Here Is One of The Best Golf Tips You’ll Get: Putting Means Practicing
Putting may sound simple, but you should strive to spend
as much
time as possible practicing your putts from various lengths & with
different breaks as you can. Spend time on the green taking long putts, short ones,
putts that
break from right to left, left to right, holing out straight putts, &
others.
There are an enormous variety of
putts you can practice. By
investing your time into practicing every type of
putt
you can think
of, you will become more comfortable & confident with any
scenario that you are confronted with on the green.
A. The Questions
To enhance & optimize your practice, ask yourself the following
questions:
1. Are your putts too hard or too soft?
2. Are you continually misreading the break?
3. Are you comfortable with lengthy putts?
4. When your ball hits the hole, how does it to react?
Does it roll
right over? Does it sink, but then bounce out?
5. Are you using an uneven stroke
which causes you to pull or push
the putt?
Focus on these areas & adjust as needed. These are great starting points to refining an incredible putt.
B. Why It’s Important
The huge variety of information that can be found on this simple
little shot involves tips on styles, strategies, types of putters,
philosophies, & individual techniques. There is even research available regarding scientific
putting theories
& tests! Talk about in depth stuff! It’s truly amazing how far
technology has influenced our lives & continues to do so.
But, beginner golfers, amateurs, and even some Pros all tend to
overlook just how integral putting is to the game of golf.
What it comes down to is that putting seems boring. Well, guess
what? It is boring. However, it’s got to be mastered. Many people have a fascination with sending the ball high
into the
air from the tee. They retain images of professional golfers wacking
the ball great distances with a swing that seems like ultimate in
grace.
Who dreams of “boring”
putt
shots? Not many golfers at first. But, to lower your score, you
better start
aspiring to improve your putting skills. The truth is that putting is the culmination of every
shot you made
on each hole. Each shot you take leads up to that one defining
moment when you must get into the hole. Putting truly is the “end
game.” Think about it. You’ve already got your tee shot to fly
straight & far
as you can. You’ve taken the approach shot(s) without sending the
ball into the rough or other disaster areas. Now you’re on the green. You want to sink it smoothly
into the hole
without a glitch. Mastering putting is the only way to end the hole.
Now, putting seems more important than you’d think it was, doesn’t
it? Maybe it’s not glamorous, but putting is critical to getting that
lower score.
C. Sharpen Up Your Skills
You see, putting is one of the most important parts of the game. It
takes the perfect combination of speed, confidence, coordination, &
precision. You need to adjust your body and swing style so that just
enough
strength is used to tap the ball. You must do this while
simultaneously holding back the excitement you feel when making
this last shot (this is covered more in depth below).
Easier said than done…right? But, what if you miss? It takes great character to not
“blow your top”
in sheer frustration. The pros who’ve been around a while know that
golf is a game of patience….a slow game of precision.
So, you should take practicing your
putts as seriously as you do
other shots. Consider this: that long drive that you just hit from the
tee just traveled 200 to 300 yards….But, it counts the SAME as a
putt:
1 stroke! It’s hard to grasp this concept initially as most humans
aren’t good at non-linear thinking, but, that’s reality on the course.
At the end of the day, the scorecard doesn’t care what type of shots
you had make. So, if you are going to put the practice hours in,
devote a decent amount of them to developing your putting skills.
