|
Most likely when you ask a lot of golfers that consider themselves good at putting why they miss most putts; they might blame it on putting technique. To be sure many of us have problems pulling or pushing some putts or with additional technical issues related to their stroke. But still I think most of our putting dilemmas derive from not properly reading greens. This not only consists of misreads but also the doubt which goes hand in hand with not being fully committed to a proper read, resulting in a less than positive stroke. You can check yourself on if the trouble for missing putts is due to reading the green or in the stroke. At the practice green for medium-range try putting only a few golf balls, or up until you are very sure of the putting line. Once you know the line and how firm it needs to be hit, putt your golf ball like you were in an on course situation. You will probably be amazed at how outstanding a putter you've suddenly become. Being positive of the line of your putt gives the confidence to drop them routinely. But many people focus on establishing our stroke much more than we work on properly reading greens. The truth is reading greens are very tricky; there are several factors that go into precisely how the green is going to impact your putt. The most obvious is how gravitational forces will impact the ball due to the break in the green, however it will also contend with dampness over the golf green, often variations in time of day, pace of the green, and to a lesser extent grain on the green. All of these must be applied to where the putting line is going to be, and sometimes we do not pay adequate attention to all of these elements. Considering that there are so many variables included, you'll probably find two main problems which are made by a lot of golfers. First they start to think about their putt while they are at the green. There are a couple of concerns to make relating to golf green contour, and those sizable contours of the green will best be observed from the distance when you walk up. Reading the green accurately must start from a distance as almost all of the data you accumulate will be compiled before you come to your golf ball. The second thing a lot of players do wrong is that they find the apex of the break, and then use that as the objective. It actually should be above the apex, as when the putt is at the apex the ball will begin breaking earlier. This almost always will cause the putt to be missed to the low side. The true aim point is quite a bit above just what the apex read is going to be. A lot of what makes a successful putter is mental. Therefore often if you are convinced a new stance is making your putting better, that alone gives you confidence and you putting will improve. Read more about the mental aspect of putting, along with other articles on our website http://golfshortgames.com/. Jim O'Connell is an avid golfer and writer living in Chicago.
Related Articles -
reading golf greens, putting faults, issues with putting,
| 
