As I sat writing this article I could not help but think that you were all extremely happy with the fact that your scores were lower than they were the week before.
This is — of course — because you all read last week’s article and made the appropriate changes to your putting stroke.
Those changes — or otherwise known as improvements —to your stroke should make you a much more consistent putter than you were the week before.
The reality of this process is that reading an article and understanding what is needed is just the first step. Taking the time from there to actually step onto a practice green and practise the changes needed to improve your technique — ultimately improving your consistency — is where the hard part comes in.
Practising putting is a lonely, boring, painful venture to say the least.
You first of all need to understand what changes need to be made, and then stand on a putting green working on the proper drills, repeating this many times until you start to create confidence.
It is this confidence that golfers need to become better putters.
If you believe you are, then you are a better putter.
The more confidence you have, the more putts go in.
Simple, right?
The first part of this article I shall give you the two most important drills you need to practise.
This will not only assist you in alignment, but will ensure the ball travels on the line that you have chosen and also improve your distance control.
Practising these drills will give you the confidence needed to improve reading greens and assist you in understanding not only the process of, but the fact that you are likely a better reader of the greens than you thought you were.
The first drill is what I call the ‘gate drill’.
This drill will assist you in becoming comfortable with your alignment and assist you in taking the putter straight back and straight through on your intended target line.
Begin by taking two clubs out of your golf bag, then lay them on the ground running parallel to each other no further than 10 feet from the hole.
Choose a flat lie with little or no break.
The clubs should be positioned directly in line with the hole and should be just wide enough that you can hit putts from between the two clubs. With three or four balls, start hitting putts to the hole.
The idea of this drill is not only to allow you to feel your alignment but to teach you how to take the putter straight back from your target and straight through to your target.
This is an alignment and path drill.
You need to be able to hit putts from within the gate using consistent tempo to hit the ball into the hole.
You may notice that the ball sometimes starts to the right or left and even at times hits the clubs that you are putting from.
This is instant feedback and will assist in helping you make the changes needed to send the ball straight towards the target.
When you feel you are sending the ball straight towards your target every time, then begin behind the clubs, attempting to putt through the gate to the hole.
The first step to properly reading greens is to ensure that you can start the ball on the path that you choose.
If you have difficulty hitting the ball through the gate then you know that the ball is starting off your intended line. Go right back into the gate if this happens and this will assist you in your alignment and path.
The next is the distance control drill. Take two clubs and place them in a fairly wide V-shape on the side of the green. This now becomes your target.
Then take six tees and stick one into the ground every three feet from the front of the V in a straight line.
You then take six balls and begin hitting all six from the three-foot range. You then grab all six balls and repeat this from the six-foot tee, then the nine-foot tee and so on.
The idea is to start creating a feel for distance by hitting the balls into the V. Distance is determined by how far the club goes back, assuming that you swing through the same distance.
This is true if you have the same tempo for all length putts.
Repeating this drill will assist you in consistently hitting putts closer to the hole from different distances.
Once you can start the ball on the line that you have chosen and also hit it the correct distance, you are ready to read the greens.
The first thing you need to know is that reading greens is an educated guess.
In other words, there are many factors that can affect how much a putt will break, but the most important is the slope.
The slope is the number one determining factor of how much a green will break.
To read this you must step back from your ball, squatting down to get you closer to the playing surface.
Stand approximately 10 feet behind the ball to get the best look. Look to the right and left of the hole, getting an idea of which side of the hole is higher than the other.
The higher side is the side where you need to start the ball.
From here, you need to determine how far to one side or the other that you need to start the ball.
The steeper the slope, the further outside the hole you need to start the ball.
You then need to determine how far.
Decide the distance in inches or feet to the right or left that you need to start the ball.
Whatever this number is then becomes your aiming point.
Let’s say, for example, that you determine that the putt breaks approximately 12 inches from right to left.
From here you need to aim yourself 12 inches to the right of the hole. This now becomes your target.
From here, you stand directly behind your ball, keeping the ball between you and your target (target is 12 inches to the right of the hole).
Draw a straight line in your minds eye dissecting both points (your ball and 12 inches right of the hole).
You then pick a piece of grass approximately one foot in front of your ball (this is referred to as an intermediate target), and this now becomes your new target.
From here, you step up to your ball, aiming the putter first straight at that intermediate target and then set up your body to your putter. You are now ready to hit your putt.
Once you are set up and ready to hit your shot, the only thing that matters is distance control.
You have practised the gate drill, therefore you know that you can start the ball on your intended target line, and you have practised the distance control drill, therefore you know the size of stroke you need to hit it the distance required.
From here, just focus on your tempo as this will assist in ensuring that you make solid, consistent contact with the ball.
The last thing you need to know — and the only rule associated with reading greens —is that weight determines break. In other words, the harder you hit a shot the less the putt will break.
Using these tips will assist you in becoming a better putter, ultimately lowering your scores and therefore scoring better than your playing partners. Play well and have a great week of golf.
Scott Bergdahl is the teaching pro at Lakewood Golf Resort