All things are not equal in golf. There are players and then players! If you look around your local course, it is easy to pick out those players who appear to be a cut above the rest! They walk with a swagger and have total confidence in their game.

When we watch a professional tournament, it is easy to spot the players who are playing well and those that are not just up to snuff. No matter what, the common threat of success seems to boil down to one factor in all players….golf’s great equalizer!

The great equalizer in golf is putting! It is the one aspect of the game that can transform good players into great players.

Over the past 5 tournaments, excluding The Masters, the winner has averaged 1.7 putts gained per round. These are not the top players in the world, but professionals whose flat stick was hot over 4 days! It quickly transformed these professionals from journeyman to champions! The best was 2.8 putts gained per round; well above the PGA Tours best Steve Stricker at 1.065 putts gained per round!

In case you were wondering what putts gained per round:

That means in each round, he gained an average of 0.871 strokes on the field just from his superior putting ability. Here’s how the stat is computed. Suppose, for example, a golfer one-putts from 33 feet. The Tour average to hole-out from that distance is 2.0 putts, so a one-putt gains one putt on the field. (Golf.com)

Putting is the great equalizer in golf! Yes, other shots are important, but a great putt can easily transform a mediocre round into a fantastic round!

How many strokes did Rory McIlroy gain with that putt!

Putting is the great equalizer in golf (have I made my point yet?). Every great round I shot, putting had a direct and positive impact on my score. There is no great secret to putting well, in my opinion, it is about finding your stroke and to practice until it is second nature.

I am not a putting specialist. I am not a professional golfer, but the stats do not lie. I have talked about how I putt in earlier posts (start here); these tips are rooted in many years of trial and error until putting became the strongest part of my game. As I work towards being a scratch golfer, I will focus on putting being an integral part of my success!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!