Blog #8
THE ART OF PUTTING
One of the things that I often hear
golfers talking about is their putting either about how good it is, or more
often than not how bad it is. In this blog I am going to look at the common
reasons why people may struggle when it comes to putting the ball into the
hole.
When you think about it, there is no
physical reason why anyone should not learn to putt as well as a tour pro,
unlike the full swing it requires no athletic ability, there is no real pivot
movement, the feet and legs don’t move, so why is it that people still really
struggle with this part of the game?
No.1
Practise
This is
probably the biggest reason people don’t improve when it comes to putting, most
players don’t practise it, they are quite happy to stand on a driving range for
hours and hit balls but when it comes to putting, a few strokes on the practise
green before they go out and play is about the limit of most peoples practise.
I totally
understand that a lot of people get bored practising their putting but that is
mainly because they stand there with 3 or 4 balls hitting putts to the same
hole over and over. Try to make your practising interesting by playing games
and keeping scores and records of how you do. I would also highly recommend only
using one ball when practising putting as you only get one chance out on the
course, this will improve your instincts and make it more realistic to how it
would be out on the course.
Try to make
your practise putting sessions shorter but more often, this will stop you from
getting bored and is also better for your back.
No.2
Technique
There are a
lot of different ways to putt and be successful, but in the main good putters
are good at controlling 3 things,
- Speed
- Starting
Direction
- Hitting the
ball out of the centre of the putter
If you are
good at controlling these three aspects of putting you will be a good putter,
so when you practise these are the things you should work on. I have a number
of different drills and exercises that focus on these elements and if you spent
time working on all three I’m sure your putting would improve.
No.3
Equipment
Just like
your other clubs, it is important that the putter you use it fitted correctly
for you in terms of length and lie, and suits your stroke type.
Generally
there are three types of stroke,
- Square –
Square
- Slight Arc
- Strong Arc
People that
typically have a square – square stroke are better off using face balanced
putters and players who have more of an arc to their stroke are better off
using a heel – toe weighted putted.
I also see
lots of people using old cheap putters because they don’t like spending a lot
on a putter to me this just doesn’t make sense, the same people will happily
spend £300 on a Driver but not on the club that they use more than any other in
their round. It is definitely worth getting yourself a good putter as they will
have been properly weighted and balanced to give you your best chance of
putting a good stroke on the ball.
If you would
like me to give you some more advice on putting or even to just have a look at
what you have already got to see if there would be something more suitable for
you please pop in and we can have a chat about what you may need.
Mention this
blog and we will give you £20 discount off any putter in stock.
Over the winter I am
running various lesson courses aimed at game improvement, whether you prefer
individual or group coaching I will have something to suit you.
Please give me a call
to discuss the options that may be best for you.
Good Golfing
Stuart Rafferty
Head Teaching Professional
Carlisle Driving Range
07799 633343 / 01228 545665
