I have just been for an hour on the putting green to brush up on my routine ready for a competition next weekend and I thought that it would be a good time to put a few simple putting tips onto the site.
Once I know the ball is on the putting surface and my faithful blade is going to be the next club I am going to use, I start with my well practiced routine. Now before I tell you what my routine is if you follow any tour golfer through a whole round of golf you will notice that their routine is the same no matter how easy the shot is. OK they might have a slightly different routine for a short little tap in but any other is the same.
So my putting tips start with the most important thing which is the putting routine. My routine starts with the removal of my club from the bag which is placed under my left arm while I remove my glove and place the glove in my back right pocket (fairly well practiced). I then check for a pitch mark and repair where required. All of this is before I have even reached the ball to size up the putt.
On approaching the ball I will take a close look at the green that is between the ball and the cup. I mark my ball with the marker I have attached to my cap and clean the ball of any scuffed dirt. While I do this I walk to the opposite side of the hole avoiding any other putting lines that my playing partners might be lining up. Crouching down I hold the club up so it hangs between the index finger and thumb on my right hand. This shows any gradient in the green to give me an idea of the route the ball will need to take to hit the cup.
I return to my mark and place my ball down (important putting tips). Now I used to have an issue with the direction of the ball coming off the club face but as with the driving tips if you place the ball down with the writing facing towards the direction you want to hit the ball then there is a line or a mark on the top of the putter that will allow you to line up the putter to the back of the ball perfectly.
Once the ball is placed and the writing is pointing to the direction that I want the ball to go, I address the ball to take two practice swings, I then address the ball aligning the back of the ball to the putter keeping my chin over the top of the ball.
Control your swing and make sure that you play the stroke as you did your practice swings (thats why we do practice swings), chances are you will come up close if you practice your routine, but be sure that you know your routine and stick to it.
Your putting can reduce your score down a massive amount if you put your mind to it, concentrate on getting in to the cup in no more than 2 strokes you will become more determined the more you push yourself, but make sure you stick to your routine. There will be more putting tips in the next few weeks.
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