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Putting Tips
Anyone can putt. It is the simplest form of golf. That’s why children can challenge their parents in a putt-putt game. How ever simple a putt might seem it still strikes fear into the most skilled golfers in the world.
Long-time PGA Tour golfer Tom Lehman has endured a victory drought primarily because of his putting game. He has attempted to regain his putting touch by switching between the traditional putter and a long putter. The mind has played tricks on him, and when a golfer allows the mind to get in way, the results are undesirable.
“I keep thinking I’ve been hitting the ball well,” Lehman said, “but I have nothing to show for it. I mean, I believe I’ve been hitting the ball very well. It plays on my mind quite a bit. It’s been driving me crazy.”
An acquired system that fits a person’s style separates a skilled putter from one who dreads the moment he or she stands over the ball.
Although many golfers use different techniques while lining up for a putt, the universal belief is to approach the attempt with a slow-to-quick method rather than stand above the ball and then take a few moments to ponder how to make the putt.
Perfecting your swing motion and analyzing the slope of the green, the wind, and the line between the ball and the hole should come well before taking the stand above the ball. When ready, do not hesitate, and follow through with a smooth backstroke. The motion should be fluid with a continuous speed, not one in which the backstroke is quick and the follow-through is decelerated.
Golfers use different techniques in an attempt to perfect their putting, but not all systems work for everyone. Choose the technique that’s right for you, stick with it and practice it until you can envision it in your sleep. Avoid alternating techniques during a round or else frustration and indecision will control your game.
The most advanced putter tries to perfect these aspects of the game:
• Limit wrist action by keeping the back of the left wrist (if right-handed) firm with the grip pressure light.
• The swing should include only the stiff movement of the elbows, not the wrists.
• Use a crouched stance like Jack Nicklaus allowing for a more straight shot because the shoulders rotate on primarily vertical plane. In an upright stance, the shoulders rotate on a more horizontal plane, creating a stroke that has more of a rounded shape.
• If it is a long putt, measure to the two- to three-foot area around the pin, not directly to the hole, in order to set up an easier putt.
• Envision the line to the hole with the possible breaks in three segments (around the ball, midway to the hole and around the hole) before standing over the ball.
• Again, after standing over the ball, execute the slow, smooth, fluid swing without hesitation. Don’t drive yourself crazy, like Tom Lehman, by thinking too much.
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