By Brandon Guile
Show me the Money! Putting is one of the least practiced skills for a large percentage of amateur golfers. The average mid-handicapper averages 30-36 putts per round, usually consisting of a few one-putts, a number of three putts, and lots of two putts. The secret to lower golf scores is to make 80-90% of all the 3 to 8 foot putts you face in every round. If you have 10-12 of these putts per round, and make 90% of these putts, you will lower your score by at least 3 to 4 strokes per round. A touring professional averages 28 putts per round. On a great day they may have only 22-24 putts, on a bad day up to 30 putts. If you don't keep track of your putts in any given round you should start now. Find out where your putting game stands by keeping track for the next 5-10 rounds. I bet you'll be surprised! For your tracking program, try elessons4sports.
Putting is about more than reading the line and judging the pace. Many students who come to the Brent Morrison Golf Academy for the first time are surprised at how much information there is to know about the art of putting. Here is a short list of some of the many topics that may be addressed during a putting lesson:
- Eye dominance: Understanding which eye is dominant and using it to your advantage in the putting setup.
- Putting styles: The pendulum versus gated putting stroke … Do you know which style works for you?
- Grip styles: 5 to choose from: standard, left-hand low, claw grip, belly grip and chin (or shoulder) grip
- All Putters are not created equally: Face balance versus toe weighted … Do you know what kind of putter you are using? Does it match your putting stroke? Does it match your hand positions?
- Balls: Are you using the proper ball for your stroke under the right conditions? Is the ball true-balanced?
- Alignment- Easy ways to align yourself correctly to your target
- Positive putting: Positive internal dialogue, imagining previous great putts, remembering the best shot you ever hit and using it for positive reinforcement
- Using Visualization and Imagery: Seeing the ball roll into the hole, imagining where you want it to finish; utilizing all your senses
- Building a strong, repeatable pre-shot routine
If you are playing bogey golf as a mid-cap, shooting 90, and having 30 putts in your round, 33% of all your shots are putts. Compare that to your driver! There are only 14 holes where you could pull out the driver, and hopefully a few of those you choose not to use it. So, let's say you use the driver 12 times in your round and score 90. That's only 13% of your shot-making. How much time do you spend practicing your putting versus driving? If you want to make immediate improvements to your score, start spending more time on the putting green.
The Brent Morrison Golf Academy is located at Pheasant Glen Golf Resort, 1025 Qualicum Road, Qualicum Beach, B.C. V9K 1M5. (250) 752-8786. For more information on instruction programs for adults and juniors, contact the Academy office.
