Putting is the part of golf where you use the shortest club, the putter, to tap the ball into the hole once you are close to the green. Mastering this skill is key to lowering your scores. Many golfers struggle with putting, but with good technique, practice, and the right gear, anyone can improve their results on the short grass.
The Essentials of Great Putting
Putting involves a few main parts. You need a solid setup. You need a smooth swing. You need to judge the speed correctly. And you must read the slope of the green well. Let’s look at each piece to help you with improving putting consistency.
Choosing the Right Putter
Your putter is your most used club. Picking the right one matters a lot. It must feel good in your hands. It must match how you stand over the ball.
Types of Putters
There are two main styles of putters.
- Blade Putters: These look simple. They have a thin back. Many skilled players like these. They offer good feel.
- Mallet Putters: These are bigger. They have a large head shape. They often have weights in the back. These are easier to keep straight. They offer more forgiveness on off-center hits.
Putter Length and Lie Angle
The length of the putter affects your posture. If the shaft is too long, you stand up too much. If it’s too short, you stoop too low. Find a length where your eyes are right over the ball. This helps with aiming.
The lie angle is how the shaft sits when the sole is flat on the ground. If the angle is wrong, the putter face will aim left or right even if you swing straight. Get a professional to check this for you. This is a key step in choosing a putter.
Best Putting Grips: Holding the Club
How you hold the putter is critical. The grip controls your hands and arms during the stroke. A good grip stops your hands from moving too much. This is vital for a solid putting stroke mechanics. We review some of the best putting grips below.
Standard Reverse Overlap Grip
This is the most common grip in golf. You place your lead hand (left hand for righties) near the bottom. Then, you put your trail hand (right hand) above it. You overlap your little finger of the trail hand onto the index finger of the lead hand. This calms the dominant hand.
Claw Grip
Some players use this grip. You hold the putter mostly with your fingers. The index finger of your lead hand often rests down the shaft. This grip keeps the wrist quieter.
SuperStroke Style Grips
These grips are wider than normal. They are thicker. This forces your hands to work less. It promotes a shoulder-driven stroke. Many pros now use these for better control.
| Grip Style | Main Feature | Benefit | Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Overlap | Fingers overlap | Relaxes wrists, good feel | Can allow too much wrist action |
| Claw Grip | Fingers rest outside grip | Minimizes wrist hinge | Feels unnatural to some |
| SuperStroke | Wide diameter | Reduces wrist hinge, stable | Can feel bulky initially |
The Perfect Putting Setup
A good setup creates a repeatable stroke. You need to be comfortable, balanced, and aimed correctly.
Posture and Ball Position
Stand close enough so your eyes are directly over the ball or slightly inside the line. Your knees should have a slight flex. Keep your weight mostly centered, maybe 50/50 or slightly favoring your lead side.
Ball position is also important. Most pros place the ball slightly forward in their stance. This ensures you hit the ball on the way up slightly. This promotes a smoother roll rather than a downward chop.
Putting Alignment Techniques
Aiming is where many strokes go wrong before the swing even starts. If you aim incorrectly, you have to make compensations during the stroke. Focus on sound putting alignment techniques.
Aiming the Putter Face
The putter face must aim directly at your target line. Use the lines or markings on your putter head. Line these up with a spot just ahead of the ball. This spot is your intermediate target.
Body Alignment
Your feet, hips, and shoulders should line up parallel to your target line. Think of it like a train on a track. The track is the line to the hole. Your body is the train running parallel to the track. Many great putters feel like they are aiming their eyes down the line, but their body is set up square to an imaginary line just in front of the ball.
Mastering Putting Stroke Mechanics
The swing itself needs to be pendulum-like. It should use your shoulders, not your wrists. This ensures consistency. Focus on putting stroke mechanics for reliability.
The Pendulum Motion
The best putting stroke moves like a pendulum. The shoulders act as the hinge. The arms hang down naturally from the shoulders. The putter head moves straight back and straight through along the target line. Avoid flipping your wrists at impact.
Backswing Length and Tempo
The length of the backswing controls distance. Shorter backswings for short putts. Longer backswings for longer putts. Tempo is more important than length. Keep your tempo smooth. A common tempo ratio is 2:1. That means if the backswing takes one second, the follow-through should take two seconds. Or, just focus on keeping the pace the same on the backswing and through impact.
Impact and Follow-Through
Impact should feel solid. The putter face should be square to the path. The follow-through should mirror the backswing. It shouldn’t be abrupt. Let the putter swing through the ball naturally. Avoid decelerating the putter head just before hitting the ball.
Stroke Path Matters
For most golfers, a slightly inside-to-inside path works best. This means the putter moves slightly away from the target, slightly toward the target during the stroke. This path imparts a slight natural rotation, which helps keep the ball on line. A straight-back, straight-through stroke only works well for very short putts or if you have a perfectly straight putt.
Green Reading for Golf
You can have a perfect stroke, but if you aim in the wrong spot, the ball won’t go in. Green reading for golf is about predicting how the slope will affect the ball.
Determining Break and Speed
Every putt has two factors: speed and line. They are connected. If you hit it too hard, it won’t break as much. If you hit it softly, it breaks more.
