Golf is a game with two elements, the swing and the putt. If you’re a golfer then you’ll know that both of these aspects are equally as important as each other. For the purpose of this article we will focus on the putting side of your golfing endeavours. Read on for a few quick and handy tips that you can use to up your game.
Know the Green
It can be surprising that a large number of golfers make this schoolboy error. Golf is a sport of strategy, so becoming familiar with the green you are putting on will undoubtedly give you a strategic advantage. A great method for reading the green is to assess all angles of your putt. Have a look at the cup and analyse whether it is leaning in a particular direction. Then gauge the distance between you and the hole and whether there’s any sloping in one way or another.
Once you’ve got that established, you are halfway there. The other half of the putting battle is a little less obvious, but can still make a big difference to your game. This part of the strategy involves scoping out the area around the green. If there’s a lake nearby or the green is on low lying ground, then chances are the ground around the green has taken up some of this moisture. This will affect the break of your putt, so take it into account.
Use a Bigger Target for Long Putts
If you’ve got a lengthy putt to make, then focusing solely on the hole can actually make your putt more difficult. It is much better to focus on a slightly wider target area around the hole. Although this may seem like its backwards logic, as you obviously want the ball to go in the hole, it can help with your shot. Using all your concentration on the hole can make the putt harder, simply because you’re trying too hard. Many golfers train themselves to aim for a wider target when making long putts. If you’ve got a putt to make that’s over 20ft, then this method can help you.
There’s a simple psychology to this approach and that is if you have a wider target to aim for, your eyes will be able to see it easier. Therefore you’ll be able to make better assessments about your shot. After all, making long putts is quite difficult, and often you’ll be going for the putt in two shots. If you aim to get your putt in a target area of a few feet surrounding the hole, then even if you don’t make the putt on the first attempt, you’ll nail it the second time and avoid those dreaded ‘three-putts’.