It doesn’t matter how far you can drive a golf ball down the fairway if your putting is poor. Whilst control is key when it comes to perfect putting here are a couple of tips a pro gave me that really do help.
Visualising an additional hole
When you’re on the green and have a putt of about six foot to take try and imagine a second hole along the same line as your putt but only 3 feet away, a distance you could putt with no problem. If you align yourself to this closer imaginary hole and hit the ball with a little extra speed the putt should keep in line and drop into the real hole.
The eyes have it
One of things that is often overlooked but is important on the putting green is the setup. Setting your eyes in the correct position is part of this and there are two ways to do this:
1. Setting the eyes directly over the golf ball and along the target line means you are setting up to take your putter straight back and straight through never straying from the target line. If you putt this way the best putter to use would be a centre shafted putter as the clubhead is balanced to swing like a pendulum.
2. The 2nd way is to set your eyes inside the target line so you are looking out towards the golf ball. Those who feel more comfortable using this technique should use a heel-shafted putter as the head swings, a bit like a door opening and closing on a fixed hinge. Because the shaft is in the heel of the clubhead it makes this stroke easier but good timing is essential.
The best thing to do is practice your eye line setup and see which works best for you, just be sure to have the right types of putter in your bag.