6 Golf Tips On Putting With Feel To Go WAY Lower

Most instruction on putting deals with mechanics.

Sometimes, it focuses on things like, how the putterhead moves through the impact or how the putterface aligns with the target line.

Other times, it focuses on things like what the best putters do mechanically.

It’s good to master the mechanics of putting.

Doing everything right mechanically can’t hurt your putting.

But sometimes we get so wrapped up in our mechanics, we forget about the things that truly matter when putting—speed and line.

Forget The Mechanics

Research shows that good putters putt their best when they forget about a shot’s mechanics and focus on things like reading break, rolling the ball on line, and maintaining the right tempo.

In other words, good putters putt their best when they hone in on things relating to feel, especially speed and line.

That’s the best way of draining more putts per round. Improving your putting is also the best way to lower your golf handicap.

Below are 6 golf tips we give students in golf lessons on increase feel when putting:

1. Keep the face square

To drain more putts, keep the putter face as square as you can through the stroke.

In fact, the first rule of putting is to roll the ball straight off the face.

The best way to do this is by adopting a grip that doesn’t fight itself when making a stroke.

That’s a neutral grip to putt.

2. Adopt stable posture

Instability in your setup creates tension and destroys tempo.

To achieve stability in your setup, line your forearms up with the putter’s shaft.

Set up to the ball.

Then tilt your hips to get down to the ball.

Also, make sure your knees are flexed slightly and your putter is the right length for you.

3. Setup correctly to the ball

When you setup to the ball incorrectly, you have to adjust your stroke on the fly.

To setup correctly, make sure your feet square or slightly closed to the line, your shoulders are square to the target, and your eyes are on the ball’s inside edge.

Also, make sure your hips are over your heels, your weight is on the balls of your feet, and your hands are under your shoulders.

4. Increase or decrease your stroke

Some instructors teach students in golf lessons to use the same backstroke for all putts, but to speed up or slow down your stroke to hit longer or shorter putts.

Mastering this method is a challenge.

Instead, increase or decrease your stroke size depending on the putt’s length.

But keep the stroke’s tempo and speed the same.

5. Look at the whole putt with breaking putts

When reading a putt that breaks, it helps to look at the spot where the ball starts to break.

But when you do that, your brain sees the hole only—making this method for reading putts a recipe for under-reading putts.

So in addition to picking out the break point, read the whole putt.

When in doubt, play more break to avoid missing on the low side.

6. Lock onto a spot on the line

Visualize the line from start to finish during your pre-shot routine.

Then pick a spot about 6 inches in front of the ball but on the line.

When you set up, forget about the hole and focus on aiming the putterface to that hole.

Having locked onto that spot, turn your attention back to the hole and to rolling the ball the correct distance.

Most golf instruction sessions focus on providing golf tips on the mechanics of putting.

Practicing these tips helps.

But don’t get caught up in them.

To dramatically improve your putting, work on things that enhance your feel when putting.

It’s the fastest way to cut strokes from your scores and golf handicap as well as the quickest and easiest way to take your game to the next level.