Putting Strategy
You’d think putting was simply about getting that little white ball into that little hole wouldn’t you?
Of course that is the whole point of golf, but you need to adopt different putting strategy depending upon the type of putt you are facing. Are you facing a long fast downhill putt? Or perhaps you’re looking at a short uphill putt that curves from right to left.
The different game formats can also affect your putting strategy such as strokeplay where you simply count every shot, or matchplay where you play against your opponent (or opponents in doubles).
- The best players in the world focus almost entirely on the pace of the putt. Distance control is the key to getting it close so concentrate on the pace
- Always consider where you would like your second putt to be from. The best place is to leave yourself a short uphill putt that you can attack
- You must understand that pace also dictates the line you need to hit the putt on. A faster moving ball will tend to hold its line better than a slower moving ball
- If you get the pace correct you can use all of the hole. This means your ball can fall into the side of the hole, the back of the hole and the front of the hole. If you hit the putt too hard you have only one place it can go in the hole and that is in the centre of the hole
Downhill Putts
- Again you need to focus on the pace
- You should not be too aggressive or you’ll leave yourself a long way past the hole
- When the ball does go past the hole, make a note of the line it took to help you read the next putt
Uphill Putts
- Guess what! Getting the pace correct is the most important thing again
- You can attack uphill putts more, but be sure not to hit the ball too far past the hole otherwise you’ll leave yourself with a tricky downhill putt and a potential three or four putt
Turning Putts
- Remember a ball has zero chance of going into the hole if it turns too much and ends up on the ‘low side’ of the hole. Always err on the higher side (the side from which it’s turning) when picking your line and again focus on the pace. It will always have a chance of dropping in from the high side.
Using the wrong putting strategy can cost you dearly, resulting in three putts or wasted birdie chances. This is another Deadly Putting Sin and you’ll find a video lesson dedicated to putting strategy in “7 Deadly Putting Sins” video series that you can download for FREE on this website.
