is, since you have not been spending any time on your putting, you still 3-putt your way to a double-bogey, or worse, 4-putt your way to a triple-bogey, which lets be honest, that is terrible.

The point I am trying to make is simple. Being good on the green will allow you to falter in other areas of your game, while still affording you the ability to come up with good scores.

You don’t have to be a 275-300 yard hitter off the tee to get a decent score. You do however have to be a decent putter; otherwise you scorecard will be filled with crooked numbers. Get out there and spend a day or two working on putting only. You will immediately start to see amazing results.

 

Filed Under: Course Managment, Putting Tips Tagged With: ,

Practice Putting In the Winter Months

December 20, 2006 By Leave a Comment

It’s winter and you’re driving past your favorite golf course wishing the snow on the ground would disappear. You pass by hole number eight, the long par 5 where you were blew an eagle attempt with a 4 foot whiff of a putt. You think about heading to the nearest indoor putt putt to perfect your game, jokingly.

But should that be such a joke? Why do you have to be on real grass to perfect your putting game? Chance are you missed that 4 foot eagle putt, not because of a bad read, but because of a breakdown in your putting stroke. Sometimes getting back to the fundamentals of your stroke is all you need.

Putting doesn’t have to be done one real grass to perfect it. You need to be able to reproduce your swing stroke over and over again. The greens change speeds from day to day and from course to course, why not use your carpet at home. Your living room carpet can be the perfect place to work on your putting game and you can do it even if there’s 30 inches of snow outside.

You just have to think reproducible. Setup a cup at varying distances and try to putt the golf ball into it. Sure you’ll wear a line in the carpet that the ball will eventually follow but you’re not worried about reading putts. Just the speed and form of your putting stroke.

Try and hit that same line 100 times a night and you’ll be ready to attack any par 5 eagle putt, from 4 feet or 40.

Filed Under: Golf Swing Tips, Putting Tips

Looking for Free Golf Tips

November 3, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a few free golf tips? Need help with your tee shots your getting out of the sand? You’re in luck. About.com, the massive resource for just about anything has a long list of Free Golf Tips that will help players of all ability levels tweak their game. The list includes:

Golf Basics, for beginners

Getting out of Bunkers

Putting Tips

Wedges

There are many more than just this and I suggest heading over if you want to work on your game and drop your scores.

technorati tags:, , , , ,

Filed Under: Golf Club Tips, Golf Practice Tips, Golf Resources, Golf Swing Tips, Putting Tips

Remember to Putt

May 12, 2006 By Leave a Comment

You did all that work, battle your slice on the drive, hit a low worm burning 3 iron from behind the big Willow tree, and used a funky 7 iron pitch to get within 10 feet of the hole. You have chance to save par but you have to remember to putt the ball.

To often during rounds golfers are so worried about their swing, the tempo, the take-away, the follow through, the distance, that they loose sight of where the real money is made. On the putting green.

“Drive for show, putt for dough,” as the saying goes.

Now this holds true on an off the course. When you go to the driving range you may feel you have some self control because you don’t bring all your clubs to practice with. Instead you might bring your 7 iron and your driver and feel like you’re really practicing because you’re focusing on only two clubs. This isn’t a discredit towards you, just that you’re not practicing everything.

Along with those two clubs should be your putter. Nobody likes to practice putting, it’s boring and it takes to much time to putt three balls, retrieve and repeat. Why do that when you can just step up and smash balls at the driving range pulling from a bucket of 50 to 100 balls? Why? Because you “Drive for show and putt for dough.”

Another tough thing to overcome is the thought that while you’re putting you might feel as though you’re putting over the same line so really where is the practice. The practice is in your stroke. So many people think the putting stroke is too easy to require practice. But it’s not. What you want to do is eliminate the stroke variability from your putt so you just have tempo and read to worry about. That comes with practice. Hitting the ball on the same line every time is tough and if you can do that you’re doing something right.

Practicing putting just 10 minutes every time you are at the range or before a round can make a world of difference to your golf game. Why waste an extra stroke on every green when you have a chance to putt yourself into a par.

Filed Under: Golf Practice Tips, Putting Tips