Before we get a little deeper I really want to make sure you have the talent necessary for putting. I don’t want any uncoordinated science geeks stuffing things up for me.
Grab a tennis ball (or similar object) and move outside. With an underarm motion toss the ball against a wall. If you’re able to hit the wall then you’re on fire. If you can catch the rebound you’re home. If you’re still not sure, back further away and repeat. If you’re unable to hit the wall then there’s not much help for you – best you go play chess. For everyone else, let’s move on.
The secret of putting is to keep it as uncomplicated as possible. I know you’ve been told that you must keep your eyes over the ball, have shoulders square, rock your shoulders, not use your hands, read the green correctly, keep the putter low, stay positive, have a square clubface and don’t forget to accelerate through the putt.
The problem is that many golfers attempt to do all these things at once. From here putting becomes a yip fest that’s awful to watch and even worse to be going through. And I should know. As a reformed yipper I know what it’s like to miss a one foot putt. Not nice.
So trust me when I say you should keep putting uncluttered. I know it’s obvious but because it’s obvious many ignore it. They believe they can think about a million things at once and still putt well. They can’t.
One of the best bits of information I gleaned from my scientific friends was this,
“if we were to analyse how we were to walk down a flight of stairs, we’d end up in a heap at the bottom”.
Keep this in mind next time you’re trying to control each millimetre of your putting stroke.
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