Golf: How To Putt

If you know how to putt in golf and can do it well, you will understand the meaning of the old phrase, “It’s not how you drive; it’s how you arrive.” Know how to putt well and you will take strokes off your score and relieve a lot of stress on the course.

1. Read the green. You must become adept at reading the green and know which way your ball is going to go. Take your time to look at the slope and undulation of the green. Crouch down behind your ball and see what the ground is going to do between your ball and the cup.
2. Know your break point. No, we don’t mean a quintuple bogey—your break point, not breaking point. After you’ve read the green, you have to be able to determine at what point your ball will break right or left. Hit your ball to that spot and let gravity take over, moving your ball toward the cup.
3. Know the speed limit. It’s easy to mess up a good hole by hitting the ball a mile past the cup. You must have a sense of how “fast” the green is. You can do this by gauging the firmness of the ground, the length of the grass, the amount of rain you’ve recently received, and, of course, watching your buddies. Having a good idea of the speed will help you at least get your ball close to the cup.
4. Just like clockwork. That’s what your stroke should be. You should have a nice, steady stroke, just like a pendulum moving back and forth on a grandfather clock. You need to understand that your back and forward stroke should be the same speed and length. Don’t forget to follow through!
5. Don’t try to make every putt. Killing yourself over reading a 50-foot putt is like worrying about making a half court shot. What you want to do when you’re way downtown is take your time and just try to get your ball close enough so that your next putt is doable. To know how to putt well, you’ll understand that a three putt is a no-no and long putts should just be considered a good opportunity to get the ball to within about three feet.