Written By Joe Saia
So many golfers complain about losing strokes on the putting green and say that they could be shooting a lot better scores if they could only have less putts per round. This leads them to seek out any information they can find about the mechanics of putting and how they can make more putts. But the answer to a lot of players problems on the putting green may not be in their mechanics, it’s probably in their mindset on the greens. Before you start looking into your putting mechanics I want you to do this simple evaluation of your putting game so that you can tailor your mindset on the greens in order to hit less putts per round.
Ball & Putter Gate Drill
A lot of top instructors will agree that there are a few things you need to do well if you want a strong putting game. But the first thing you need to do well is you need to be able to start the ball on your intended target line consistently. If you can start the golf ball on your intended line consistently then you don’t need to worry too much about your mechanics. All of the best players in the world do this consistently, but they all do it in different ways. Do this drill below to figure out if you can start the ball on your intended target line consistently.
Do that drill until you can hit the ball through the gate at least eight out of ten times. Once you can do that, then you can consistently start the ball on your intended line which means that the putting mechanics you already have are allowing for this consistency. If you are continuously struggling with this drill then you definitely need to look into your putting mechanics or seek out a teaching professional.
The Art Of Putting
Now that you know you can start the golf ball on your intended line consistently then you can start focusing less on your putting mechanics and more on the art of putting. The art of putting includes green reading, speed, and visualization. You need to start focusing your mindset and practice on the putting green on these three things if you want to save strokes on the greens. That being said, these three things mean a lot less if a player cannot start the golf ball on their intended line.
