Get Your Putts on the Right Track
By Glenn Mcanally
A common expression in the world of golf says, "You drive for show and putt for dough." This rings so true as you will use your putter more than any other club in your bag. But go to a practice range and you will probably find all the golfers at the stalls crushing the balls with their woods and irons because, unlike putting practice, it's sexy and exhilarating. Practice greens are usually empty because working on putting is considered boring. Still, the fastest way to lower your scores is to practice your putting with the seven steps that follow.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Start with a narrow stance (feet about 4 inches apart). This will facilitate a more pendulum type stroke.
Set up your arms in a V and remember that you will maintain that position throughout your stroke.
Gauge the appropriate distance of your backstroke. Determine how far your ball rolls when you take the putter back to various lengths.
Use your shoulders as a pendulum to guide your putter through a backswing that goes back the same distance as your follow-through goes forward.
Keep your head down and your weight over the ball to ensure a straight swing path.
Read the slope of the green. If you lie uphill from the hole, use a shorter stroke than with a horizontal lie, and visa versa if you lie downhill from the hole.
Aim to make it in the hole, not to within a 2 or 3 foot radius from it.
Tips & Warnings
Always keep your follow-through close to the ground and you will have longer contact with the ball and produce a straighter putt.
Do not punch the ball. That is what you call it when you don't follow through. Punching the ball will reduce the putter's ability to roll across the ball and send it on a straight path. Punching also prevents you from controlling distance.
About The Author
Glenn McAnally is a thriller novelist and life long golfer who lives in Southern California. His most recent work is the action thriller Endangered as well as a story credit for the upcoming Nintendo DS title Elite Forces: Unit 77. He is a graduate of Villanova University.
