Golfers have been tricked to believe touch and feel in their putting stroke and on the putting greens is something hard to achieve. In golf, we are told that putting distance control is something that is supposed to be difficult. Realistically, putting is no different from throwing a ball or opening the door in the morning. Learning how to putt a golf ball better with proper technique shouldn’t be a mystery any longer.
Learn How To Putt Better For a Lifetime
You use this skill everyday and there is no reason why distance control on the putting green should be difficult or any different. You already posses the ability required to be a great putter.
The closer you get to the hole, the more important putting speed control becomes. The counterpart to distance control is direction, which is more important the farther away you are from the golf hole. Scoring well in golf requires a rock solid performance within 100 yards and how well you putt on the greens. This makes distance control one of the most important aspects in golf as it relates to scoring. As a keynote, the less loft you have on a golf club, the more side spin you can impart on the golf ball. This is why direction control is more important off the tee just as distance control is the closer you get to the green. Typically within 100 yards you have a sand wedge in your hand, which has a lot of loft, making it hard to put much side spin on the golf ball. This causes the ball to naturally fly straighter putting more emphasis on distance control.
Thankfully, on the putting green side spin isn’t an issue. The ball turns because of the contours of the putting green and speed. Even if we put side spin on the ball, it is quickly removed from the friction between the green and the ball.
Putting comes down to controlling distance and starting the ball on a specific intended line.
Learn how to roll the ball a specific speed to make the hole the biggest and make more putts.
Changes In Putting Green Speed
No two golf courses are alike, the speed at which the ball will roll is dependent upon the green speed which is out of our control. To measure the green speed, most golf courses use a stimpmeter to specify how fast or slow they are by assigning a number to them.(the higher the number, the faster the green) To make matters more complicated, there are several types of different grasses with different grains, all affecting the speed and how the ball will roll. The same green can even experience a degree of change throughout the day because of the grass growing. Add spike marks, imperfections, uphill, downhill putts, and wind to putting and you can see why putting speed control becomes difficult. Perfect your attitude, control what you can, and you know how to improve your putting.
Learn The Speed Through Your Putting Stroke
Unlike hitting a wedge shot to a specific distance, your feel for a specific distance on the putting green will be different day-to-day. Before playing a round a golf, make a few putting strokes from several different distances to get acclimated to the speed of the greens. Be sure to putt a combination of uphill and downhill lag putts and short putts. Also, do not forget to take in wind speed and direction. Just because your golf ball is on the ground doesn’t mean wind will not affect how the ball rolls.
Putting Tips For Distance Control – Proper Stroke Techniques
Solid Contact
If you want to know how to putt better, the first step is making sure your hitting your putts solid. A putting stroke that yields an end over end role, caused when clubface matches path, struck in the sweet spot of the putter face consistently. A putt hit with the same force off the toe will not travel the same distance if struck in the center.(same for anywhere else on the club) You can test to see where you impact the golf ball with a small strip of impact tape placed on your putter.
Lock your lower body
Any extra movements (laterally) in the body will cause the ball to travel inconsistent distances. Develop a putting stroke with the fewest moving parts. Using just your shoulders and arms to create the power. As a drill toe in both your feet at address to feel this sensation or a stable lower body. You can also imagine your shoes being stuck in cement.
Feedback is Key
Your hands are an incredible source for both touch and feel. The stronger you grip the club the less feel you will have. Grip the club as light as you possibly can without it falling out of your hands. The best way I can describe it would be having a light pressure in the hands and fingers. The club is very secure because of a stable and tight grip while the pressure is light.
The Most Important Tempo and Rhythm
Have you ever reached for a door handle and missed? Probably not. The same skill your body used to find the door handle is the same for putting. Golfers are just taught it’s something different. Your body just needs to learn to use tempo and rhythm for specific distances, also known as feel or touch.
Rhythm: is the attribute of same distance back and same distance through when relating to the putting stroke.
Tempo: is the time it takes to complete a stroke from start the finish.
Both the tempo and rhythm will vary for each golfer based on many factors. (personality, height) To get a specific tempo and rhythm for a putt you need to concentrate on the hole, just as you would the door handle. As soon as you look at the target(hole), your brain will know how hard it needs to hit the putt, and will produce a tempo and rhythm for that particular distance instantly. Your job is to take that feeling and let it go.
Testing the Tempo and Rhythm Feedback
Try it, start by making a continuous stroke (back-and-through) with no target in mind. As this stroke is free-flowing, look at a hole with the intention of it being the target. You will automatically feel your putting stroke get sized for that particular hole. Your body has delivered the right tempo and rhythm, now, let it go.
For all putts you want to keep your tempo as consistent as possible. The only thing that changes is the size or rhythm of the stroke. Using the Iping Putting App or a metronome with a specific cadence can allow you to putt to the same tempo.
