Putt Your Way To Victory

For some, putting is the hardest part of the golf game. Instead of trying to hit the ball over 200 yards, you're just trying to make 20 to 5 feet. It's a lot shorter, yet golfers can't seem to make it. If you're having problems with putting, then these golf tips should be able to help you with your game. But if your problem is reading the greens, then the only thing to do is to get more practice and experience.

The following golf tips are aimed at improving your putting skills.

Grip & Stance

It's important to start with the correct grip. First, lightly place your hands on the club. It's not a python you have to squeeze to death. Use a very light version of your normal grip, but with the pinky on the club, rather than overlapped or interlocked. When you close your fingers, don't force the club into an angle. Address the ball squarely and relax.

Place the ball toward the front of your stance, centered between your shoulders. Keep your hands near the top of the grip and focus your eyes directly over the ball. The target line is perpendicular to a power saw that would slice your body in half. This makes it easy to give a natural pendulum stroke along the target line.

If you're right-handed, lock in your left hand. Left-handers, lock in the right. The putter face should be perpendicular to the target line, and the ball at the sweet spot. As you lean over, your eyes come into line parallel with the target line. A ball dropped from your nose would land onto that line.

Feet will be generally set no wider than the hips, weight balanced slightly toward the inside of their left heel.

Ball

Your ball should be placed roughly between the center of your stance and your left instep. This squares up the path and the clubhead prior to impact. Also, it allows any approach angle to level out enough to for good follow-through.

Stroke

Sweeping strokes are usually positioned slightly left, while a tapping motion should be more centered. Your goal is to strike the ball in the center, unless you're putting on a downhill slope. Then, try hitting closer to the toe of the putter. This gives slightly less impact force, and lowers the odds of overshooting the hole. A smooth stroke back, followed by a forward motion in the same plane is the ideal. Remember, left hand holds, right hand strokes.

With all that's said and done, out of all the golf tips available on putting, the best one is still PRACTICE. As with a lot of things in life, practice does make perfect but this is even more so when it comes to good putting. One of the best ways to putt better is to gain more confidence in yourself and your strokes. This kind of confidence only comes with practice. If you've been practicing those 3-5 foot putts and sinking them, there's no reason why you can't get out on the course and make those putts when they really matter.