The Stance
The proper stance for putting is with the body in an upright position with the neck and shoulders slightly bent. Place your feet 8 to 12 inches apart and square off your stance, making sure your weight is evenly distributed and balanced. If right-handed, keep your left arm close to your torso and the forearm of your right hand close to your right thigh.
Setting Up
When setting up for a putt, many golfers make the mistake of setting their stance first, then looking down at the ball. If your stance is off, this is going to create some instability. The best way to approach a putt is to stand over the ball and look down while adjusting your feet. Your eyes should never leave the ball during the act of putting, so getting the perfect set-up over the ball is vital. Look down at the ball, then adjust your shoulders, arms, hips, legs and feet in that order.
Stillness
The secret key to consistently effective putting is learning to remain still. During the putting motion, any movement that is not necessary for the action will cause contact that is off just slightly. It is practically impossible for most people to remain completely steady, so concentrate on keeping your head straight down. Many golfers are so eager to see where the balls goes that they lift their head before the follow-through. Practice keeping your head down all the way through the putting motion. After you have learned how to control your head movement, the next most likely problem will be with your shoulders.
Practice on a Green
This can be a difficult tip to pull off, but you might be amazed at how much it can help. Golf courses try their best to make practice putting greens as realistic an experience as possible, but there is nothing better than the real thing. Practice greens don't experience the same kind of wind as real greens because they are usually placed away from obstacles as bunkers and trees that can affect putting. The practice green is usually not at the top of the greenskeeper's list, so the surface might not reflect real putting experiences. You want to learn how to putt on the places where you will be putting so try to find a way to get some time on an actual green by staying late or playing during off-peak times.
About The Author
Timothy Sexton is an award-winning author who started writing in 1994. He has written on topics ranging from politics and golf to nutrition and travel, and his work appears online for Zappos.com, Disaboom, USAToday.com and MOJO, among others. He has also done work for "Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of West Florida.
