It's no shocker anymore when Tiger Woods comes up with a putt from 20 feet to win a championship. Woods is one of the best clutch putters on tour. But, Tiger spends more time during practice working on short putts than long putts. That's right. It has been estimated that he spends about 65% of his time while practicing, working on short putts.
The average golfers putts are from about 5 to 15 feet out. These shorter putts make up around 25-30% of your total golf score. You don't need a golf lesson to figure out, if you sink more of these short putts, you could atleast lower your golf handicap a couple of strokes. Unfortunately, beginner and intermediate golfers tend to make many mistakes when facing a short putt. Below are some common mistakes that golfers make when putting and some great drills/practices on how to eliminate them.
Many golfers will flinch when they putt. Or, they hurry the putt to much and their stroke becomes choppy and uneven. Making putts will be alot easier if your putting stroke is smooth and free flowing. If you create a good rhythm in your putting stroke, this can be the best way to eliminate flinching or rushing. Your style of putting won't matter if you flinch or rush, cause you'll probably be missing a whole lot of putts. Unfortunately, most golfers concentrate more on sinking putts than working on developing a smooth stroke. And this is why they have a harder time lowering their golf handicap.
The Next time you're on the practice green, make some smooth strokes with your eyes closed. As you make your putting stroke, count out a simple cadence (one-two, one-two) Once you feel that you have a good flow, get a friend to place a ball in his discretion in the path of your putter. Not knowing when the ball is about to be placed helps to eliminate the flinching or rushing that causes you to miss short putts.
The lack of a putting ritual is another common mistake by the golfer. If you watch Tiger Woods, Fred Funk, or Sergio Garcia putt, you will notice that they all have a ritual to their putting. Their rituals are all different. One player walks all around the putt before stepping up to hit it. Another takes his practice strokes behind the ball. But the one thing that's not different is that they use the same ritual every time they make a putt, regardless of the length or difficulty. Work to Develop your own putting ritual. Base it on good putting techniques and what makes you feel comfortable. And use it every time you have to putt. You'll find that a ritual not only relaxes you, but it will help to build confidence in your putting.
Weekend golfers will worry too much about the outcome of a short putt. For example, what if I miss the putt? This places a lot of pressure on the player. Since the pressure of the outcome is tied directly to the hole, try eliminating it when you practice to relieve the pressure. Next time you find yourself on the practice green, work on drills that improve your putting accuracy without using the hole. Place a scorecard over the hole and try to roll the ball over the card, so that the ball ends about two feet past the hole. These drills can improve your accuracy without the added pressure of trying to sink the putt.
Golfers gripping the putter too tight. Some players grip their putters so tight, their hands will almost turn white. A soft and constant grip pressure is best for maintaining a smooth, free-flowing stroke and creating better "feel" when putting. Golfers who think they might be gripping the putter to tightly, try holding an uncooked egg between your right index finger (or left index finger, if your left-handed) and the shaft of your putter. Now drop a few balls and stroke some putts. If your grip is too tight, you'll soon know.
Using too much of your hands in your putting stroke. Putting too much with your hands eliminates the true feel of a smooth, free-swinging stroke and causes jerky inconsistent putts. One remedy is to try out a belly putter. Simply anchor the putter to a comfortable point on your midsection and swing away (Sergio Garcia, Just switched to the Belly putter during the British Open last month, though he did choke on his final putt to win it) . Add a (one-two) count to the stroke to improve rhythm. This approach reduces the amount of movement in the smaller muscles in your hand and keeps the blade on plane.
Eliminating common mistakes from your putting will not only build rhythm in your putting stroke, they'll also help increase your confidence in your putting. Great putters are shocked when they miss a short putt. That's how confident they are. To improve your golf handicap, you need to work on things that build confidence and increase accuracy your short putting.
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