How To Improve Golf Putting

Learning how to improve golf putting can help you enjoy golf much more and lower your scores. Putting frustrates many golfers because it requires completely different skills than hitting shots to the green with woods or irons. Instead of clubhead speed, good putting requires having touch or feel, using small muscles rather than larger ones. Nerves come into play as well. Even professional golfers are affected by an occasional loss of confidence on the greens. Golfers can gain confidence in their putting if they practice more and employ sound fundamentals as they practice.

1. Minimize body movement. With iron or wood shots, golfers shift their weight from one side to the other during the swing. Good putting requires just the opposite: keeping your lower body completely still.
2. Keep your head still. Anxiety about making the putt, wanting to see where it goes, causes golfers to lift their head before they have completed their stroke. Make a conscious effort to keep your head level until the ball is well on its way and you will make a better stroke.
3. Swing through the putt. Many golfers decelerate their stroke as they reach the ball. This almost always causes the putt to go off line. How to improve golf putting involves making a smooth swing back and maintaining this speed on the downswing and through the ball.
4. Practice visualization. Imagine the ball traveling to the hole and dropping into the cup. Picture it curving or going straight, speeding up or slowing down depending on the slope of the green. Creating a mental image of success is a method many good players use to learn how to improve golf putting.
5. Concentrate on distance, not just break. Many golfers over analyze the slope of the green and focus on this so much prior to striking the putt that they forget about the distance to the hole. Pace off the distance to the hole and make that your last thought as you strike the putt.
6. Spend more time on the practice green. Good putting requires practicing these techniques. Most golfers prefer to hit bucket after bucket of balls on the driving range rather than working on their putting stroke. But reducing the number of putts per round can be the easiest way for many players to lower their scores. Spending at least fifteen minutes each practice session working on your putting stroke is a reliable way to learn how to improve golf putting.