Putting - The Magic Bullet

You always know it when you're in the zone. The world is your oyster. When you're off... well, it seems even a preschooler has more of a chance to get the ball in the hole than you do.

You'd swear you have the same stance, the same putter, the same "feel" as the times you made the shot easily. What's the meaning of this, you may ask?

Is putting all about making lucky shots? Not at all. Putting is like an interview question with no right or wrong answers. And granted, putting isn't an exact science.

But if putting is the main reason behind your lousy game on the green, then we have one word for you. Tension. If your muscles are too tense and you're feeling the nerves too much, this can adversely affect how you put the ball in the hole.

When you tense up your muscles, you are only making golf into a challenge. The basis of good putting, as with all other shots, is absolute relaxation of the muscles. Fluid movement allows for perfect freedom and play. But if you're desperately trying to maintain your balance, then your game might as well go down like a lead zeppelin.

If you are putting successfully, nothing can shake your confidence. But if you miss what seems to be a gimme, this makes you tense and you develop a tendency to brace yourself. And with more bracing actions comes increased mental and physical tension. Consequently, your putting suffers.

You can change putters, change your stance, and mimic every pro player you've ever watched. But it won't matter unless you relax your muscles. Free up your muscles and make them feel loose as a goose. Everything should feel free as a bird in the sky.

Tension kills good shots. When you furrow your brow and set your muscles in a rigid fashion, you lose the freedom necessary in successful putting. As we described earlier, you can be on a hot streak and make every shot, but there will come a time when you'd be hard-pressed for a solution to get the ball in the hole. The solution is simple - remember that mantra, your muscles are jelly! Pretend that you're so limp that you're about to buckle down on your knees, but make sure you actually stand your ground!

And as an added bonus, you'll feel more confident once you see your game improving, and having butterflies in your stomach will be a thing of the past.

Simply put, relaxing your muscles is your secret weapon when it comes to good putting.