When I head out for a round, I sometimes state a specific area of focus. This does two things. First it keeps my mind on the specific area of my game, and second, it keeps my mind off other areas of my game.

My putting has been pretty good lately because my focus when putting has been to concentrate on putting above the break. What I mean is, if I miss the putt, I want to miss on the high side. Now, even if I miss a putt, I've met a goal and I come away confident.

The best part is that I'm dropping more putts than ever before.

Also, when I practice putts, I practice mainly 4 to 6 footers. The idea here is to develop confidence in these critical putts.

When I started golf I was told that not everyone can become a great ball striker; however, everyone can become a great putter.

Best of luck to you,
-Greg

Three things.

1. Practice hitting putts from three feet away, try to make 20 in a row, then 30, then 50.

2. Put down a chalk line and practice eight footers. The line will help you get a feel for proper alignment and will help you build confidence.

3. One swing thought. Tem - Po. Make sure its always the same for every putt.

Nolan M

Who needs lessons when I get such good suggestions from you two? I like your recommendations for building confidence.

I agree, Greg, that everyone can be a great putter too. I'll try out both of your suggestions and see if I can join those ranks.

Funny, I was practicing this morning in my living room and made up a similar swing though as Nolan's - Slow-Still - to help slow down my tempo and keep my head still ;)

Thanks guys!

I was just putting again in my living room and decided to try a putting stroke that is more like my snap shot in hockey. Take it back less and follow through more. I think this is preventing me from decelerating on short putts, which might be one of the problems I was having.

Great Blog. We've added you to our blog roll.

Thanks
- GolfNow.com
http://blog.golfnow.com

Hi there,

I have improved my putting with one putting lesson from my pro.

The content was: make sure your backswing is shorter than the follow-through. You should tell the ball where to go, by hitting it, instead of letting the putter head "fall" on the ball.

Choose the length of your backswing during your rehearsal swing, and once you visualize the ball going into the hole, stick to this length. Most common cause of missed short putt is when the subconscious kicks in during the forward swing: "oh my god, am overshooting, slow down".

My short putts improved dramatically.

This helped me, hope this helps you too :-)

Cheers

Alexis

Thanks Alexis, that's exactly what I found myself when I was practicing in the living room. I tried it out today on the course and made many more 2-6 foot putts! Only one 3-putt today, and that was due to poor judgement of speed on a tricky lag putt. I felt much more confident when accelerating through my putts. Good advice!