This week is US Open week. It’s being played at Pinehurst, the No. 2 golf course in North Carolina. From what the expert analysts are saying, the putter will be the most important club in the bag. With so much undulation and collection areas around the greens, there will be plenty of players putting from well off the green. Some will use lower lofted irons to chip with and some may use hybrids. It will be interesting to watch what they do.

Putting has some fundamentals to it but not always a law. There are many different grips you can use while putting. The biggest thing you can work on as an amateur golfer is how to read a green and the pace at which you putt. 

Most golf courses that have a practice putting are pretty level. It’s hard to practice a 45-foot putt that curves 10 feet from left to right. What most golfers should practice is 30 footers and three to five footers. Those distances will always come up during a round. Rule of thumb is: from 10 feet away from the hole try to get inside a foot from the hole. 30 feet inside 3 feet is a good putt. A 10 to 1 ratio. 

Putting is a big part of the game and needs feel. Reading a green that has a big break in it isn’t easy. Try to pick the point between your ball and the hole that you think will be the peak point where it starts to curve back to the hole. That’s where you aim the putter. 

Scottie Scheffler, the best player on the planet, seems to be the pick to win this week’s US Open. It’s hard to think of a reason he wouldn’t at this venue. Other players who I think will contend are Rory McIlroy and PGA champ Xander Schauffle. 

I really think the top players will shine. Other players who I think can get into a top 10 or 20 are Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg and Austin Eckroat who is certainly a long shot.  Oh yeah, Tiger is playing. I’ll predict he makes the cut and finishes in the top 30. Enjoy watching the best competitive golf tournament in the world.