Putting is an important part of the game of golf with 43-50% of the total scores attributed to it. Hence, it is imperative to get a good hand at golf putting stroke. There are two important aspects in golf putting stroke. They are:
- Path of the stroke
- Tempo of the stroke.
With most of golf beginners, it is always the case that they are curious to see the path taken by the ball as soon as the contact with putter is over. This takes the person out of posture and causes him/her to miss the putt! Again, one must not putt from the “wrists” but from the “shoulders”. The putter must move back and forth from the shoulders instead of the wrists. The tempo of the stroke is also a major requirement in putting the ball right! One must avoid quick jabbing of the putt as this would not promote a smooth putt. Instead count a number in the head, “one” back and “two” through. This would help you in getting a rhythm and attempt to bring the putter back through the ball. This would give a full contact instead of a ‘hit”.
Simple Pendulum Motion
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The perfect golf putting stroke is thought to be the one which follows the ‘simple pendulum” motion: straight back and straight through. Thus, many companies have now come up with putters that give a more balanced stroke compared to the “rotational stroke” which used to swing in an arc and made timings and consistency difficult.
Strokes In Putting
Controlled Shoulders
Here the shoulders and arms work together and the wrists do not move on their own. Arms and shoulders control the clubs.
The other type of putting stroke is to have very short backswing and a long follow-through. This would avoid errors as a longer backswing tends to mislead the putt.
Grip on the club should be such that the palms should be facing each other and the thumbs should be on the top.
Whatever the stroke style is, if the putting is perfect, stick to the routine of that stroke and practice well so that you end up doing it automatically. Practice several times so that the muscles in your body remember the style of strokes that give you good putts. You can also obtain putting training aids that will help you stick to the stroke that gets you the lowest scores. They can range from wooden pieces that guide you during the stroke or can be extensions that can be added to your putting head fro practice. Always begin with practice swings whenever your putt counts.
Practicing the putting stroke on the actual green helps you get the lowest scores and also improve your handicap.
