Ben Hogan looked at putting as a game within a game. Gary Player’s putting tip is that putting is based on feel, techniques, and speed even though there are many different putters and putting grips. No matter what putter standard, belly, or under the chin and the grip standard, claw, or left hand low when you stand over that putt it’s all about your feel for the putt.

Putting Tip

Putting is all about getting that little white ball into the hole. It drives us crazy when we think about all those putts we should have made and how many we missed when the ball lipped out or burned the edge of the hole.

You know when we compare putting and hitting the ball off the tee you can miss hit a tee shot and still be in the fairway but if you hit a bad putt it will not go into the hole.

Putting is such a mental game based on feel and speed. You have to feel how hard you need to strike the ball and the line you need to hit the ball on to make the ball go into the hole.

Short Putts

A putting tip is to look at the line and feel the putt mental. Now you want to take your putting stance, line up the putt, visualize the putt, and make your putting stroke. You do not want to stand over the putt and agonize over it. That will only make your muscles tense up and cause a bad putting stroke. Relax, relax, and relax over the putt.

Long Putts

Study the putting line. Pick a spot to putt over based on which direction the putt is going to break. Take you putting stance and take a couple a practice swings to develop a feel for the putt. Visualize the putt and make your putting stroke with the back swing the same length as the follow through. Again you want to get a feel for the length of the putt.

Putting Routine

You want to develop you own routine for reading the green, standing over the putt, how many practice putts to make, and putting the ball. What ever routine you develop you want to repeat it for each putt. For both the long putts and the short putts. Even when the short putt is one foot away from the hole.

You can also practice your short putts and your putting routine in your home or office on an indoor putting green.

The most important aspect of putting is the speed of the putt. It has been said that putting speed is king. Before you can determine the line of the putt you must determine the speed of the putt. Have you said to yourself or to your buddies the ball would have gone in if it had more speed.

Those uphill putts will break less than a downhill putt because the slower speed of the putt.

A putt on a faster green will break more than putts on a slower green.

When you are determining the speed of those longer putts pay close attention to what may happens to the ball in the last five feet or so of the putt. When the ball slows down as it approaches the hole the slope will affect the roll of the putt. How many times have you seen a putt miss the hole because it lost speed as it approached the hole?

Yes, we know that speed is king but make sure that you determine the break of the putt. You must determine the break if you want the putt to go into the hole. If speed is king then break is queen.

It is important to understand the affect on the ball when putting a level putt, an uphill putt, and a downhill putt. As a general rule, double the break when you are putting downhill and cut the break in half when putting uphill. On those level putts, play the speed as you see it.

If you are having difficulty playing the right amount of break for putts remember the general rule and adjust accordingly.

Remember that practicing putting will help you make more putts. Try practicing on an indoor putting mat such as the Three Hole Green – Portable Putting Green.