| There is an old saying in golf, "A good putter is a | | | | For a simple drill to practice this, take your putting |
| match for anyone, but a poor putter is a match for | | | | stance and hold a golf ball between your eyes. From |
| no one." I am not certain who said it, but truer words | | | | a proper stance and posture, drop the ball. Now, |
| in golf have never been spoken. Fifty percent of all | | | | place a coin where the ball lands. This is where your |
| strokes allocated against par are putts. There are | | | | ball should be positioned in relation to your eyes. |
| many facets to the game of golf, but if you boil it | | | | Second, the putting stroke should be an arc. As your |
| down, golf is simply about getting a small white ball in | | | | arms swing, the putter moves away and up before |
| a four and a half-inch round hole. In this offering, I will | | | | and after the ball; thus creating an arc. Locating the |
| share with you four basic keys to develop good | | | | bottom of the ark is the key. Combine the bottom |
| putting mechanics. Having taught golf as a | | | | of the arc with the eye position established earlier, |
| professional instructor for many years, I have | | | | and you have the perfect ball position. Whether you |
| discovered a few short drills that you can practice in | | | | are a beginner or an accomplished player, |
| your spare time to improve what I believe is one of | | | | incorporating these simple tips will lead to better |
| the most important aspects of golf. | | | | mechanics and more consistent putting. |
| The first key is the stance. Excellent putting begins | | | | How many times have you made wonderfully flowing |
| with a well-balanced, athletic stance. It is built from | | | | practice strokes only to strike the ball with something |
| the ground up, beginning with your feet, up through | | | | that does not even remotely resemble what you |
| your body and out of the top of your head. Your | | | | just practiced? This question leads us to the final key |
| feet need to be spread approximately shoulder width | | | | to great putting: pressure control. Nervousness while |
| apart with an even distribution of weight. This | | | | putting will tighten the muscles in both your arms and |
| creates the stable base required to make a balanced | | | | hands. This increased pressure will cause you to |
| stroke. Along with your feet, your knees, hips and | | | | modify your normal stroke. In order to become an |
| shoulders should be parallel to the intended line of the | | | | accomplished putter, you must find your own way of |
| putt (where you want the ball to go). Now, from the | | | | dealing with pressure. To reduce pressure before you |
| hip, tilt your chest forward and push out your | | | | make a putt, squeeze the putter as tightly as you |
| backside slightly until you arms hang freely and | | | | can and then release. The release of pressure will |
| perpendicular to the ground. | | | | take most of the tension out of your stroke and |
| The second key is good posture. To develop a | | | | allow a freer motion through the ball. |
| repeatable stroke, you will need good posture, which | | | | For me personally, practice reduces pressure. The |
| consists of a slight flex in the knees, body weight | | | | more I practice, the more confident I become. After |
| evenly distributed between the left and right sides, | | | | quality practice, I become my biggest fan by using |
| and a relatively flat back (spine angle). This posture | | | | positive self-talk and imagery. Possessing the ability |
| will allow adequate room for your arms and putter to | | | | to tell yourself, "I have made this putt hundreds of |
| swing like a pendulum. If you can develop and | | | | times," and visualizing it, can really impact your |
| maintain good posture throughout your stroke, you | | | | performance. The next time you practice putting, |
| will see more consistent results. | | | | place about a dozen balls around the hole in a |
| The third key is proper ball position, which is critical to | | | | six-foot circle. Practice until you can make all twelve |
| accurate putting. Of the four putting keys we will | | | | consecutively without a miss. This might take a while, |
| discuss, I believe that improper ball position is the | | | | so start small and set some goals. Perhaps for your |
| number one cause of poor putting. The two aspects | | | | skill level, three in a row might be a big improvement. |
| with regards to proper ball position are distance away | | | | Just be sure that it is difficult enough to be a |
| from the ball and the placement of the ball in relation | | | | challenge. Each time you practice, add a few more |
| to the width of your feet. First, the ball needs to be | | | | balls until making putts becomes a consistent and |
| placed directly under your eyes. Although this sounds | | | | confident part of your game. |
| simple, this is a very important but common mistake. | | | | |