Improve Your Golf Game - Sinking More Pressure Putts

Info provide by Jack Moorehouse. Thanks Jack!

You often hear people during golf lessons say: You drive for show, but you putt for dough. This old saying emphasizes the importance of putting. And it’s dead on. About 30 percent of your strokes during a round are putts. Many are from 10 feet in. These are pressure putts. They’re the kinds of putts you must make every time, if you want to record a low golf handicap. Here are five golf tips on how to sink more of these putts.

Tip #1: Train And Trust
Poor putting from 10 feet in isn’t always due to a bad stroke. Sometimes, it’s due to a lack of concentration. Two keys to making more pressure putts is (1) thinking positively and (2) focusing one swing thought. Don’t think about what happens if you miss the putt. Think about how to make the putt. In addition, pool all random thoughts into a single decisive thought before making the putting.

You can practice both tips by adhering to what experts call the “train and trust” principle. Practice often enough to train yourself to make a repeating stroke. If you do that, you’ll learn to trust your stroke. Then, when you have a 10-foot putt, you’ll be free to concentrate on the target rather than worry about hitting the ball squarely. It works for PGA pros, like Davis Love III. It will work for you.

Tip #2: Lighten Your Grip
Some athletic principles apply to all sports. One is that tension interferes with fluidity, causing you to miss short putts. In other words, tight muscles reduce speed and feel. Many great putters fear what tension does to their performance. So they compensate. They make it a point to hold the club loosely when facing pressure putts. A light grip pressure with your arms relaxed at address and throughout the swing frees you from all tensions. That lets you release the club freely with full extension. You’re less likely to push or pull the putt.

Tip #3 Keep Your Head Still
Keeping your head still is a must when under pressure. Many golf instruction sessions and written golf tips stress this point. That’s because it’s tried and true. Keeping your head still keeps the putter on path throughout the stroke. Weekend golfers often move their heads on short putts so they can see if the putt goes in. Sometimes, they peek too soon. Focus on the back of the ball until contact. Then, keep looking at that spot until after you count two. Listen for the ball to go in. This golf tip keeps your head locked in place until well after the stroke is made.

Tip #4: Lock Your Legs
If you move while putting, you’ll miss the putt. Stay still to sink pressure putts. A key to staying still is keeping your legs locked. They stabilize your lower body during the stroke. To feel this, take your normal putting stance. Then wedge a rubber ball between your knees. Squeeze the ball a little to keep it tight, creating a solid foundation. Now hit putts. This exercise develops the feeling of stability essential for a consistent stroke under pressure. Remember the feeling when making pressure putts.

Tip # 5: Use “The Quiet Eye” Technique
The secret to good putting, says Dr. Joan Vickers, a researcher at the University of Calgary, is using your eyes to detect the right information about distance and direction. Then using your mind to relay the information to the rest of your body. The Quiet Eye, as Dr. Vickers calls it, may help explain what being “in the Zone” is. Her research suggests that The Quiet Eye is the difference between average putters and great putters.

A Quiet Eye routine has the following characteristics:

* Pick a specific location on the hole.
* “See” the ball go in the hole at that spot.
* Scan from the hole to the ball calmly.
* Fixate on a spot on the back of the ball.
* Remain fixated on that spot through contact.

A Quiet Eye routine isn’t taught in many golf lessons on putting. But it works for many golfers. When combined with the other article tips, it will help you sink more pressures putts. That in turn will cut strokes from your scores and your golf handicap. You may not be able to drive for show. But you can always learn to putt for dough.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How to Break 80 and Shoot Like the Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.