Simple putting thoughts that make big differences Golf Tips by Brad Clayton July 2007

How's your putting? If not outstanding, and even then, try these ideas.

There are many things that can make a person a great putter of the ball.
I am going to go over a few putting tips that are important to me.

• Don't peek - If you do nothing else, make sure to keep your head still until the ball is well under way. Keep your eyes focused where your putter started until your stroke is complete and then hold that finish position.
   

• Follow-through - Make your backswing and through swing after impact match in length. It is good if your through swing is slightly longer than your backswing, but not exaggerated.
   

• Judge your backswing - Make the length of your backswing long enough so there is no need to rush back to the ball in an effort to get it to the hole. This does not mean so long that you must decelerate to avoid hitting it too hard. There is a fine line between too short and too long, try to find the length that allows you to make a smooth transition. One way to get a sense of this is to put a quarter on top of your putter and make a few strokes without loosing the quarter in your transition from backswing to forward swing. This is no exact science, but will give you a sense for a smooth transition.

Putting exercises

Move the grip end of your putter in the same direction as the club head. This does not mean the same amount of distance, but in the same direction relative in length. You would not like the end of your grip to move backward as your club head moves forward.

Keep track of your breaking putts in a round of golf. How many putts that had break were missed on the high side of the break and how many were missed on the low side of the break?

Most of you will begin to notice a trend; you will tend to be either high or low {I'm going to bet on low}. There could be a mechanical flaw in your stroke, but until you can get help, adjust your aim so that you begin to miss an equal amount of putts on both sides of the hole.

If you are missing more low of the hole than high, simply begin to play a little more break and vise versa.

You WILL make more putts!