Key Tips To Improve Putting

There is no magic putter that is going to improve putting for you. Change your mental attitude from the putter is the problem and come to the realization that switching putters will not improve putting. Find a putter that feels good and stick with it. Putting is about confidence. Odds are 100 to 1 that the putts you miss in not caused by the putter. It is most likely the person holding onto the putter and your mental approach to putting.

The one place you want to ignore advice in on the green. You need to read the green and perform your own thinking about the putt you are going to make. You need to determine the line and the speed. You need to feel the putt for yourself.

Every putt is a straight putt. The green is responsible for curving the ball into the hole not you nor the putter. You decide on the line, adjust your feet along the line, pick a spot you want the ball to roll over, then stroke the ball straight down the line. Let the ball break toward the hole.

A tip to improve putting is to practice those dreaded short putts more than long putts. You ask why? Well how many short putts do you have to make after a chip or long putt? Most of time you will have a short putt to make after each chip and every long putt. If you could make all those short putts you would reduce your handicap. Have you heard the saying, "chip and one putt" to lower your score? There is a lot of truth in the saying. One place to practice your short putt is at home on a putting mat.

On those short putts (3 to 6 feet) do not quit on the putting stroke. Do not ease up on the stroke before you contact the ball. After determining the line and speed pick a spot short of the hole you will roll the putt over. Now take your comfortable putting stand and stroke the putt firmly. Do not decelerate (easing up) at the ball. You want to move the putter head well past the ball toward the spot you selected.

These dreaded three putts just sneak up on you and can really add up.

Why do you 3-putt? You missed the first putt short of the hole or you putted the ball passed the hole. Then you missed the second putt resulting in the dreaded three putt.

Popular advice on long putts tell you to try and get the first putt close to the hole. "Putt to within a three foot circle," is conventional golfing wisdom. This advice is ok if you can consistantly make that three foot putt! How many three foot putts do you miss?

Putting is a game of precision. If you can't putt the ball close to the hole, what makes you think you can putt the ball close to a 3 foot radius around the hole?

This mentality is all wrong.

To eliminating the dreaded three putt and lower your putts per round, you should mentally approach every putt as though you are going to make it.

Improve putting by mentally concentrating on trying to make every putt will lead you to lowing your score by 3-4 strokes per round.

You want to eliminate three putts and make more five and six foot putts to take strokes off the final score. Unless you have a big breaking putt or a very quick downhill putt, you should be hitting the ball firmly into the hole. You've probably seen how the pros drill the ball into the back of the cup. That's because of their good acceleration through the ball.

We weekend golfers need to do the same to be more consistent, and a great drill to build confidence in this area is the tee behind the cup drill. This drill is perfect for teaching how to stroke the ball solidly on those three foot putts.

To work on this drill, place a tee directly behind the center of the cup and in line with the direction you will putt. A longer tee works bests. You want to give yourself a straight putt with little to no break. The goal of this drill is to strike the tee behind the cup and let the ball fall into the hole.

This will help you develop confidence and help you feel how solid you have to strike the ball to hole it. This drill can be practiced at the course practice green or on a Portable Putting Mat at home, in the office, or in a hotel room.