Last month at the LPGA Bank of Hope Founders Cup, I was watching Anna Nordquist practice putting. She was putting 2 to 6 foot putts from one side of the cup and then the other side. The 2 to 6 foot putts are the money putts and most golfers do not practice this enough or practice it with a purpose. With this in mind, it is important to practice like the pro’s. Practice the following and you will see your putting and consistency improve greatly.

Initially make sure to focus on your fundamentals. Make sure your eyes are over the golf ball and make a stroke that allows the putter to swing like a pendulum. Keep the pace the same back and through. If you want to hit the golf ball a longer distance, lengthen the stroke back and through. The speed of the swing must be consistent. The pace must not decrease on the forward motion.

Now start with a two foot putt with 3 balls away from the hole. When setting up on the green, pick a hole with all straight putts. The object is to make three in a row from one side of the hole from 2 feet. After you make those putts, go to the other side of the hole and make 3 more 2 footers. If you miss one of the putts, don’t start over at the beginning, just begin at the point where you missed and keep going until you make all 3 putts. Once you made 3 putts from each side from 2 feet move to 3 feet from the hole and repeat the practice. After succeeding from 3 feet, go to 4 feet from both sides and then 5 feet and finally 6 feet. This will not only improve your skill but it will give you the confidence once you go out on the golf course.

Spend more time practicing putting. Throughout a round of golf, you will hit more putts than any other shot. Therefore, to figure out the time you need to spend on the putting green, divide your putts per round by your total score to determine the percentage of time you should spend on your putting practice. Before you know it,  your putts per round will drop and you’ll make more money putts. 

Have fun and remember if you need help with this tip or any other, feel free to email Greg at  gellisdog@cox.net. 

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