Try this 5-step plan to become a better putter
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Being a good putter requires good strategy and a little systematic practice. Once that’s dialed in, you can practice with focused exercises that will help you master the distance and get better at green reading.
So what is the key to a good strategy? It all starts with having a good setup, where your posture allows your arms to hang so that your eye line is almost above the ball and parallel to the line of the target. A great training aid to improve this is simply a mirror position.
Next, I suggest you work on your stroke technique, which can be done with a turning arc or on a placement mat. Ideally, the face of the putter will remain perpendicular to the curved path.
My good friend, GOLF Top 100 colleague Stan Utley, describes the stroke as “going straight back on the inclined plane,” which makes it easy for even the beginner golfer to understand. But to achieve this, you must remain still during the stroke, which will help improve technique and distance control.
Another factor in becoming a great putter is your equipment – so make sure you have a putter that suits you and your stroke.
Many times, putters are too long when bought off the shelf, making it difficult to get into good shape – which can have a negative impact on your stroke.
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Practice distance control
Once you have your technique dialed in, I suggest you start focusing on the distance control drill – with the three foot drill which is one of my favorites, as I use it all the time in my clinics.
Simply set the balls in three-foot increments, starting with a short putt and working your way back. The goal is to control your stroke length and distance, so take a stroke before each shot, trying to make your stroke as realistic in size as possible.
You should try to hit the first (short) putt within two to three feet of the hole, so focus on the length of your backstroke to control distance.
As you move back, the stroke size should increase. When this happens, the natural fall speed of the putter increases, resulting in the ball moving forward. The ability to control the length of the backstroke at different distances will pay dividends with distance control – which will help avoid three putts.
Practice stroke size
Another important aspect of being a good putter is correcting the rise and fall of changes.
To practice this, pick one downhill putt, and one downhill putt, and practice going back and forth several times in a row until you have two putts or better. The feelings that can be developed by controlling your stroke size can make a big difference in the course.
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