Here's a simple technique to improve your putting.
Before you can expect to putt well on greens with a slope, you need to learn to putt well on the flat.
This will train you to swing your putter through a straight line and hit the ball squarely on the face of the putter.
Now you need to get a putter that has a line on it that you can see clearly, as this will be the line that you will follow through to the center of the ball.
On the practice green (preferably one that you have at home, as this technique might not be appreciated) you will mark straight lines with a builders chalk line in several directions from the center of the hole spanning out around the green.
Getting someone to hold the chalk line at the center of the cup will make the process easier.
Now move around the green flicking the line to leave chalk marks along the ground.
Next - place your golf ball on the line leaving some of the line on the ground visible behind the ball.
This will help you to guide your swing.
You will then be able to swing your putter using the line on the ground as a guide and the line on the putter itself to connect with the center of the ball.
In a very short time you should find that you are managing to putt from a relatively good distance and get the ball in the hole most of the time.
This will help you to develop the correct posture and consistency to putt well.
After doing this for a while from different positions on the green, move the ball off the line and visualize that there is still a line on the ground by creating it in your mind, looking from the ball to the cup and back again several times.
Line up your putter as before and look at the line on your putter to hit the center of the ball with this spot on your club.
You are now retraining yourself to see an invisible line from the ball to the cup that you can use on any green you play on.
Showing posts with label putting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label putting. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
A Few Putting Tips
How often have you been frustratingly close to sinking a putt only to come up short?
Or maybe you have only just missed the hole to see your ball go sailing past adding too much distance for the return putt.
A lot of games have been lost on the putting green and in most instances it has been due to the wrong distance, rather than the direction of the ball.
Most beginners quickly get a feel for the direction the ball will travel, even on sloping greens.
You've probably seen it yourself when a newcomer to the game places the ball within inches of the hole on a sloping green time and time again.
What you won't see quite so often is the ball stopping a few inches past the hole when they miss.
There are many factors that come into account when determining the distance a ball will travel on the green, from the slope, to the preparation of the green and whether it is wet and slow or dry and fast.
It can make a huge difference depending on the time of the day with greens getting faster as they dry off in the afternoon sun.
So reading the distance of a putt is what you really need to concentrate on to get your ball to drop in that hole.
Once again it all comes back to practice and there is no better practice than on the day of the tournament in the conditions that you will be playing in.
Always take some time to have a few practice putts before you start play to 'dial in' your distance.
One thing you must always remember; the golf ball will never drop if it doesn't reach the hole.
Sounds too obvious to even need mentioning doesn't it, but more often that not putts will come up short.
Always aim for the back of the cup so that, provided you have your direction right, you are going to have a chance of making the putt.
Or maybe you have only just missed the hole to see your ball go sailing past adding too much distance for the return putt.
A lot of games have been lost on the putting green and in most instances it has been due to the wrong distance, rather than the direction of the ball.
Most beginners quickly get a feel for the direction the ball will travel, even on sloping greens.
You've probably seen it yourself when a newcomer to the game places the ball within inches of the hole on a sloping green time and time again.
What you won't see quite so often is the ball stopping a few inches past the hole when they miss.
There are many factors that come into account when determining the distance a ball will travel on the green, from the slope, to the preparation of the green and whether it is wet and slow or dry and fast.
It can make a huge difference depending on the time of the day with greens getting faster as they dry off in the afternoon sun.
So reading the distance of a putt is what you really need to concentrate on to get your ball to drop in that hole.
Once again it all comes back to practice and there is no better practice than on the day of the tournament in the conditions that you will be playing in.
Always take some time to have a few practice putts before you start play to 'dial in' your distance.
One thing you must always remember; the golf ball will never drop if it doesn't reach the hole.
Sounds too obvious to even need mentioning doesn't it, but more often that not putts will come up short.
Always aim for the back of the cup so that, provided you have your direction right, you are going to have a chance of making the putt.
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