Here's a simple technique to improve your putting.
Before you can expect to putt well on greens with a slope, you need to learn to putt well on the flat.
This will train you to swing your putter through a straight line and hit the ball squarely on the face of the putter.
Now you need to get a putter that has a line on it that you can see clearly, as this will be the line that you will follow through to the center of the ball.
On the practice green (preferably one that you have at home, as this technique might not be appreciated) you will mark straight lines with a builders chalk line in several directions from the center of the hole spanning out around the green.
Getting someone to hold the chalk line at the center of the cup will make the process easier.
Now move around the green flicking the line to leave chalk marks along the ground.
Next - place your golf ball on the line leaving some of the line on the ground visible behind the ball. This will help you to guide your swing.
You will then be able to swing your putter using the line on the ground as a guide and the line on the putter itself to connect with the center of the ball.
In a very short time you should find that you are managing to putt from a relatively good distance and get the ball in the hole most of the time.
This will help you to develop the correct posture and consistency to putt well.
After doing this for a while from different positions on the green, move the ball off the line and visualize that there is still a line on the ground by creating it in your mind, looking from the ball to the cup and back again several times.
Line up your putter as before and look at the line on your putter to hit the center of the ball with this spot on your club.
You are now retraining yourself to see an invisible line from the ball to the cup that you can use on any green you play on.
A Unique Putting Tip
A Few More Putting Tips
How often have you been frustratingly close to sinking a putt only to come up short?
Or maybe you have only just missed the hole to see your ball go sailing past adding too much distance for the return putt.
A lot of games have been lost on the putting green and in most instances it has been due to the wrong distance, rather than the direction of the ball.
Most beginners quickly get a feel for the direction the ball will travel, even on sloping greens.
You've probably seen it yourself when a newcomer to the game places the ball within inches of the hole on a sloping green time and time again.
What you won't see quite so often is the ball stopping a few inches past the hole when they miss.
There are many factors that come into account when determining the distance a ball will travel on the green, from the slope, to the preparation of the green and whether it is wet and slow or dry and fast.
It can make a huge difference depending on the time of the day with greens getting faster as they dry off in the afternoon sun.
So reading the distance of a putt is what you really need to concentrate on to get your ball to drop in that hole.
Once again it all comes back to practice and there is no better practice than on the day of the tournament in the conditions that you will be playing in.
Always take some time to have a few practice putts before you start play to 'dial in' your distance.
One thing you must always remember; the golf ball will never drop if it doesn't reach the hole.
Sounds too obvious to even need mentioning doesn't it, but more often that not putts will come up short.
Always aim for the back of the cup so that, provided you have your direction right, you are going to have a chance of making the putt.
Golf Putting Tips: Improve Your Game Today
Most putting tips that you will find in golf books or online concentrate on improving your aim. This is not the only thing that you can do to boost your putting technique, but of course accuracy is important.
The best way to increase the accuracy of your aim is to improve the contact between the putter head and the ball, so that it is straight and you are using the right area of the putter head. If you are constantly compensating for a tendency to hit the ball slightly off, this makes every putt a hit-and-miss affair.
Something that you can do when practicing (and even in a match, under most rules) is to draw two parallel lines on the ball with about a half inch between them, and corresponding lines on your putter. Practice until you can hit the ball so that the lines exactly meet, every time. You are pretty sure to find that this increases the accuracy of your putts, and when it has become natural you can stop drawing the lines with equal success.
It is often worth trying a new putter. Even if you are very happy with your current club you could maybe borrow or rent a couple of different ones and try them out. If you have had yours for a long time, your game has probably changed and another type of putter could be better for you now. Give them try before deciding whether to stand or switch.
Most professionals advise taking a bold approach to putting, and shoot strongly. Even on a fast smooth green you should not make your shot too soft. Generally it is better to send the ball past the hole than to stop before it.
Keep in mind that if your putt is accurate, but not strong enough, it will always miss the hole. But if your putt is accurate and too strong, it will probably go in. Dave Pelz (aka Professor Putt) used a robot to carry out a study that proved that the best putts were strong enough to have carried the ball as far as 17 inches beyond the hole, if they had not been sunk.
A strong putt that misses the hole will also tell you a lot about the green. You can learn from this to have a better chance of sinking the return shot. You will also find out more about your style and any tendencies or bad habits that you are developing. If your putt stops short of the hole, on the other hand, you learn almost nothing.
With all golf shots, practice is vital, and never more so than with putting. This does not mean you have to hit the ball exactly the same way over and over. Your practice sessions can bring flexibility and new ideas to your game, because you can vary your usual style in practice time and try out all the putting tips that you find.
