Putting

Putting is probably the most important, yet least practiced area of the game of golf. Putting will account for over 40% of the shots taken in most rounds of golf, but remains the most neglected area of most players' games. Most dismiss putting as mere luck, but I can assure you that there is just as much, if not more knowledge to be had around a putting green than on a practice range.

• Two Dimensions
Putting is carried out on a 2-dimensional plane. There are only two factors to control in every putt that you hit: Distance and Direction. If each of these variables are correct, the ball will go in the hole. Sounds simple enough!

• The Grip
Putting grips vary widely. I recommend going with what feels comfortable to you. Hold the putter as loosely as you can while maintaining control of the putter throughout the stroke. Soft, quiet hands will allow the putter to swing smoothly like a pendulum consistently time after time.

• Alignment
Start with the blade of the putter. This is the main determiner of the direction the ball is going to roll. All modern putters are equipped with some sort of line, dot or aiming mechanism designed to help you set the putter face up precisely perpendicular to your intended line of play. Be sure that the sole of the putter is resting flat on the ground without the toe or the heel of the club raised in the air. The shaft of the putter should be leaning very slightly targetward.

• Stance
With the putter properly aligned, the player's shoulders, hips, knees and feet should be aligned somewhat parallel to the target line. The ball should be positioned slightly forward in the stance. Bend the knees slightly, tilting forward at the hips to bring the eyes over the golf ball. Let the arms hang naturally beneath the shoulders gripping the club where the hands naturally meet. The putter remains in the proper playing position as described above.

• The Stroke
A putting stroke is a golf swing requiring very little power, but extreme precision - simpler is better. Keep the moving parts to a minimum by maintaining a stationary lower body. The club is moved not with the hands and arms, but by the shoulders. A triangle drawn across the shoulders and down each arm should remain in tact throughout the stroke. In a good putting stroke, the hands and arms provide none of the power and the core muscles are allowed to dictate all of the motion. Without hand rotation, the putter head should move straight back and straight through impact without clubface rotation. With this technique, the putter face will be aligned targetward throughout the stroke, not for only an instant in time as when the putter face is allowed to roll open and closed.

• Distance Control
Poor distance control is the reason for 90% of all three putts. Provided the putting stroke does not involve multiple sources of power (hand release, wrist rotation, body weight shift, etc), the length of the putt should correlate directly with the length of the backswing. Simply stated, let the length of the backswing grow longer for longer putts, and shorter for shorter putts. Players with difficulty with distance control tend to either have a short backswing jabbing at the ball, or a long backswing with the putter decelerating through impact. These methods are impossible to calibrate, particularly when the player is anxious or nervouns. Everything remaining constant, let the length of the swing determine the distance the ball will travel.

• High Side vs Low Side
Regardless of whether you tend to miss putts on the right or the left, chances are very strong that you tend to miss your putts on the low side of the hole. The low side is the "downhill" side of the cup. For example, if a putt breaks from right to left, then the high side is on the right side and the low side is on the left. Conversely, if a putt turns to the right, then the high side is on the left side and the low side is now on the right side. 80 to 90% of all missed putts by amateurs are on the low side of the hole! This means that players are simply not accounting for nearly enough break when they are aiming their putts. Missing low leads to more 3-putts because the ball ends up a greater distance from the hole. With the proper speed, a putt missing low will trickle downhill in a direction away from the hole. Meanwhile, a putt struck with the same speed on the high side, will trickle downhill directly toward the hole. Missing high leads to tap-ins, missing low leads to very long second putts.

• Reading Greens
1. Slope in greens cause the ball to curve or break. The break that a putt experiences is a function of the ball's speed. The faster the ball is rolling, the less break it will undergo on any given slope. With this in mind, putts are generally rolling their fastest immediately after impact, and their slowest around the hole as they decelerate to a stop. Putts break the most around the hole where the ball is rolling the slowest. Time permitting, take a look at the slope of the green around the hole, not just behind the ball. See whether one edge of the hole (left or right) is sitting higher than the other. This is where the majority of the break is going to happen.
2. When accounting for break, take off the blinders and bring in the big picture. Golf course architects do not build greens to retain water. Chances are very strong that water is logically designed to drain toward one or several practical sides of the putting surface. Take notice of the surrounding terrain: mountains, lakes, ponds, high areas, low areas, and the general lay of the land and take this into account when establishing your read.
3. When walking around the putting line, walk along the low side of the putt. From the side angle, you will be able to better judge if the putt is uphill or downhill. Also, from the low side, you will gain an important alternative perspective of the severity of the slope in the putt. For example, on a right to left breaking putt, you will have a far better vantage point from the left side of the putt (low side) than you would from the right side (high side).

• Putting Routine
Putting practice strokes should be accurate rehearsals of the real thing.

1. Do your homework in reading the break
2. Establish your intended line of play
3. Make one or several realistic rehearsal strokes
4. Set the putter precisely behind the ball on the intended line. The direction factor is now taken care of and should leave your mind.
5. Take your stance comfortably bearing in mind your best rehearsal stroke.
6. Repeat your rehearsal stroke, letting the ball get in the way!