Using Your Feet
Walk around the putt. Feel the slope with your feet. Where does the ground feel higher? Where does it feel lower? Your feet are often better at sensing subtle slopes than your eyes.
Visual Aids and AimPoint
Many professionals use aiming systems like AimPoint. These methods involve standing on different sides of the ball and using your fingers to judge the severity of the slope. For the average golfer, look for the highest point on the arc the ball will take to the hole. Aim for a spot on the high side of the hole.
The High Side Rule
Imagine a clock face around the hole. If the putt breaks right, aim for the 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock position on the cup. If it breaks left, aim for the 11 o’clock or 10 o’clock position. The amount you aim away from the center depends on the speed you intend to hit it.
Putting Lag Control
For long putts (over 30 feet), speed is king. If you get the speed right, you leave yourself a short second putt. This is called putting lag control.
For long putts, aim for the ball to travel about 12 to 18 inches past the hole if it misses. This leaves an easy tap-in for your second putt. You must focus only on distance control, not the exact line, on these long efforts.
Practice and Drills for Improvement
Talent only gets you so far. Consistent improvement comes from focused practice. Adopt a strong putting practice routine. These short game putting drills will sharpen your skills.
Essential Putting Drills
Use drills that focus on specific weaknesses. Don’t just hit balls aimlessly toward the hole.
The Gate Drill (For Face Control)
Set up two tees just wider than your putter head. Place them about 12 inches in front of the ball. Your goal is to swing the putter through the gate without hitting the tees. This forces a square path through impact. This drill helps fix alignment and stroke path issues.
The Clock Drill (For Distance Control)
Place six balls around a hole at a distance of about six feet, making a circle. Try to hit each ball so it stops within a small circle, maybe one foot wide, around the hole. This focuses purely on distance control from different angles.
The Chalk Line Drill (For Straightness)
Draw a straight chalk line on the practice green. Place your ball right on the line. Practice your stroke making sure the putter face stays on the line for the first few inches both ways. This emphasizes a true pendulum motion.
Creating Your Putting Practice Routine
A good routine mixes speed work, line work, and pressure putting. Dedicate at least 30% of your practice time to putting.
| Practice Component | Time Allocation (Approx.) | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up & Feel | 10 Minutes | Short putts (3-5 feet). Build confidence. |
| Lag Control | 20 Minutes | Long putts (30+ feet). Focus on 3-putt prevention. |
| Alignment & Path | 15 Minutes | Use drills like the Gate Drill. Verify aim. |
| Pressure Putting | 15 Minutes | Play competitive games against yourself (e.g., make 5 in a row). |
Common Putting Mistakes and Fixes
Many golfers make the same few errors repeatedly. Identifying these is the first step toward improving putting consistency.
Too Much Wrist Hinge
The wrist breaking down during the stroke introduces error. It makes the face open or close inconsistently.
Fix: Use a heavier putter or a thicker grip. This discourages hand manipulation. Feel like your lead arm and the shaft form one solid piece throughout the stroke.
Peeking at the Ball
Looking up too soon to see if the putt went in is fatal. It causes your head to lift, which raises your spine angle. This throws the stroke off line and speed.
Fix: Practice the “hold the finish” drill. After impact, keep your head still until the ball reaches the hole or stops rolling. Trust your setup. If your setup is good, your stroke will be good.
Poor Tempo
Rushing the backswing or decelerating through impact ruins speed control.
Fix: Practice with a metronome or count your stroke out loud (“One-Two”). Keep the rhythm consistent across all putt lengths.
Final Thoughts on Consistency
Putting success relies on commitment to a process. You need the right equipment (choosing a putter wisely). You need a repeatable stroke (putting stroke mechanics). You need to read the greens accurately (green reading for golf). And most importantly, you need dedicated practice time focused on drills that challenge your weaknesses.
By integrating these secrets into your game—from selecting the right grip to implementing effective golf putting tips during your rounds—you will see dramatic improvements in your score and your confidence near the hole.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How hard should I hit the ball when putting?
You should hit the ball with enough force to travel about 12 to 18 inches past the hole if you miss. This is the sweet spot for distance control on most putts, especially those over 20 feet. For very short putts (inside 5 feet), hit it firmly enough to reach the center of the cup without stopping short.
What is the ideal stroke length for a 20-foot putt?
There is no fixed length. The ideal stroke length depends on the speed of the green and the break of the putt. Instead of focusing on length, focus on tempo. If your tempo is consistent, the length of the backswing will naturally adjust to cover the correct distance on greens of similar speed.
Can I putt better if I change my grip?
Yes. Changing your grip can dramatically affect your stroke. If you struggle with wrist action, trying one of the best putting grips like the Claw or a thicker grip can stabilize your hands and shoulders, leading to better results immediately.
How often should I practice putting?
You should practice putting frequently. A solid putting practice routine involves short sessions often, rather than one long session weekly. Aim for 15-30 minutes several times a week, focusing on a specific drill each time to work on improving putting consistency.
What is the biggest mistake golfers make when reading greens?
The biggest mistake is often misjudging speed, which affects the break. Golfers hit the ball too hard or too soft, changing how much the slope affects the ball’s path. Always decide on speed first, then choose the line that matches that speed.