Learn to confidently stroke – and make – short putts!
What a great ending to the Open yesterday, Phil Michelson truly performed well and earned the victory.
As I watched some of the replay this morning, I noticed how important making or missing short – four to six feet in length – putts was to the final outcome. Over and over, the golfers who did not win missed those putts down the stretch, and most often it was because they did not make a confident stroke.
In my game, most often when I am not putting well, it is also often due to missing 4 to 6 foot putts, and most often leaving the putter face open at impact.
What does it take to create Total Confidence in hitting those 4 to 6 footers? I asked The Putting Doctor – Glen Coombe – who trained me in using the SAM PuttLab that question this morning. He graciously provide the following thoughts on how to create a repeatable stroke that allows you to hit short putts with confidence – here is his note….
"Tony, you pose a great question as always.
Distance control, even on the short putts is key. Training the brain to react to speed and distance is the remedy for what we see in situations both at the tour level and in every-day golf at the amateur level. I have said that you may never hit it 300 yards but you can beat the tour professional at his own game on the putting green. It just takes a little dedication to focused practice.
The first stage of training for speed and distance putt training is knowing your reference putt distance. You ask, “What’s a reference putt?” This is the simple putt on a flat portion of the practice green with no target in mind. For a medium width stance the putter is regulated in back stroke so that the face does not go past the middle of the rear foot. If this backstroke is a measure of 2 then the forward stroke is a measure of 3 (a stroke of 2 back and 3 forward), then the forward stroke will slightly exceed the lead foot in travel. We simply need, then, to find the distance on today’s putting surface relative to this stroke.
Once we understand the distance created by the reference stroke we only need to amplify or decrease the amount of back stroke length to control distance. The same tempo is used for each and every putt. If your stance is narrow the back stroke will perhaps be a few inches longer and not exceed the outside of the rear foot. A wider stance my have the putter face only come back to the big toe of the rear foot.
Knowing your reference putt will allow you to adjust for conditions as you travel to new courses as not every club will have the same green speeds. Simple drills are then put into practice that allow you to train the brain for more specific distance control. My students are well equipped to judge speed and distance as a result of the time spent doing the three exercises in my copyrighted lesson plan The Money Back Guarantee Putting Experience. With this base of knowledge and the use of the reference putt they are able to adjust quickly for changes in green speeds.
By the way, my students would all stand up to that 4 foot putt with the mindset of being 100% inside 6 feet due to their focused practice sessions.
Visit my web site http://puttingdoctor.net for more on putting or to obtain a copy of my putting lesson plan and Putting Doctor Training Aide."
Cheers,
Glen Coombe
The Putting Doctor
Sound and sensible advice Glen – all of us can learn to stroke – and make – our short putts with confidence!
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony
