Back 6 forward 12!  Now that you have made solid contact on the ball, where are you putting it too?  There are many ways to line up your putt, determine the slope, the grain, hole location, etc. and we will talk about that in later posts.  Right now I want to talk about hitting your line.

How do we consistently keep the ball on line?  At SirShanksAlot.com, they talk about the difference between spot putting and line putting.  Spot putters do not have to look at the hole and only focus the spot they are putting too.  Line putters focus on the hole and take the whole shot into account.  I remember about 30 years ago when Jack Nicklaus gave an interview and he talked about putting.  He said that he picked a spot about 3 feet in front of the ball and putted to that spot.  I took his point to heart (and if it is good enough for Jack……), but added my own little twist.

First thing I do is determine my line.  Then I pick a point three feet in front of the ball.  This is the point I must hit first when putting.  Right now you are saying sounds simple; well here is my twist.

I additionally want to determine the speed of the putt.  Therefore, I pick another point on my line (past the 3 foot point) that the ball has to go over to make sure I have enough speed on the putt.  Additionally, these two points help make sure your putter head follows through on the intended line.  I have found that if I hit both points, I one putt quite often and rarely three putt.  This style really works for me.

It is a simple way to ensure consistency when putting!

It is snowing right now….looks beautiful.  Only 4 months to go before golf season!  I am a grateful golfer.  See you on the links!

I believe that improving your putting will reduce your overall score by 10% or more.  I can make this bold statement because experience has proven that when a person scores extremely well, they usually have putted lights out.  Take the pros for instance, anyone who scores really low credits their success to chipping and putting.  Personally, all of my low rounds have resulted from 27 putts or less per round.

There are many websites dedicated to improving your putting.  These sites include selling attachments for your putter, a gadget to make your stroke consistent, how to visualize your smooth stroke, being aggressive, lagging your putt, being confident…..well oh my!  There are many things that can help with your putting; but only you can decide which method will work for you.

I figured that I should provide my tips to success on the green.  You will likely have heard of them before, but they work for me and I use them every round.  So, here is the first of five suggestions that the average golfer can use without having to pay anything.

My putting tip from May 2012 is the first.  It is very simple.  Ensure your putter head follows through twice as far as you take it back.  This will allow for solid ball striking and a greater chance the ball will travel on its intended line.

I know it sounds simple, but I can assure you that your miss hits (either by line or distance) will be significantly reduced because of the solid contact.  Additionally, your lag putts will be close and chances of three putting will fade away.

Ultimately, I believe that if your putter head travels back 6 and forward 12, it will significantly cut your number of putts per round.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!  See you on the links.