Keys To Better Putting

The first and most important thing to focus to improve putting is learning how to visualize the line of the putt. If you can see that ball rolling gracefully into the hole, you can make the shot. Or, at least that is the theory. So as you walk up to and on the green start checking the direction the grass lies - the grain. Then look at the slopes between the ball and the cup. You also need to determine if the putt is uphill, downhill, or side hill. All this data will help you visualize the line of the putt. Do not let your mind play tricks on you - the ball and the hole do not change sizes at any time, no matter what your mind's eye says.

The direction the grass grows does not come into account with any other sport in the world like in golf, especially with the putt. The grain of the grass on the green is a major factor in putting. Because the grain of the grass can affect the speed and direction that the ball will roll. If you play one particular course often enough, you will eventually get used to the way the grass lies and will subconsciously adjust your putt to take that into account. But if you play different courses all the time making adjustments to the putting speed and direction become a real issue in visualizing the putt.

The grip that you use to tee off is not the same grip that you will use for putting. Not all of putting grips are the same, but they do have a few common denominators. These are: palms of both hands face each other, allowing your hands to work together. To learn more about the putting grip and which one may be best for you review PurePoint Golf Putting DVD.

Once you get your grip hammered out, you must figure out how best to "address" the ball for your putt. (Hello, Ball! Is an amusing line, but best saved for the most casual of golf outings among friends or silently chortled in your head. Levity has its place of course, but not on the putting green.) Some golfers will stand perfectly square for a putt. Some will angle out more open to the target line. Some are more closed up. The point is simple; your stance during a putt is as individual as your own body. Once you know how you will stand, you will be able to figure out the exact swing that will send the ball to the hole.

Next up is speed. If your ball rolls to slowly it will fall from the target line, get stopped by any bumps in the green, or simply "putter" to a stop before you would like it to. If the ball is rolling too fast, you run the risk of having it roll right over the hole, also undesirable. Remember, speed is not the only consideration here, either. You have to know how the grounds are running and plan your putt accordingly. If you look around, you can tell the direction that all the slopes are running, and how deeply. If you know that the slopes are running toward the right, and the hole is sitting on the left, you will have to adjust your putt to take that into account.

In the end, putting can be nerve wracking, or it can be the most fun part of the game. Those designations can change from hole to hole. Because the putt is such an important aspect of your game, you need to work on it, regardless of how you feel about your stroke as you stand over the putt trying to make that birdie or save your par. You need a strong mental attitude to improve putting and improve your confidence on the green.

When I first started playing golf all I worked on was power and distance with my clubs. As I got a little older and wiser, I started to realize that golf was not all about power. In fact, if your power is uncontrolled it is a real disadvantage. Eventually, I realized that it was better to hit a seven iron ten feet away from the hole than a nine iron to thirty feet.

Then a while later, I realized the importance of the 100 yard marker. I found that by laying up to 100 yards left me with a lot of shots that were very similar. In time, my wedge play from 100 yards got to be pretty good. It still is.

Well, the benefit of hitting as many shots as possible from a specific distance is that you are hitting the same shot a lot. What if you are 110 yards out? You know exactly what it takes to hit the first hundred, so you have a known reference. That being your 100 yard swing. It makes the adjustment to hit it 110 yards a lot easier.

But how does that apply to putting?

If you spend practice time mastering one putting distance, say 15 feet, it will make adjusting for different length putts a whole lot easier. Instead of trying to figure out how hard to hit the ball to make it go 20 feet, you will know you have to hit it slightly harder than the 15 foot stroke you have mastered.

If you can roll the ball a specific distance every time, you will need to make smaller adjustments than the guy who has to start every putt from scratch.

It is best to keep golf simple, and one way to do that is to learn specific shots that give you a reference point for playing all the rest. The best place to practice these putts is on a putting mat.