Golf Basic Tips

Even if you’ve only been around golf for a short period of
time, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “drive for show and
putt for dough.” It’s become a golf cliche because of its
inherent truth. People love watching and hitting a long
drive but it’s masterful putting that keeps your score low
and helps pro players win golf tournaments. So how do you
improve your putting and take strokes off your game?

Sure, it’s fun to watch Tiger hit long bombs off the tee,
but it’s Tiger’s short game and putting prowess that keeps
him head and shoulders above the rest of the players on the
PGA Tour. If you’ve watched Tiger play awhile, you may
have noticed that he’s not the most accurate driver off the
tee. But his putting more than makes up for it.

A lot of courses today don’t make it too difficult to get
on the green in regulation. But if you do, you’ll most likely
be facing quite a long putt, making it a challenge to two putt
many holes. And if you consistently three putt, you can forget
about ever posting a low score on the golf course.

So what golf putting tips can you use to leave that long putt
close enough to the hole to give you a good chance of two putting?

1) You’ll need a longer putting stroke from 40 feet away compared
to a 5 or even 10 foot putt. In order to make this more natural,
take a wider stance when you address the ball.

2) Visualize the putt. See if you can estimate the actual time the
putt will take to reach the hole. Don’t forget to visualize the
speed and putt line of the ball as well.

3) Take this visualization and translate it into your putt stroke.
Figure out how long a stroke you’ll need to give the ball enough
speed to reach the hole.

4) While putts inside 10 feet are crucial to your golf game, make
sure to practice longer putts of 30 and 40 feet as well, every time
you practice putting.

Use these golf putting tips for long putts to help you put your long
putts closer to the hole on a more consistent basis. If you can do
this, you’ll cut down on your three puts and shave strokes off of your
game. And you’ll do it without improving any other aspect of your
golf game.

By: Tim Hathaway

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Which do you prefer – golf swing tips or golf putting tips? If you are like most people, your answer would be “golf swing tips“. This is the flashiest part of the game of golf. This is what journalists report on TV and newspaper sports columns. They blare out “Tiger Woods changes his swing!” on their headlines but never mention anything about how effective and efficient his putts are.

The simple fact is that perfecting your putt is the simplest way you can consistently shave off one or two strokes from your game. This is by far the easiest way you can practice your golf – without the limitation of having to go to the golf course. All you really need is your putter, a ball, artificial mats and cups to simulate the green. Place the mats and cups in your backyard or wherever you have space and away you go. Just spend anywhere from 5 minutes to half-an-hour every evening after dinner and you will notice the results in your game.

Here is another golf putting tip – close your eyes. Apparently some pros have been seen closing their eyes when putting. Basically, they know where the ball is and where the hole is. When they close their eyes, they just allow their body to take over – stroking the ball into the hole. Conventional wisdom has it that some people just cannot co-ordinate all the signals between their eyes and their arms because they have too much eye movement, especially when under stress. So closing their eyes changes the state of their whole nervous system, helping it to come under control again. A less extreme version of this technique is to keep your eyes fixed on the hole rather than the ball. Colin Montgomerie has been caught using this technique. Obviously, both versions of the technique require a lot of private practice before you trot it out in public.

Did you know that there are three different kinds of putter? The type most often used is called a conventional putter. It gives most golfers the best combination of sensitivity and mechanical precision. This is what most golf instructors will teach you to use. The problem is that people who cannot control their nerves or wrist action well usually mess up their shots.

To fix this problem, belly putters and long putters were invented. Golfers who use the belly putter anchor the handle to their abdomen. This reduces wrist action but also reduces control over the club and ball. The long putter, on the other hand, allows you to take a vertical stance and you swing the putter without any wrist action. It is great if you have a bad back, but it reduces your control even worse than the belly putter. Despite their flaws, you may want to test out the belly putter and long putter if you cannot get good results with the conventional putters. So what if your golf buddies laugh at you? The chance to take a few strokes off your handicap should be more than adequate compensation for their laughter.

By: Godfrey Swain

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