Put in the Practice Time to Make More Clutch Putts

      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.