Three-putt greens are caused in the main by leaving the approach putt too far away from the hole, not because of poor aim. Putts that roll five feet past the hole often miss the hole by only a few inches. First principle: it's speed, not line.
Develop a feel for speed by rolling the ball with your right hand (left hand, if you play left-handed). Once you have the feel for a particular distance, hit some putts from there with the same feeling in your hand. I tried this with my 9-year-old grandson one day at the executive course. It took him about four holes to get it, but when he did, his approach putting got scary good.
Your feel for distance matters only if you hit the ball consistently. By that I mean do you hit the ball on the same spot of the putterface every time, the sweet spot. Second principle: hit the sweet spot. Miss the sweet spot, and some of the energy of the stroke is used to rotate the putterhead. The ball won't roll as far.
Find the sweet spot on your putter by laying a board on the ground. Put the toe of the putter against the board. Now place a golf ball on the ground so it touches the putter right in front of the manufacturer's center line mark, or one you drew with a felt pen
Slide the putter back and forth against the board as you hit the ball. When you hit the ball on the sweet spot, you won't feel the contact at all, the ball will shoot off the face of the club, and you'll hear a distinct sound. You might have to adjust the position of the ball a few times to find it.
Most golfers read the green and pay attention to what's happening near the ball. That's backwards. Third principle: pay attention to the slope around the cup.
Since the ball will be traveling slowly when it gets near the cup, slope will have a great affect on it. It's not unusual for there to be a slope on one side of the hole and a flat spot on the other. The slope could easily carry the ball six feet away. Aim for the flat spot. But you'll only know it's there if you walked up and looked for it.
Develop a feel for speed by rolling the ball with your right hand (left hand, if you play left-handed). Once you have the feel for a particular distance, hit some putts from there with the same feeling in your hand. I tried this with my 9-year-old grandson one day at the executive course. It took him about four holes to get it, but when he did, his approach putting got scary good.
Your feel for distance matters only if you hit the ball consistently. By that I mean do you hit the ball on the same spot of the putterface every time, the sweet spot. Second principle: hit the sweet spot. Miss the sweet spot, and some of the energy of the stroke is used to rotate the putterhead. The ball won't roll as far.
Find the sweet spot on your putter by laying a board on the ground. Put the toe of the putter against the board. Now place a golf ball on the ground so it touches the putter right in front of the manufacturer's center line mark, or one you drew with a felt pen
Slide the putter back and forth against the board as you hit the ball. When you hit the ball on the sweet spot, you won't feel the contact at all, the ball will shoot off the face of the club, and you'll hear a distinct sound. You might have to adjust the position of the ball a few times to find it.
Most golfers read the green and pay attention to what's happening near the ball. That's backwards. Third principle: pay attention to the slope around the cup.
Since the ball will be traveling slowly when it gets near the cup, slope will have a great affect on it. It's not unusual for there to be a slope on one side of the hole and a flat spot on the other. The slope could easily carry the ball six feet away. Aim for the flat spot. But you'll only know it's there if you walked up and looked for it.
Good approach putting takes practice. Practice the right things, the three principles I mentioned, and you'll always leave the ball where you have an easy second putt, you'll avoid three-putt greens, and occasionally the first putt will go in!
Bob Jones is dedicated to showing recreational golfers the little things, that anyone can install in their swing and game, that make a big difference in how they play. See more at www.bettergolfbook.com. See Bob's blog at http://recgolfer.blogspot.com
Bob Jones is dedicated to showing recreational golfers the little things, that anyone can install in their swing and game, that make a big difference in how they play. See more at www.bettergolfbook.com. See Bob's blog at http://recgolfer.blogspot.com