Golfing Tips - Don’t Make These Golf Putting Mistakes
Putting can be one of the toughest strokes to master in golf Although it seems simple initially, judging the speed and distance of your putt correctly can be tough. Listed below are several of the most common putting mistakes that will help you improve your score immediately
No Distance Control
The main cause of poor distance control is breaking down of your wrists during the putt. Whenever you putt it’s really important to keep your wrists firm throughout the stroke and allow your shoulders to do the work. By letting your shoulders rock back and forth in a pendulum motion the distance of your putt can be easily controlled by how far back and through you swing your putter. If you let your wrists become involved this adds another variable making distance control much harder.
Messing Up Short Putts
Not keeping you eyes over the ball is the number one reason for missing short putts. This is the first thing you need to check when you start missing 3 footers. Try to set up the putt so that if you dropped a ball from the bridge of your nose it would fall right down on top of the ball on the ground.
Not Practicing Putting Enough
Go to your practice green. Stand 20 feet from the hole and try to throw 3 golf balls into it.
I guarantee the second ball will be closer than the first to the hole and the third ball will be closer than the second. This technique is called ‘developing touch’. The more you ‘develop touch’ with your putter the better you will get at controlling your putt.
Not Reading The Green Correctly
Not reading the green correctly and judging whether a putt is uphill or downhill badly is a major cause of poor putting. The difference in gradients on many greens can be very small but the change in speed can be the difference between a good putt and a poor putt. If you’re having trouble check out our golfing tips article on how to read a green.
Moving Your Head and Poor Alignment
Try to keep your head still throughout the entire putting stroke and even for several seconds afterwards. Try to check your alignment every time you putt. If you think it’s necessary ask a golf buddy to check out your alignment as you putt.
