The Weekend Golfer

 

Lessons - Long Putting

Putting can be one of the most frustrating areas of your game. There is nothing more frustrating than reaching the green in two and then taking three putts to close. The secret of good putting is a rock solid structure, but first you have got to understand the run and lay of the greens.

Before setting out on your round it is a good idea to get some practise putts in to see how the typical greens are running. If it has been raining the greens will be running slower than usual. This means you have to hit the ball harder than usual to get it to travel a set distance. In the summer when the grass is drier than usual, the greens will run faster. As I have said you also need to learn how the greens lay. This does take time to learn. It takes even longer to master.

As you play more golf your judgement of speed, distance and the lay of the greens will improve. Unfortunately there is no easy way round learning the lay. Once you have a grounding in how the greens work, you need to think about your structure. Ideally, your whole body would be rigid. Unlike your swing at other times, which should be taught but not rigid, this time you should not move a muscle. The only part of your body that should move is your shoulders.

The main action of putting a ball is swinging your shoulders in a pendulum like motion. Gently swing your putter back, and sweep through the ball. During this whole time, it is crucial your head is rigid. Any movement, apart from your shoulders obviously, will cause you to send the ball off course. So a run though then. Visualize your shot, paying close attention to the conditions and lay of the green.

The step up. Remain rigid for a moment before you start your swing. Whilst swinging think of nothing else other than staying rigid and sweeping the ball away. If you can stick to these guidelines you cant go much wrong.

For more advice watch our Putting Video.

• Pitching
• Short Putting