Put in the Practice Time to Make More Clutch Putts

Thursday, October 31, 2013

      Ryan Moore captured his first win of the 2013-14 PGA Tour season at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia by putting together the magical formula of finishing in the top 10 in greens hit in regulation while also tying for second in putts per green in regulation.

     Despite the dominant stats, the victory didn’t come easy for Moore, who knocked down a 5-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to secure the win in sudden death over Gary Woodland in a Monday (local time) finish. Statistically, Moore had about a 75-percent chance to make that putt based on the PGA Tour average of putts made from that length.

    Most amateur golfers, however, cringe at the thought of having to make a 5-footer, especially under pressure. While we all know that putting is the key to lower scores, many players simply aren’t willing or don’t have the time to put in the hours of practice that helped Moore sink his winning putt.

Here are a few keys to make sure your next putting practice session is productive:  

 

• Eyeline Golf has identified what they call “4 Putting Elements” that I believe are a great way to prioritize your practice. The elements are setup, path, impact and speed control. For example, you want to set up with consistent posture and alignment to make it much easier to have proper path, impact and speed control. If you can learn these elements in order, you can become a really good putter with minimum time invested..

 • Have feedback available when you practice. This could come in the form of a friend, video or training aids. If you are working on the element of impact, using impact chalk or any training aid that lets you know where the ball is hitting the putter face is very valuable. The key is to make sure you’re doing what you think you’re doing and feedback is the only way to know for sure.

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Improve Your Short Game by Utilizing a System

      For a low running shot (bump-and-run or chip shot), play the ball off your back foot with your club shaft and hands angled substantially forward.The best way to learn is to process new information by using a system or routine.

      We all learn differently, and because there is so much information available to us it can be a challenge to simplify information. Here is a short-game system that is very simple and based upon two basic fundamentals, trajectory and roll. Ball position directly impacts trajectory while hand position/shaft angle affects roll.

Here are some examples:

      This will produce a low shot (ball position back) with forward roll when it lands (hands and club shaft forward). When you desire a medium height shot with some forward roll (high chip or pitch shot), play the golf ball in the center of your stance (for extra height) but have your hands slightly forward (for some forward roll). Lastly, for a high shot with minimal roll (lob shot), place the ball more forward in your stance (for extra height) and hands over the ball (for less roll). The next time you’re on the course or at the short game practice area, implement this simple system and you’ll get the ball close to the hole more often.

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