A recent GOLFERS RX blog suggested turning every putt into a 2 inch putt. I usually love Colby’s ideas but this time the only point that he made correctly is that it is much easier to sink a 2 inch putt than it is to sink a 20 foot putt. The point of this blog was to pick a point 2 inches in front of your ball, directly on your chosen putting line and then putt your ball across that point.
Unfortunately the error in the angle of your putt increases dramatically when you choose a shorter target point. If the point that you choose is off your target line by 1/8th of an inch, by the time your ball rolls 1 foot it is off target by 3/4 of an inch or by the time it rolls 20 feet it’s off target by 15 inches.
You don’t have to be as precise as Camilo Villegas but it helps if you can see the slope change along your putting line.
Ideally you need to line up every putt using the furthest point on your target line. If it’s a straight putt then line it up with the hole. All you have to do is choose your furthest point or your target line where you think your putt needs to start breaking and run your eye back to you ball as you take your putter back on that same line. Then swing directly up that line. ALL IN THE SAME SEQUENCE OF MOTION.
Steps for a Successful Putt (or at least to get it close for a 2 putt)
1/ Study the slope of the green from a few directions (especially from below the slope to prove to yourself that the putt will break left or right or if there is a double break.
2/ Choose your initial straight target line based on the break that you expect in your putt 3/ Practice the amount of swing using your shoulders (to eliminate the impact of your shaky wrists and hands) required to pass your target point by up to 15 inches.
4/ Step up to your ball and STARE AT YOUR TARGET POINT FOR AT LEAST 2 SECONDS TO LOCK THAT DISTANCE and DIRECTION INTO YOUR BRAIN.
5/ Rotate your head back along your target line to your ball as you let your shoulders rock your putter back on that same line and then up your target line IN A CONTINUOUS SEQUENCE OF MOTION.
Good putters practice putting without bending their wrist and only rocking their shoulders to swing their putter straight up their target line. Practice putting by locking your leading wrist using GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com
GOLF LAW #19: You can hit a 2-acre fairway 10% of the time, and a 2-inch branch 90% of the time.
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The best way to assess the slope is to walk around the hole in full circle to find he high point and the low point
Glad to hear from you Raymond. I totally agree. You really can’t appreciate the slope of the green until you see it from all sides. Seeing the slope from behind your ball is not a good idea. How often has any golfer made a putt (even the pros that we see on TV) only to realize that there is a break that they missed in the slope. A 3 foot putt is just as valuable as a 225 yard drive in the center of the fairway. Don’t waste it.