Here’s How to Conquer Those Tricky Downhill Putts

One of the basic keys of good course management is to leave the ball under the hole as often as possible. By playing uphill more often than not, you’ll have an easier time controlling the speed of your shots, and you should find that your scores are lower at the end of the day.

Of course, this is a hard game, and you aren’t always going to leave your ball in the right place. So, even if you are trying to position yourself below the hole, it’s inevitable that you are going to have some downhill short game shots.

In this article, we are going to talk specifically about downhill putts and the challenge they present. It’s wise to give these putts the respect they deserve, but you don’t need to be in fear. With a good plan, you can either make the putt or walk away with a comfortable two-putt more often than not.

Value Your Putting Fundamentals

Before talking specifically about what you can do to deal with a tough downhill putt, we want to emphasize the importance of your fundamentals on these putts. Fundamentals are important on all putts, of course, but don’t lose track of them here while you are worried about the difficulty of the challenge at hand.

So, what are the keys you should be prioritizing when putting? These are a good place to start:

#1 Keep Your Head Still

While making a putting stroke, you always want to keep your head as still as possible. Keeping your head still is going to make it easier to make solid  contact with the ball time after time.

#2 Use a Relatively Soft Grip

Don’t hold the putter too tightly while making your stroke. Very little grip pressure is needed to control the club as it swings.

#3 Maintain Flexed Knees

Set up over the ball with flex in your knees, just as you would when making a full swing. That knee flex will help you remain stable and feel comfortable while making your stroke.

Remember, it’s All About Speed

Do you want to make your downhill putts? Of course – you want to make every putt you face during a given round of golf. With that said, downhill putts are not the time to be aggressive.

Basically, you should be thinking that the main goal is to two putt in this situation, and a one putt would be a bonus. The key here is to take a three putt out of the equation, as three putt greens kill your score faster than just about anything else.

So, with the goal of two putting in mind, you should be focused primarily on speed when facing a tough downhill putt. If you get the speed right, you should be left with a pretty easy tap in, even if you missed the line by a bit.

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Getting the speed wrong, however, will immediately put you at danger of three putting. Hitting the ball too hard is going to rush it past the hole and leave a long comebacker. Or, if you are too careful and leave that first putt short, you’ll still be dealing with a tough downhill putt for your next stroke.

As you prepare for these downhill putts, spend most of your effort on getting the speed just right.

Play Some Extra Break

Even if you are mostly focused on getting the speed right, you still need to pick a line that you think will take the ball to the cup. As you pick that line, remember that you aren’t going to be hitting this putt very hard since it is downhill. With a softer pace, the ball is going to have more time to break – so you’ll need to play more break than you would otherwise.

Playing extra break comes with a hidden benefit beyond just giving you an increased chance to make the putt. When you feel like you are playing plenty of break, you won’t be inclined to hit the ball harder than you should.

Sometimes, when a golfer feels like he or she is not playing quite enough break, that player will hit the putt with a little extra pace in an attempt to hold the line. Obviously, that extra pace can be a big problem when putting down a slope. Knowing you have plenty of break built into your aim, you can stick with the proper pace and hopefully stop the putt right next to the hole.

Consider the Toe

Most of the time, when facing a downhill putt, you’ll be able to play the putt off the sweet spot, just like you would for any other putt. However, if you are facing a particularly fast putt down a steep slope, you might want to line the putt up on the toe of the putter to take some speed off.

By intentionally missing the sweet spot, you won’t transfer as much energy from the putter to your ball. Basically, this will allow you to make a bigger stroke without sending the ball racing past the cup.

It’s important to remember that you should always practice new techniques before you try them on the course. So, if you want to have the option of using this method in the future, it’s a good idea to give it a try during an upcoming practice session. Hit a few downhill putts at some point during your practice session to get a feel for how this works and how much speed it takes off the putt.

Warm Up Properly

Finally, we want to highlight the importance of warming your putter up properly before each round. You probably think about warming up in terms mostly of your full swing, but you also need to get your putter ready to go before you hit the first tee.

Spending plenty of time practice putting before your tee time will help you get a feel for the speed of the greens that day. Are downhill putts going to be treacherous, or can you afford to be a little more aggressive with them? The only way to find out is to spend a bit of time on the putting green before getting started.