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13 Simple Tips to Putt Better

 

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How to Putt Better In 7 Easy Steps

Want to know how to putt better? Become a better reader of greens.

Improving this skill helps you sink more putts and helps you card more birdies and pars.

When 33% of your score is the number of putts you hit, cutting that number can help you break 80.

[Video]: The Best Putting Drills to Get Better at Putting FAST!

But reading greens is a challenge for many.

Why?

Because no two greens are alike.

Some, are flat and cut close. Others are undulating and cut higher.

Some are designed to be like putting on glass.

Others are so stubborn you almost have to “will” the ball to get your putt to move.

The differences in greens makes reading them hard.

That makes knowing how to putt better really tough.

So I’ll start with 13 tips to help you read greens better.

After that, I’ll move into some putting myths that can keep you from reaching your full potential on the green.

Where possible, I’ll add some relevant videos from top coaches to help you get better at reading greens and get better at putting even faster.

My goal is that once you get through this page, you’ll shave 0.5 – 1 putt per hole from your game.

That should add up to a nice little “gain” in your golf scores.

1) Find the big slope

Golf architects design greens so water runs off them.

Find that big slope by imagining a large bucket of water running off the green.

Wherever the water flows “off” the green?

That’s the green’s low point.

I also sometimes imagine a grid on the green and then imagine the water flowing over it.

Factor that in when choosing your line.

2) Watch your playing partners for tips

If other players in your foursome are putting before you, watch their putts closely.

Especially if they are away; make them go before you after dutifully marking your ball out of their path.

You can learn a lot by doing this.

You’ll see weird bends and slopes that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

You can even see how fast or slow a given green is.

Start asking them casually “how’d you hit that one?”

If they say “great,” then you have a pretty accurate take on that green’s speed.

If they say “ah, I toed it” or “darn–pulled it!”, then it’s a little bit tougher to intuit information from the putt.

But if they “pulled it” and it went the other way? Then you know there’s a significant putting slope there that you may not have seen.

3) Walk around the putt

This technique tells you a lot about how your putts will roll on the green.

Pay attention to what your feet tell you and take time to view the putt from all angles.

Often it’s easier to read the putt from “below” reading “up.”

If it’s an uphill putt, read from behind your ball.

If it’s a downhill putt, read from behind the hole.

Survey it from all angles and you’ll have a much. better “feel” for how the putt will behave.

4) Straddle your line

This was a neat little trick I came across on YouTube.

Travis Fulton of Odyssey Golf says it’s really easy to “feel” out your putting line just by straddling it at intervals going to the hole.

Here’s a short video explaining what he means, and showing you how to do it (it really does work!):

5) Dial In Your Speed

How hard you hit the putt is a big factor in sinking the shot.

Start feeling that pace with your practice strokes.

Decide if you want to hit the ball hard or let it die in, depending on the green.

One tip to keep in mind: typically greens start out the day slower (especially if there’s dew on the course or it rained the night before).

The water makes the greens “spongier” and keeps the speed on your putt down.

As the day goes on, and the greens dry out, they tend to get faster.

“Mr. One Putt” has a good video on how to start dialing in putting speed on the practice green before your round even starts:

6) Choose your line

Look at the green closely and decide on the line.

Then stand behind the ball and find your spot—a blade of grass or imperfection in the green.

Usually it’s best to find something about halfway to your putt–this prevents you from “pushing” or “pulling” putts.

Use it to line up your putt with the hole.

7) Split long putts into smaller ones

Break longer putts into smaller ones.

Visualize how you think the first ten feet will go, then the next ten feet, and so-on.

Try to plot a route for your ball that will get to where you need it to go for the next “start point.”

Then look at the last three feet of the putt closely.

That will tell you the angle the putt needs to come in from.

8) “Mark Your Misses” Like Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is one of the greatest golfers of his generation.

His instincts around the green are impeccable.

Here’s one tip he uses to sink more putts:

On single slope putts (putts where there is only one slope in one direction), visualize how far a ball putted directly at the hole will “miss” below the hole.

That gives you an easy starting point for your line.

Rory did a video with the good folks at Dick’s Sporting Goods describing this tip (and a couple others):

9) Figure Out Your “Ideal Entry Point”

Ricky Fowler is one of the best putters on tour.

He starts out “building” his putt from the hole out.

Basically start from behind the hole.

Then he does a version of the “plum bob” method.

This may sound like a “fancy concept,” but in reality he’s just hanging his putter down to get a “true vertical” line.

Then seeing if it lines up with his ideal entry point into the hole.

10) Map out the first 5 feet of your putt

This is also from Ricky Fowler’s putting system.

Once he has the “ideal entry point,” Ricky maps out the first 5 feet of his putts.

This gives him both sides of the “ideal arc” that his ball has to travel to get to the hole.

Again, the “modified plum bob” method is involved.

11) Fill in the arc with your speed

From there, it’s a “simple” matter of determining the right speed to fill in that ideal arc.

If you put the ball “too fast,” then your arc will be “too shallow,” or even non-existent.

Putt it “too slow,” and you’ll get an exaggerated arc that falls way short of the hole.

The goal is to hit that ideal speed to fill in the exact arc you’re looking for.

Ricky explains it all in this video (and a lot more putting strategy to boot):

12) Know the “Grain of the Green”

David Ledbetter has a great video about how you can know what the “grain” of the green is.

The way greens are mowed, you are either putting “with the grain” or “against the grain.”

“With the grain” your ball will probably travel a little further.

“Against the grain” your ball will have a little more difficult time.

If the grass on the green looks darker from behind your ball as you approach the green, you’re going against the grain.

