Five Reasons You Aren’t Making Enough Putts

Depending on where the ball ends up, putting is either the most exciting or most frustrating part of each hole.

When the ball drops into the cup, you get a rush of adrenaline and are eager to take on the rest of the course.  However, when the it slides by the edge, you’re ready to mutter a four letter word and go hide in a bunker.

The simple fact that every golfer knows is that putting can make or break your round, and the tension is more than some of us can take.

Truth is that everyone would like to make more putts, and the five tips below are designed to help you do just that.  They are never going to all fall in, but hopefully you will see the ball disappear more often once you put these pieces of advice into play.

# 5 – You Aren’t Reading the Whole Putt

Many amateur golfers take the time to read the side-to-side break of their putt, but neglect to get a good read on how much up or downhill slope is involved.  Always remind yourself to read both elements of each putt so that you have all the information you need to get the speed and line correct.

#4 – You Are Putting Downhill Too Often

This might already be obvious to you but quite simply, putting downhill is harder than putting uphill. If you want to make more putts more often, you need to find a way to get the ball below the hole on your approach shots or your chip shots from around the green. This will allow you to be more aggressive with your first putt, and you should see more of them fall in.

#3 – You Are Putting from Too Far Away

Many golfers who think they need to putt better don’t realize that they first need to start hitting better shots from off the green.  This is especially true if you are chipping from within a few yards of the putting surface.  In those cases you should be leaving yourself putts from within a few feet most of the time.

No matter how good of a putter you become, you will never make very many from outside 15 or 20 feet, so if you want to improve the number of putts you make, first start by improving the accuracy of your approach shots.

#2 – Your Backstroke is Too Long

A killer of many putting strokes is a backstroke that goes on much longer than it needs to.  Especially on putts from ten feet and in, you don’t need much backstroke at all to propel the ball to the hole.  The problem is that the longer your backstroke gets, the harder it will be to keep the putter face square to your target line.  Work on making a shorter backstroke – while still keeping a smooth tempo – and the ball should start on line more than ever before.

#1 – You are Trying Too Hard

If there is one secret the pros know that amateur golfers don’t, it is that you can’t make the ball go in the hole.  All you can do is pick a good line and strike the ball cleanly with your putter – it is out of your hands from there.  Remember that no matter what, you will never make all of your putts.  With that in mind, relax and simply try your best.  By accepting some misses along the way, you will be surprised at how many putts start to fall in.

We hope this short list of the five reasons you aren’t making enough putts helps to shed some light on a few areas of your game that need attention. Now get our there and put these concepts into action.  We’re certain that you’ll be glad you did.

(Cover Photo Credit)