The Truth about Putting

How many ways can a person putt!? MANY! Noted putting gurus like Dave Pelz have spent their life studying the physics, laws, by-laws, in-laws, and art of putting. Which way does the green slope, is it uphill or down hill, what kind of putter should I use, where do I position the ball in my stance, what kind of ball should I use…a pink one or one that has red writing on it, how hard do I hit it, and who’s on first base? Good grief!

With all these thoughts in your mind, who can actually pull the trigger? What ever happened to my good putting when I was a junior!? Oh…I know…I grew up and started to measure how many inches the break is, I started to put 65% on my left side instead of 42%….Oh…and I started to read the line with my left eye instead of my right. And this “plumb-bobbing” thing…why does everyone hold a putter up in front of their face and look at the hole….looks good…maybe I should do THAT!

I hear many of my students say “my putting is terrible…I three putted five greens today!” My response is, “how far was your first putt?” “oh, about 35 feet", they answer. OK…now we’re talking. “There’s nothing wrong with your putting….you just need to get closer to the hole on your approach shots", is my reply. “Work on your chipping and pitching.”

We make putting a lot harder than it really is. Every putt is a straight line. It just so happens, however, that the surface makes the ball roll off that line. And tell me….WHO can really predict that correctly every time…I don’t care what kind of science you know about putting!? Putt enough to train your eyes to see these lines. Good putters are experienced and have confidence.

As far as I’m concerned, all you have to do is contact the center of the ball with the center of the clubface. Get your line, know your distance, aim the club face, and get the club moving. Beyond that…it’s a crap shoot! So go out, get that experience, and find YOUR truth about putting.