To get better at putting, you need to take control, grip, stance, swing, and strategy. You must adapt the technique intuitively depending on the circumstances in front of you.
To achieve a lower score, practice putting. After you try the techniques and strategies mentioned here, you may be surprised by how proficient you get at this aspect of your golf game. Here is everything you need to know about improving your golf putting.
Fine-Tune Your Setup
To put it simply, consider a putter with lines that help you visualize alignment. Ensure your arms are relaxed, square your shoulders, and narrow your light line.
Maintain a Still Body When Putting
Keep your body still. No instability or balance issues are present. Any non-stillness will affect the putter's path and leave you with inconsistent performance. To help with this, keep your eyes focused on the impact area. After your stroke, don't look up. Count to one and then move.
Invest in High-Quality Putting Clubs
Most golfers invest in high-quality equipment, including golf irons and putters. In addition to quality, the price is a significant factor. Find the best deal on the high-quality club to practice putting with. Your putter quality matters.
Your highest scores correlate directly with the tools you're applying. Even amateur or casual golfers are advised to find the best quality used putter for them.
Recalibrate with Putting Tendencies
Identify your putting tendencies and practice recalibration to build a consistent, reliable stroke. A lot of repetition will make you a better putter. This is how the best putters keep their strokes within certain parameters. Technical practice is key.
Repeatedly Relax Your Body
Still does not mean stiff. This is where things get tricky. Even touring golf pros become stiff and rigid trying to maintain stillness. To relax your body, soften your knees slightly and let your arms hang naturally as you grip the club.
Don't overcomplicate things when it comes to your setup. If you put what needs to be there in its right place and stay relaxed, have confidence that your follow-through will be there.
Survey the Land Before Playing
When you start a session, read the green. Survey the land and the terrain. Understand the surrounding area. This will help you get more connected to what your body needs to do with its alignment and rhythm to putt.
Side-to-Side Scan and Survey
A horizontal reading gives you the best sense of the slope. Survey it from side to side. Avoid the tendency to scan the ball to the hole and back vertically and not side-to-side. Horizontally, you can see how tilted it is.
Do a Side-to-Side Scan
The proper technique for a side-by-side scan is simple. Examine the last three feet of the putt from behind the hole. Picture two coins on each side of a line running from the ball to the cup. Squat down and run your eyes horizontally between the coins to assess the slope. Repeat this process for the other half of the putt. This will give you a better understanding of the slope.
Practice at Different Distances
Repeat that distance to improve at specific distances, such as 6 feet. This will help you gain confidence. Practice breaking putts from around the hole. Do drills. Set challenges at different distances or breaks. This will also help you grow accustomed to the lines, the feel of the slopes, and the speed of the greens.
Practice at Different Paces
Don't hit every putt at the same pace. To be a well-rounded putter, alter your pace to what suits you best. Try dying the ball in or putting it through the break. What feels most comfortable will naturally emerge the more you practice.
Learn to Judge Distances Accurately
Your eyes must be accurate. Ensure you can see and judge distances accurately every time you put them. Pick a target on the ground 20-25 feet away from you to try this.
Keep the image in your mind, close your eyes, raise your arms, and point out where the target lies. If you were off, work on it. Many golfers perceive the hole's location to be closer than it is, which hinders their putting ability.
Don't Have Unrealistic Expectations
Many non-pro golfers expect to make 80-90% of their putts when, in reality, the best professionals only average around 50%. Be realistic about your performance, and don't feel discouraged when you aren't competing well on a given day, even if it's purely against yourself.