Part 1

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Part 1 – You must never have improper alignment This may seem like a very basic matter/idea, but a lot of us are not aware of our own alignment when putting. After observing hundreds of golfers putting in their individual ways, the number one fault I have noticed is that most of these golfers do not align properly to the line they want to putt along. This is a crucial component of great putting and most club golfers are not aware of it. Think about it for a second, how easy will it be for you to sink a straight 6 footer when you are aiming outside of the hole? No, it’s not impossible. It is definitely very possible, but you will have to incorporate ways to compensate for your alignment. Having too many compensations in your golf game will ultimately lead to inconsistencies, ineffective swing or putting stroke, and lots more frustration. It is much easier to make a proper stroke when you are aiming down your chosen target line. One of the biggest reasons why golfers find that their putts are not starting on line is because they do not align properly in the first place. Most people blame it on their putting stroke, but the real cause of the problem is their alignment. By not aligning properly to your target path, you will have to subconsciously alter your putting stroke to compensate and correct your ill‐ alignment. Most people blame their putting stroke, but the smart golfers know it’s their alignment that caused the deficiencies in their putting stroke in the first place. It isn’t the easiest thing to correct, because what we have to change is your perception. The idea is that we want to converge the 2 differences, where you think you are aiming and where you are actually aiming.


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Now here is how you can correct your putting alignment: The easiest way is to get a friend to help you. Get your friend to stand directly behind your ball and tell you exactly where you are aiming. This method is fast and effective (well, as effective as your trust in your friend’s word). The other method is to use a video camera and record your own putt. Place the camera about one and a half feet behind the ball and make sure it is slightly elevated, or else it makes it difficult to see the hole. To reverse the ill‐alignment, I recommend you exaggerate the correction. So if you normally aim too far to the left, then exaggerate and aim too far to the right in attempt to over compensate. This way, your brain will be forced to get used to another way at looking at the hole and therefore less chance of you subconsciously reverting back to the old alignment habits.


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Part 2 – You must never decelerate in your forward stroke One of the biggest common traits between golfers who miss a lot of shorter putts is that they decelerate in their forward stroke. This fact may sometimes be very difficult to pick up by the golfer who is actually missing the putts, but easy to spot by someone watching. The reason why deceleration is such a killer and destroyer of putting is that deceleration is usually caused by doubts in the golfer’s mind. Doubt means that you do not have a congruent outcome in mind when you are in action. If you have doubts in your head when you are putting, ie. doubting whether you’ve chosen the right target line to putt along, you will find that you are almost leaving it up to chance whether you will send the ball down the right path.

Here is how to correct the habit of decelerating on your putts. 1. Take a very small swing back with the putter. Now to produce the same momentum and power to send the ball the right distance, you will have no choice but to accelerate through the ball. 2. Take shorter and sharper strokes. Focus on the speed in which your putter is traveling through the ball. Look at Tiger Woods’ putting stroke, it is usually very short and sharp. 3. Always accelerate through the ball towards your chosen target line. Here is a great drill you can practice when you find that you are habitually decelerating. Place a ball 1 foot away from the hole. Set up to the putt, and now instead of taking a back stroke and hitting the ball, I want you to push the ball into the hole. Doing this will definitely force you to accelerate towards the hole, or else you can’t push the ball into the hole.


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Part 3 – You must never be off balance, instead be centered The topic of balance is almost never raised in the game of golf, yet it is so essential for a good golf game. In fact, in any sport, the chances are, if you are off balance or have poor balance, you won’t stand a good chance. Putting is not a very dynamic activity, and so a lot of golfers slack off with their posture and balance. It is crucial that you remain as athletic as possible. The reason for this is that whenever you swing any club, that includes your putter, you change your body’s center of gravity. As any person who has studied physics would know, the more the COG (center of gravity) is in the middle of its base of support, the more stable the structure or object is. Golf is a one sided sport. The posture involved in putting often leaves the golfer leaning over towards the ball. It is a common idea that your eyes should fall directly over the ball, and this encourages golfers to lean forward further, making it easy for a lot of golfers to fall forwards. This does not encourage good balance. Furthermore, this idea that your eyes should fall directly over the ball is meant for you to see the line of the putt better, but nothing indicates that you will not be able to see the target line better if your eyes were not directly over the ball. Scotty Cameron himself said that the natural posture of a golfer when putting would result in his eyes being on the inside of the line of the ball. Phil Mickelson seconded that opinion. Whether you want your eyes directly over the ball or on the inside is up to you; as long as you can align and aim down the target line properly. It is easier for taller golfers to have their eyes directly over the ball than shorter players, only because of the their physical structure.


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So how do we improve our balance? Well first of all, be aware of it. Rock back and forth in your putting posture, and you’ll soon realise where you habitually have your weight. You should evenly place your weight in the middle of both of your feet, creating a solid base of support. Next time, take notice of some pros on tour and notice how balanced they are. The reason is that balance is the foundation of everything else, eg power, agility and timing.


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Part 4 – Your putter must never sit too flat or upright Another common error I see many golfers make when putting is that the putter does not sit flush on the ground behind the ball. This occurs so often, especially when the heel of the putter is on the ground but the toe is inches above the ground.

