The Art of Putting

Putting lessons teach you the science of putting. You learn how to hit the ball in the direction you want it to go, and you learn how to hit it the correct distance. Both of these things are vital for good putting. It can’t be stressed too much that you need to learn them.

However, I’ve long been an advocate that you should end every practice session on the putting green keeping the science in the back of your mind while you let go and focus on just hitting the ball into the hole. Why is this important? Because golf is the confluence of science and art.

You can’t be a good golfer without knowing the basics of how to hit a golf ball, but it is just as true that you will never play your best golf without embracing the art of golf.

When I was learning the game, I heard one statement repeated over and over again about putting. “The best putters are the ones with the best imagination.” This didn’t mean that much to me until I finally decided to try it.

I had learned the science; now it was time to learn the art. I started to imagine the ball rolling across the grass until it plopped into the hole before I stepped up to hit the ball. Over time, this led to a big improvement in my putting.

My eye got better. The first and most important things to see on a green before you step up to your ball are the slopes between your ball and the hole. I made that statement plural for a reason. Most golf greens are deliberately constructed to have both obvious and subtle “movement” when a ball rolls along its surface.

It might be clear from the first look that the ball is going to move left from where it sits when you hit it to where the hole is located today. If you don’t look more closely, you will probably miss the fact that it won’t start moving left until it is about two-thirds of the way there. Sometimes, its path will straighten out or even start moving slightly to the right the last foot or two before the hole.

These little details matter. The good news is that the human brain is perfectly capable of figuring these things out. The more you do it, the better you will be at it. The better news is that this is a lot more fun than trying to hit a straight putt into the hole from 4 feet away over and over!

Don’t do this when the practice green is crowded but when there is room go to the far side of the green and try to hit the ball close to the hole. This doesn’t need to be stressful. Just have fun with it. Use one ball instead of three or more. Hole the ball out each time. That way, you will be getting more exercise, your back won’t be sore, and you can get a little practice in the science, too. This assumes that you won’t be sinking each putt and you will need to finish by hitting those short putts into the hole the way your instructor taught you.

That assumption won’t always be true. Once in a while, the ball will drop into the hole. Few things in life put a smile on your face like sinking a 60-foot putt. It’s even better during a round, but it still feels great when you are practicing.

When you are playing, study the green before you step onto it. Don’t slow things down trying to absorb every detail. Do this before it is your turn. Keep your eyes open when you are first marking your ball when you get to the green. When it is you turn, step up and hit the ball with confidence.