Find Your Comfort Zone
The best way to minimize the dreaded three putt is to find you comfort zone. A comfort zone is an area around the hole which you feel you can make 9 out of 10 putts from. The distance will vary for everyone but with practice you will be able to lengthen your zone. Once you know your zone, that can be your focus on long putts and chips rather than just worrying about the hole. Knowing that you only need to get the ball within your comfort zone will take pressure off other shots allowing you to relax and execute the shot. The result will be closer chips and lag putts and fewer of the dreaded three puts!
Drill: Place five balls in a straight line away from the hole. The first ball no more than 2’ away from the hole and every other ball 2’ from the one in front of it so the last ball will be 10’ from the hole. Starting with the closest ball, putt it into the hole. IF you make it you move to the next ball and putt it. If you don’t miss the putt you MUST place it back in line and try again. You can’t move to the next ball until you’ve consecutively made ALL the previous putts. The goal is to successfully complete the line without missing a putt. Whichever length putt you can make to 9 out of 10 times will be your comfort zone. This drill will help with distance control and most importantly, help you determine and increase your comfort zone.
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Reading Greens
Many of my students have asked me which is most important, speed or line? One might say without the proper speed the ball doesn’t have a chance to go in, but you can argue without the correct line the same is true. Well the correct answer is both are equally important. Except for the rare perfectly straight putt, all putts have more than one line. Generally, the more aggressive you are the straighter line you you’ll need to take. If you lag your putts you’ll need to allow for more break. Remember, the ball breaks because of gravity’s influence, thus, the slower the ball is moving the more time gravity has to effect the balls direction. It’s for this reason that most putts break in the last third of their distance once they begin to loose speed. While reading your putt try and visualize the apex of the turn, the point you see the ball starting to loose speed, that’s where the ball will do most of its breaking. Hopefully these tips will help you make more putts. Remember to see your local PGA professional for personal help with your game.
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Setting Up
You’ve seen many different putting styles over the years but there are two things all good putters have in common: good ball position and good eye position. To make more putts you need to ROLL the ball well and ROLL it on your intended line. To do so, check you ball and eye position.
First, your ball should be positioned slightly forward of center which will be off you left chest or left ear (opposite for left handed). This position will allow you to catch the ball with a slightly ascending stroke promoting a true end-over-end roll from the start rather than the ball skidding or hopping off the putter face.
Secondly, your eyes must be directly over the line of putt. This is the line that extends from your target straight back through the ball. If your eyes are set over this line, you’ll actually see your intended line. If not, your eyes will play a trick on you and what you think is straight will actually be off line. If your eyes are set inside the line, you’ll see a line that extends right of the hole. If they’re outside the line, you’ll see a line that extends left of the hole. The result is either a pushed or pulled putt. With proper ball and eye position you’ll not only roll the ball better but most importantly, you’ll make more putts!
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Getting It Up And Down!
There’s no question there is more than one way to make a par. Just watch a tour event and see for yourself how good tour players are around the green. It won’t take long to understand what it takes to shoot a low number. The fastest way to lower your scores is to improve you game inside 100 yards. When focusing on shots around the green here’s a simple rule to remember; when you can putt, Putt; when you can’t putt, Chip; when can’t chip, Pitch. Basically what this means is play the ball down and along the ground as much as possible. The higher the shot the more risk is involved. If you don’t need to hit a high chip or flop, don’t. Hit something lower and let it roll. You’ll have much more success getting up and down and ultimately…shoot lower scores! |