This negatively impacts your putting 3 folds! Firstly, because only one part of the putter is in contact with the ground, ie the heel, this makes it very easy for the putter to twist in your hands, as well as when you stroke the ball. This results in more difficulty when you’re trying to line up to your target line. Secondly, because the toe of the putter is in the air whilst the heel is still on the ground, this effectively closes the putter face. Remember your putter would usually have 3‐4 degrees of loft on its face. If you have trouble understanding or visualising this, take out your 9‐iron and now tilt it so that the toe is in the air. You will see now that the face of the club is aiming left of your target. Lastly, if by accident you hit the ground with the heel of the putter, the putter face would shut immediately, and you would pull the putt a mile to the left. So it is very important to fit yourself a putter that sits flush on the ground. A standard putter comes at 35 inches, and a lie angle of around 71 degrees. It is not my place to say whether a standard length and lie angle would suit you, because it depends on your putting posture and stance. For myself, I’m 5 10 , and my putter is 34&1/4 inches with a lie angle about 68 degrees. I find that this suits me perfectly and I love putting with my putter. If you do find that the toe of your putter is hanging up in the air, there are a few choices.


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1. Cut the putter down (But the negative consequence of that is the putter will feel dramatically lighter. To combat that, add some lead tapes on the bottom of the putter) 2. Alter the lie angle so it sits flatter (This option is not available to a lot of cast putters out there. It isn’t easy to change the lie angle of a putter, so definitely see a professional about this one.) 3. Position your hands higher up at address when you set up (But this one can often be uncomfortable, and you lose some control over the putter in this ulnar deviated position of your wrists. I don’t recommend this to most golfers, unless however it feels comfortable to you.)


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Part 5 – You must never focus only how long your backstroke should be Many golfers I have come across are afraid of misjudging the pace of the putt. As a result, they usually misjudge the speed. Putting is another target oriented activity, like throwing a dart and kicking a ball. Think about it, when you throw an object, for example a ball to someone, you don’t have to think about the intricate details of contracting each and individual muscle in your arm and forearm. You certainly wouldn’t be thinking about how far back you should pull your arm in order to throw it across the room. Putting is the same. You should let your subconscious mind take care of the intricate details and all you should think about is where to hit the ball. So instead of focusing on how far your backstroke should be, you should…. Get a feel for how hard to hit the putt in your pre‐shot routine. Feel for how the ball will roll, especially towards the hole. Then when you are about to execute the putt, think only of the line of your chosen path; your target line. Your subconscious mind should already know exactly how hard or soft to hit the putt. The idea is that when you have the feel for the putt, you won’t need to think of how hard to hit it.


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Part 6 – You must never lose your presence with the putt One of the easiest things to do when you are having a bad day is to lose presence with your shots. I’m sure we have all done it sometimes, I sure am guilty of losing presence (in other words, losing concentration and focus). Being present with your putts means you will have to concentrate on giving yourself the best chance of sinking your putts. It means actively reading the putt, picking a target and running through your pre‐shot routine, all with the aim of getting the ball into the hole. Even though this sounds so simple and obvious, you’d be surprised how many golfers lose their presence in putting due to frustration, boredom or disappointment.

The best cure in this case is prevention.


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Moreover, the best way to prevent losing presence is to not do it in first place ‐ ever! Catch yourself every single time and practice getting into the routine of concentrating during your pre‐shot routine. The more presence you practice on every single putt, the easier it will become for you to trigger that within you in the future. I know this one takes effort, but remember, what doesn’t take effort isn’t worth doing.


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Part 7 – You must never putt with doubt You must never putt with doubt. You must never putt without confidence. Yes, you heard correctly. You must never putt without confidence. I’m sure you know and feel to some extent, that putting is all about confidence. If you are confident with your putting, you are sure to sink more putts than if you are doubtful. When you are doubtful, you create incongruences in your body and mind. If you mind and body doesn’t have a specific direction, then anything can happen! Take a look at all the tour players they all have different and interesting ways of putting. One thing is for sure and that is the most successful putters on tour are the ones who are the most confident. Unfortunately most golfers think that if you putt well first, then you will be confident. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that if you are confident to start with, you will putt well, and gain more confidence. So it becomes a positive reinforcing loop! It all starts from being in the state of confidence and certainty when you putt and straightaway this will start your momentum of excellent putting. Think about this for a moment, hasn’t there been a time when you sunk a few putts in a row and you almost felt like you couldn’t miss? I’m sure you have felt a sense of confidence deep down inside in those moments. That is the state that you must be at all times when you putt in the future! Imagine how many putts you could and will sink then!?! Unfortunately what most golfers do is to go on the practise green and practise their putting, hoping that they might stumble across some confidence. That is a very ineffective way of creating confidence! I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. You must work on your confidence before you start putting away. Copyright © www.PunishYourPutts.com

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Unfortunately it is never taught anywhere on how to improve your confidence! You will not find it in golf magazines, you will not find it in golf books, and you local pro will most likely not know anything about it. PunishYourPutts.com is the only place where you will find a simple step by step method of creating confidence out of thin air. In the end, nothing feels as good as sinking putts! Nothing Feels As Good As Sinking Putts

Peter Pell (Your Putting Coach) www.PunishYourPutts.com


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