Lee Trevino is a golfing legend. He understands the challenges of the short game and offers some advice on how to make more short putts. His sage offerings on ball position strike and interesting mental exercise as I try to envision how his advice will help. I talk about envisioning his teachings because we have a foot of snow on the ground and putting, except in my basement, is not going to happen anytime soon. Regardless, Trevino suggests something that might help chase the yips away.
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Sage Putting Advice From Nancy Lopez
Recently, I talked about sinking short, knee-knockers. Putting is as much a mental thing as a physical. Figuring out how to sink 4 to 6 foot putts is a skill all golfers should master. I realize that sometimes it is a challenge, but for the most part these putts all come down to a process. Doing the same steps each time when putting (actually all our golf shots) is important because it eliminates unwanted swing errors. After watching a video by Nancy Lopez, her process is similar to the one I use especially with respect to alignment.
Continue readingShort Putts Never Go In!
Putting is the great equalizer. It is the one stroke that can change the fortunes of your round. Putting is a huge topic at this blog and I have tried to present different ways for players to improve on the short grass. Improving our putting is no epiphany for any player, but it seems to be one that I keep revisiting because of its importance. Today’s point deals with hitting the ball past the hole. For this drill, Jordan Spieth comes to mind and his unique putting style a few years back.
Continue readingBecome A Better Putter!
We are fooling ourselves if we think putting is not the great equalizer in golf. This simple stroke can make or break you score. Since most of our shots of any round happen on or near the green, it only make sense that we spend a large portion of our practice time on our short game. Putting is by far the most important area of play if you are planning on lowering your golf score. I have talked about putting a great deal at The Grateful Golfer and today, I will provide three putting drills that could improve your game.
Over the years, I have offered many putting drills. The ones today fall into new, old and I am not sure with respect to usefulness. Regardless, I think it is important to see different drills as some may resonate home better than others. For now, here are the three drills:
The new drill for me is placing two elastic bands on the putter head. This is a very simple drill and I can see the value of ensuring we hit the ball on the center of the club face. It is adjustable, sustainable, and repeatable; talk about a great drill. I definitely recommend this drill. If we combine the elastics with two tees as gates, then something special might happen improving the consistency of our putting.
The right handed putting drill is not new. It is something I have talked about before and provides a stable connection between the club and our body through our right (or left) hand. I figure if Tiger Woods uses this drill it has to have value. I have used this drill in the past and found that it helped me control the putter head to ensure square faced contact between the club and the ball. Overall, this is a great drill.
The coin on the back on the putter. To be fair, I have never used this drill and I will have to give it more research before assessing its value. In principle, I see the value. However, during execution I am not so sure. Again, I will not assess this drills value without experimenting more. If you have used this drill, please drop me a line and tell me how it worked for you.
There you have it. Three new drills to help improve your putting. Improving our flat stick results will definitely lower our golf scores. You may not like all the drills presented, however I am sure there are a few that will help your game. It is up to you to pick and choose. Regardless of which drill is good for your game, practicing your putting is a sure fire way to lower you golf scores.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Start With Being Great At One Thing
Golf offers so many different areas which any player can excel. Sometimes it is overwhelming to think of all the skills a player must learn in order to be considered a great player. Although the ‘great player’ moniker is relative, the point is that excelling at golf can be a challenge. For many amateur, learning how to play golf taxes their ability to be good, even great, at one thing because they feel then need to spend time on all facets of their golf game. I suggest that this is false and most amateurs should take a different approach to becoming a great golfer.
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The Grateful Golfer 