Short Putts
And where is it now? In the SAME position.
Look where Maurice's head is now.....
There is no ‘scientific’ definition of what constitutes a short putt, but the most widely accepted one is that a putt less than 8 feet is classified as a short putt. This was ‘discovered’ by a genuine ex-NASA scientist called Dave Pelz who conducted a long study and found that when a putt is longer than 8 feet, the chances of holing the putt start to fall massively, even for the professionals. Check out our golf statistics page for more interesting putting statistics…..
So – why do we make this distinction and what difference does it make to your putting?
Whatever length putt you have, the most critical element you need to focus on is always the pace. It’s not quite as crucial for short putts, but it’s still hugely important. Without enough pace your ball won’t get to the hole. With too much pace your ball can ‘sling shot’ out of the hole. Your technique for all putts should remain the same, but for short putts you should pay special attention to the following points, and this will help you hole more of those crucial putts:
Make a shorter backswing. This will encourage you to accelerate through the ball and get a good strike
Keep your head and body completely and totally still
You should never ever look at the hole – listen for the ball dropping into the hole
Holing those crucial short putts can make or break your round and can often help you win holes in matchplay situations, so practise short putts as much as you possibly can!
Maurice shows you some great practise drills to help you improve your short putts on Golf Putting Online DVD, many of which are a lot of fun!
- Camille
