I once thought I was a pretty good putter. As I continued to work on the Lever Golf Swing, putting took a back seat.
Seven years later, I found myself unable to get the little white ball in that 4.25-inch hole. Face it, the object of the game is to get the ball in the hole.
I found myself getting beat by fellow golfers that couldn’t hit the ball out of their own shadow.
I knew it was time to address this issue.
For the most part, many golfers feel they can putt. The truth is, in comparison to the actual swing, they are a better putter than ball strikers.
There is not much athleticism involved in putting.
A golfer that leaves a ten-foot putt short by six inches may think that is good.
The reality is that a putt left short is no better than a drive ending up behind a tree or in a greenside bunker when you dread playing out of the sand; it all adds up.
Now I am going to attempt to make some sense of this.
If I am a good putter, I at least get the ball to the hole and give myself a chance to save par.
Now let’s address the real issue.
Are you a good putter?
I will agree that believing you are a good or great putter is very important.
That will not be enough to get the ball in the hole, however.
While I was developing the Lever Golf Swing, I did not touch my putter. When I started trying to score on the golf course, it was evident.
I often said I was the worst putter with the best golf swing.
It takes a lot to be a good putter.
All golfers have heard you need a routine. I would agree that a routine is essential.
How and why you come up with a routine is the challenge.
The first thing you need to learn is how to hit the same putt every time.
I would challenge you to find a hole at your local driving range.
Use a tee and position yourself four feet from the hole.
Take ten balls and be sure they are all marked with a straight line.
Use that line as a point of reference to aim at your target.
Now start learning and perfecting your routine.
This routine will come to you as you figure out what you need to do to make these four-foot putts.
Your goal should be to make 95 percent of these putts.
Putt ten balls and keep track of makes and misses. Do this ten times to hit your 100 putts.
When you can make these putts, you should have a good routine, and, more importantly, you will have a stroke and process that gives you the confidence to hit putts where you aim.
Now it’s time to move back to six feet and then twelve feet and so on.
You will find that putting practice can be fun once you develop a process that gets the ball in the hole.
I am going to teach you a process that I use in competition.
The first thing I do when I reach the green is pace off my putt.
I go to the hole and walk to my ball. I know each pace equals three feet. It is crucial to learn to be consistent with your pace. Your pace doesn’t have to be three feet; it just needs to be consistent with you.
Now I find my line by looking from behind my ball. Looking at the hole and moving my eyes to the side, I believe the ball will break. I then position the ball by aiming the straight line on the ball to the line where I believe it will break or curve into the hole.
Then I position myself about five feet behind the ball and hold my putter up using the putter’s shaft as a straight line. I match that line to the line on the ball. Together they should aim at my target line.
If they are a little off, I make my adjustment with my putter; I do not reposition the ball.
It is essential to master your routine to be ready to putt when it’s your turn.
Consistency and repeatability are two words most synonymous with golf. Whether you are striking the ball with a driver or a putter, you need to repeat the technique.
I will finish by explaining speed control, a crucial component of this putting process.
This putt is struck by rotating your shoulders and keeping the putter close to the ground.
The speed that you return the putter to the ball and the follow-through has to remain consistent.
The only difference between a three-foot putt and a ten-foot putt is how far I bring the putter back before I strike the putt.
Every pace equals one inch of the backswing.
If I have a three-foot
putt I bring the putter back one inch, a thirty-foot putt ten inches.
If you take the time to develop your routine, you will make more putts and take some pressure off other parts of your game.
Remember, if you are not doing Lever Golf, you will get beat by someone who is.