Golf Putting Tips

The key to good putting is consistency and having the confidence to sink putts time and time again whatever the situation. The putter is probably the most important club in the bag because so many shots can be saved or wasted. Putts can account for 50% of the strokes made during a round of golf so any golf putting tip providing just a small improvement in putting can lead to a large number of strokes saved.

The grip needs to be comfortable to allow the hands to work as one and to ensure that a wristy action is avoided. A normal grip may be used, the same as used for other clubs, but whatever you choose it needs to feel comfortable and you need to be able to repeat it on every stroke. Other variations in the putting grip are left hand below right and the baseball grip, where the hands are separated.

Always try to ensure that the palms of the hands are held facing each other on a line parallel to the target and hold the putter lightly. Squeezing the putter grip tightly results in too much tension in the wrists and arms and contributes to a jerky action



One of the more important golf putting tips is to ensure that, during the set up of the putting stroke, the head is positioned so that the eyes are over the top of the ball, looking vertically down to the ball (Fig 1). This will enable the player to more accurately see the line of the putt.

Importantly, the hands should be positioned vertically below the shoulders to enable the arms and shoulders to emulate a vertical pendulum. As shown in Fig 1a if the pendulum motion is vertical then the putter head will always travel along a straight line towards the target. If the hands are not directly below the shoulders then the arms and shoulders will form an inclined pendulum, which will result in the putter head moving on a curved path along the target line. Unless the putter head strikes the ball precisely at the bottom
of the stroke, the head will almost certainly be off line.



It is recommended to have the ball positioned in the stance opposite the front heel with the hands slightly ahead of the ball. Stand with your weight balanced in the centre of your feet with slightly more weight on the left hand side of the body (right hand side for left handers) to help prevent movement on the take away and follow through.



The shoulders, arms and hands should form a triangle, Fig 2. The putting stroke itself is formed by tilting this triangle backwards and forwards with a rhythmic movement, similar to the action of a pendulum. It is important that the shoulders tilt and not turn. Avoid the temptation to look up to follow the path of the ball with your eyes. This will cause the forward shoulder to lift and result in off line putts. Always try to swing the putter back on the target line, return the face square at impact and swing through on the target line after impact. The pendulum motion will help you achieve these actions.





The distance of the take away needs to be the same as the follow through distance, Fig 3 and Fig 4. The length of the backswing determines how far the ball will roll. For short putts the length of the backswing back swing is short. As the length of each putt increases, the length of the backswing increases accordingly. The length of back swing required to roll the ball a particular distance is derived from diligent practice sessions. Successful putting relies on the ability of the player to stroke the ball forward with the pendulum action, towards the hole, rather than hitting at the ball with the putter.

Eliminate three putts wherever possible by implementing the following golf putting tip.

Learn to roll longer putts close to the hole rather than trying to hole the putts.

Often when a player tries to hole the putt he will send it scurrying past the hole to leave another long return putt. On longer putts, aim to place the ball within a two foot radius of the hole, preferably behind the hole. This means that the putt will always have a chance of falling in to the hole.

Fig 5

Try to ensure that you are striking the putts on the sweet spot of the putter. Most putters have alignment marks on the top edge of the putter but these do not necessarily locate the sweet spot. A simple golf putting tip will allow you to check the position of the sweet spot. As in Fig 5, take the putter and tap the face with a golf ball. If the position that you are striking the face is not on the sweet spot, the putter head will rotate. Try alternative positions until there is no rotation of the putter and the head moves back slightly as you strike it. This is the sweet spot of the putter. When you have located this position mark it permanently with paint or a permanent marker. Striking the ball on the sweet spot of the putter will result in more consistent putts.


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