Putting
Putting, often our first experience at this wonderful game of golf.
As young children, it is our annual chance at a free ice cream cone …
but that’s only if we can putt it thru the clowns smiling mouth!
But something happens as our golf game matures and as we spend countless hours on the driving range trying to perfect the full swing. We lose sight of our beginning; we forget that our introduction to this game was on the putting green. We still think “If I just hit this little golf ball close to the hole, I may not even have to putt at all.”
By the time you make it out on the golf course, the standard size holes will feel like basketball hoops in comparison
I want you to think about the last five foot putt that you had to make, could others literally see the tension radiating from your body? Could they see the anxious expression on your face or could they even see your neck start to disappear as your shoulders pulled in and got tight.
If this sounds like your last putting experience, I would like to share my pregame putting routine, which narrows my focus and frees up my stroke on the course.
The next time you find yourself on the practice green, find a flat six foot putt to a cup and place two tees lightly in the grass a half inch inside each edge of the cup. Essentially, you have created a mini-goal post to hit putts through. It sounds very simple, but when you try it, you’ll notice how much more acutely you focus.
Instead of putting balls quickly to a wide variety of targets, you now have a great way to focus your concentration on a much smaller target. By the time you make it out on the golf course, the standard size holes will feel like basketball hoops by comparison.
Good luck with this drill and happy putting!
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| Dennis Firth Director of Golf Angus Glen Golf Club |
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Note: The teaching methodology solely reflects the views of the author and may not reflect the views or opinions of the Ontario PGA or GolfScene About the Ontario PGA Established in 1927, the Ontario Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 1,300 golf professionals from Belleville to Windsor with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. For more info, visit www.ontariopga.com |
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