If it looks bright and shiny, you’re going with the grain.

This is a simple tip but it can help your putting a lot.

Here’s a video from David explaining this concept more, plus some other simple green reading tips:

13) Read greens starting at 100 yards

Green reading begins as you walk to the green.

You want to look at how the green’s features impact putts. A

lso, try to hit the spot where you can get an uphill putt on approach shots. It pays off.

Brand New: Putt With “Pro Precision” With THIS Streaming Video

While these techniques are simple to learn, they’re also proven. If you’re serious about going low, you’ll keep them in mind the next time you go out.

They’ll help you not only become a better putter but also cut your putts per round. You’ll know how to putt better in no time.

6 Putting Myths That Can INCREASE Your Scores

Is your putting style unique?

If it is, you’re not alone.

In fact, many PGA and LPGA players have putting styles unique to them.

Take Zach Johnson. He’s a great putter with a putting style that’s certainly different.

But Johnson’s putting style works.

Why?

Because it fits today’s greens, which are slicker and faster than ever.

They require a delicate touch and a smooth, flowing stroke.

But it’s hard to develop a flowing stroke if you let putting myths rule your game.

Below are six well-known putting myths. They’ve been around for years. But that doesn’t make them true.

I’ll also show you what to do instead so you’ll know how to putt better in no time.

Myth #1: Grip the putter along the lifeline of your palms

Gripping the putter along the lifeline of your palms lessens feel, encourages your left forearm to rotate under you, and prevents you from moving the putter along an arc.

None of these things help your putting.

Instead, grip the putter more in your fingers. That will provide more feel than using your palms.

It also boosts leverage, provides better control, and prevents your wrists from breaking down—all good things when it comes to putting.

Myth #2: Set your eyes over the ball

Setting your eyes over the ball doesn’t necessarily work on today’s greens.

It traps your hands beneath your chest, forcing you to use your wrists to make the putt.

That causes your hands to move outside the target line on the backstroke. Not good.

Instead, try setting your eyes just inside of the of the ball. That frees your hands to swing and rotate smoothly, eliminates the need for your hands more involved, and provides a clear view of the putting line.

You’ll drain everything in sight following this golf tip.

Myth #3: Putt straight back and through

Going straight back and through is good on short putts.

But it’s not so good on long putts.

Since you stand to the side of the ball when putting and the shaft sits at an angle to the ground, taking the putter straight back and through can throw off the putting stroke on long putts.

Straight back and through also requires more practice time and more coordination to master.

Instead, use a putting stroke with a slight arc to it. This type of putting stroke suits today’s greens almost to a tee.

Using a stroke with a slight arc also is more consistent with the putter’s design, maintains the putter face square to the target line, and keeps the ball on target without forcing you to twist the clubface square at impact.

Myth #4: Play the Ball forward in your stance

Your stance determines ball position.

That, in turn, ensures you have perfect vision along the putter face.

Placing the ball too far forward, however, leads to pulled putts.

Take, for example, a player that’s right-handed and is right eye dominated.

He or she would be prone to sighting and setting up inside the line with a slightly closed putting face, which leads to missed putts—especially over long distances and when under pressure.

Instead, position the ball slightly ahead of the center of your stance.

Myth #5: Topspin and upward stoke keeps ball on line

If you fail to set the line of aim correctly then set up with a perfectly square putter face, you’ll miss a ton of putts.

So, set your putter face square to the line and then deliver a straight through low blow.

That boosts accuracy. It causes the ball and putter face to stay on line longer during the follow through.

Myth #6: Draw a line across the ball for perfect aim

If you draw a line across the ball but don’t account for the correct sighting line, you’ll miss a lot of putts.

That’s because you could be looking across the line on the ball.

Learn to sight the ball correctly on the sighting line when standing or crouching, and you won’t need a line across the ball.

Dispel these six myths from your mind, and you’ll quickly learn how to be a better putter—even if you have a putting style that’s as unique as Zach Johnson’s.

More importantly, you’ll take your game to the next level and chop strokes off your handicap.

Drills: The Best Putting Drills I Know Are All Right Here

This “Jordan Spieth Drill” Makes Putting Better Super Simple

Sometimes simple is better—especially when it comes to putting.

Below is one of Jordan Spieth’s favorite putting drills. He uses the golf dill before playing a round.

Start by finding a straight putt on the practice green about five to six feet long.

Set up an alignment stick parallel to that target line.

It should be on the right edge of the hole if you’re right-handed and the left edge of the hole if you’re left-handed.

Set the ball up just inside the alignment stick.

Now set up to putt.

Make sure the putter face is just shy of touching the alignment stick and the ball just forward of center.

Putt the ball. You want to strike the ball with the middle of the putter face.

Use the alignment stick to tell if your stroke was smooth and true.

Keep putting until you’ve mastered the shot.

This golf drill provides long lasting benefits. It shows you when the putting stroke is off because you can see your stroke in relation to the alignment stick.

Plus, it tells you if your putter face is square at impact. All you have to do is look at the alignment stick.

And If You Want to Get Better At Putting Even Faster…

There’s no substitute for consistent practice on the putting green.

But if you go out there without any idea of what to do… it’s like shooting in the dark.

That’s why I never really got better at putting (or anything else in golf) until I had a plan in place to get better.

Once I did that… strokes just started melting off my scores automatically.

Even better, since it was clear my plan was working, I was a lot more willing to practice more often… and get even better faster.

So for a soup-to-nuts plan that’ll take you by the hand… help you get better… and do basically everything for you except hit the ball… check this out:

How to Get Better At Putting REALLY Fast

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