Warming up your putting before playing is critical.
That’s why its one of the first things I discuss whenever I give a golf lesson on putting.
Warming up does three things:
It focuses your mind.
It instills confidence.
And it provides a feel for the speed of the greens.
Watch any player with a low golf handicap and you’ll see him or her visit the practice green before playing every time he or she plays.
Warming up also makes you feel comfortable on the greens.
And feeling comfortable on the greens is a key to putting well.
Among other things, it breeds confidence.
You know what to expect on the greens when you play.
And you know you can make putts because you just did it. It’s hard to make tough putts if you lack confidence in your game.
A good warm-up provides a feeling of comfort and confidence.
Develop A Warm-Up Routine
If you’re serious about lowering your golf handicap, you should develop a good warm-up putting routine.
The speed and texture of greens change from course to course, thanks to type of grass, undulations, grains, and length of cut.
Even the greens on your home course change from day to day depending on how low the grass was cut that day and the whether conditions.
The best way of developing a feel for the greens that day is through a good warm-up routine.
One of the best ways to gain a feel for the green is to hit several long putts when you first begin.
Start with several 30-, 40-, and 50-foot putts.
Try lagging them as close to the hole as possible.
Hit them from both above and below the hole.
You may not have any long putts during your round, but this method is the best way of developing a sense for how the green plays.
Now hit several long breaking putts.
These putts will give you an idea of how much the greens are breaking that day.
Hit several right to left putts and several left to right putts, with big and small breaks.
You don’t necessarily want to sink these putts as much as get a feel for the break.
If possible, try hitting some long uphill putts and some long downhill putts as well.
By the time you finish, you should have a good feel for the greens.
Boost Your Confidence
Once you’ve developed a feel for the greens you need to work on boosting your confidence.
To do that, you want to create a positive mental picture of the ball dropping in the hole.
Your confidence erodes when you hit putts that don’t go in the hole.
The greater the backlog of images of putts dropping in the hole the better off you will be when it comes time to play.
The best method of developing a backlog of positive images is by hitting putts of three feet or less.
Sinking those three-footers not only builds u p a backlog of images, it also alleviates the jitters when facing your first short putt.
As each putt goes in you see it go in, you hear it go in, and you feel it go in.
These short putts build fresh images in your mind so that you feel comfortable when it’s time to play.
How to Practice (and How Long to Practice) on the Practice Green?
How long you spend on the practice green depends on your needs.
Some players like to spend a lot of time on the greens to gain a sense of touch and tempo.
Others like to keep the time on the practice time short.
About 10 to 15 minutes should be enough time to hit the long putts and short putts you need to tell how the greens are playing that day.
But every player is different, so you need to determine ho long you need get warmed-p, not what somebody else needs.
If you’re an a player with a low golf handicap, you probably already know how much time you need on the practice green to get ready for a round.
If you’re a player with a high golf handicap and you don’t have a warm-up routine, you probably don’t know how much time you need to get warmed up properly.
Develop a routine based on what we’ve said above and vary the length of tie you spend warming up. Eventually, you’ll develop a feel for how long it takes you to get warmed up.
How Many Balls Should You Use on the Practice Green?
Most players use two or three balls when they practice. It’s more efficient than using just one.
You can hit three balls in less time than it takes to hit one ball, go get it, and hit another.
Others favor one ball.
Their argument is you only use one ball when your playing.
Using one ball is closer to the way you play the game.
Again, it’s a matter of personal preference.
One last point I always make in my golf lessons on putting:
Your pre-round routine is a warm-up for what follows.
It’s not practice.
You want to gain a feel for the greens, not practice your stroke or address any mechanical flaws you may have.
If you want to make changes, save it for another day.
Your pre-round routine is all about gaining a feel for the greens before playing and building up confidence.
Concentrate on those things during warm up and you’ll sink more putts and lower your golf handicap.
The 5 Most Costly Mistakes In Golf…
I’ve worked with hundreds of weekend golfers personally… and even more through this website… and one thing about them is consistent:
They all seem to make at least a couple of these 5 same costly golf mistakes.
Each mistake saps power off your drives… prevents accuracy on irons shots…
They can even lead to a devastating slice or hook…
And of course, they cost you strokes on the green.
I want to help golfers like you play their best round of golf possible… and shave as many strokes as possible…
So I put all 5 of these devastating golf mistakes into a short, free article for you to browse.
Not only that, but I provide quick, easy fixes for each one at the end of the article so that you can save up to 10-15 strokes per round.
All you have to do is click the link below now and read the whole article, start to finish:
Click Here Now for the 5 Most Costly Mistakes In Golf (and How to Fix Them)
