David Gil, golf professional at La Cañada Golf Club, explains the most common putting mistakes and how to correct them.
Putting is the most decisive stroke out on the course. With an average usage rate of 40 per cent per round of golf, it is clearly the club we use the most. In my previous articles I have not devoted much time to this aspect of the game. So, as a continuation of my previous article dedicated to putting, this issue I offer some additional information about the stroke.
I also talk about the most common mistakes we make when putting and, as always, I will give you the necessary advice so you can practise and improve with a series of exercises.
The most common putting mistakes:
- Poor pace control
- Misreading the break
- Lack of pace
- Negative thoughts
- Wrong line from the ball
- Poor impact (putter toe or heel)
- Always practising putting towards a hole and not to a smaller target
The Putting Stance
As always, everything starts with a good stance, and with the putter it is no different. The putter is a club that allows for many different types of stances. Every day we see even Tour players putting the ball in many different ways. This is partly because, in the market, there is a great variety of putter models, of different lengths, with different grips, and with shafts set centrally on the head of the club or set back at the heel.
Therefore, here I recommend the most classic formula for positioning yourself over the ball. And for me the most effective option is to start with a putter that is 35 inches long.
1.- Inclination of the body and position of the ball:
Legs slightly bent with the weight always on the left side. The ball should always be slightly forward of your body axis.
2.- Your eyes must be on the ball.
Take a ball during practice, place it at the level of your eyes, release it and check if it falls on top of the ball that is already on the ground. If it does, your tilt is perfect.
3.- The grip…
Keep your hands solid so that your wrists remain firm throughout the movement. There are many types of putting grips, but the function for all of them is the same.
4.- The putting swing…
It will always be short. Work more on the speed and not on the length of the movement.
Most Common Errors
Poor Pace Control
This error is very common and sometimes it is caused by – before going out to play – practising in the putting area hitting balls at the holes.
There is a psychological side to this issue. When we practise hitting putts at the holes, it ceases to matter if we fall short or overshoot, which means the green speed factor takes a back seat.
Exercise
You need to place three balls at different distances from the edge of the green, first looking to be in a flat area and then, if the practice area allows it, looking for uphill and downhill slopes – without a hole. Just try to leave the ball close to that point. This way you will only be concentrating on the pace and speed of the green.
.
Misreading the Break
Misreading the break is something that happens to all golfers, but we have to work on this aspect so that the ball, in case of an error, is behind the hole and does not end up in front of it, having lacked pace or direction. Not allowing for enough break is a very common error which we can work on with this exercise.
Exercise
Place a shaft on the ground and, hitting a putt from right to left, aim to keep the ball to the right of the shaft and as close to it as possible.
.
Lack of Pace
Falling short of the hole can be caused by several factors:
- Poor impact (I explain this later in the Poor Impact section).
- Error in the speed of your swing. For this problem – apart from the exercise – I advise you to work with tools such as a specialised mirror for putting practice, which will help you with the length of the puutter’s movement.
Exercises
- Practise numerous putts on ascending slopes and distances between four and eight metres, always trying to overshoot the hole.
- Set a limit of no more than one metre past the hole. Your balls should always be between the hole and this boundary mark.
- Use the putting mirror.
Negative Thoughts
This is a key aspect to avoid. Sometimes the pressure we put on ourselves makes the stroke more complicated. Here are two tips to help you avoid this:
Exercise
1.- Before each stroke on the course, and especially on short putts, place yourself behind the ball. Each practice swing you make will be an indicator of your eventual stroke at the ball, so imagine the ball rolling towards the hole. That way you will be much more confident over the ball.
2.- Before you tee off, on the practice green place the ball within one metre of the hole and hit putts from that distance. You will go out onto the course with much more confidence after sinking several putts.
.
.
Wrong Line from the Ball
This is a technical factor which, like the previous ones, is hugely important. You might be able to aim and read the break perfectly, but if the ball doesn’t travel in the chosen direction it will not end up in the hole.
This error could be caused by the line of your swing, or because the club face is open or closed.
Exercise
You can work on this, to adjust your stroke to perfection, by placing two tees as goalposts the width of your putter, and – without any specific target point – only aim to hit the ball between the two tees.
.
Poor Impact
As with the long game, when putting you have to ensure a good impact so that the ball:
- Rolls far enough
- Starts travelling in the right direction
- Moves without any spin effect
That is why not hitting in the middle of the putter or in the centre of the ball can cause unexpected surprises.
Exercises
To hit the ball in the middle of the putter, place a coin with masking tape in the centre of the club head. This will help you concentrate on making a much more controlled swing, in both length and speed. The results will be very positive if you manage to do this on a regular basis.
Pega una moneda con cinta al centro de la cara del putter. Golpear en el centro seá la única opción con este ejercicio para obtener un golpe recto.
.
Always practise by aiming at a small target. Putting towards a hole is fine, as that's what you will do out on the course. But for practice always try to use smaller targets.
Exercise
Place a tee several centimetres from the centre of the hole. If you get used to doing this during practice, your mistakes will be smaller. Practising on smaller targets helps with concentration and it will take a lot of pressure off you out on the course.
I hope that, after reading this article and completing these exercises, you will improve your results on the green and enjoy better results in your games and tournaments.
On this occasion I would like to thank La Cañada Golf Club, where the photos were taken, and congratulate the whole team for their beautiful course, which they maintain in spectacular condition throughout the year.
