I’ve always thought that the game of golf emphasizes putting too much. In my opinion, golf should be more about swinging the club. Golf course designers don’t agree. The courses that have been built in the last 20 years seem to have bigger greens with more undulations. The weekend golfer who shoots 100 for 18 holes has an average of 40 putts per round. That’s 40% of the strokes taken. Let that sink in.

The average golfer also chips or pitches 14 times in 18 holes. Between chipping and putting that’s 54%of your total score. Now let that sink in. 

The first thing to improve your putting is the putter itself. Most golfers I see putting are using a putter that isn’t the proper fit for them. Most of the time it’s too long. 

Many players hold the club at the bottom of the grip or even lower on to the shaft. Not good. Get a putter that is for your size and stroke.

  1.  Let’s now talk about the putting stroke.  The first thing you should do is set up to the ball and have your eyes directly over or in line with the ball. When you stand too far away it creates more of an arc than you need.

   2. When taking the putter back, use your arms and shoulders in a rocking or pendulum type motion to stroke the putt. Never use your wrists.  Your legs should also be stable and never move. The putting stroke is all from the waist up.

 3. Practice putting mostly from 2 to 6 feet away from the hole. If you can make short putts your scores will drop very quickly.

 4. Spend more time thinking of the speed you want to hit the putt rather than the line. How many times have you figured out the line but forgot to hit the putt with the right speed? 

5. Keep track of your putts so you can see where you need to spend most of your practice time. Not many golfers practice 30 footers but get them all the time on the course.

Putting is something we all can do well. We all can’t hit the ball 300 yards but putting is the great equalizer.