The Basics of Being a Better Putter

 

Everyone wants to be a better putter. Don’t deny it or act like it isn’t true. There may be a select few people in the history of time who have been comfortable on the greens, but you and I aren’t one of them. The truth is that we may never be one of them, that’s just one of the harsh realities of golf. But there are always things that we can do to make ourselves better and better all the time. The issue I see is that many people who are trying to get better at putting are focusing on the wrong things. I see people fixate on reading greens, getting the perfect grip and setup, and making the perfect stroke every time, and, don’t get me wrong, those things are important parts of putting, but I think they aren’t the most basic, fundamental things that we need to focus on to become better putters. Instead, I think there are just two things that everyone needs to think about when they approach a putt to see more of them drop: line and speed. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But Matt, you just said that people fixate too much on the break and the perfect stroke, but what they should fixate on is the line and speed. Aren’t those the same things? And aren’t you an idiot for saying that?” Well, you may be right about the idiot part, but you’re misunderstanding the line and speed part if that’s what you think. You see, I think people get fixated on one line for a putt and only see it breaking in one path. When people read a putt, they think that it will break the same way every time and that if they just hit the putt perfectly it will break exactly how they saw it and drop right in the center of the cup. The problem with that is that there is never one line or one break on a putt. Let me explain.

The line/break of the putt is determined by the speed at which you hit said putt. Basically, the harder you hit a putt, the straighter it will be and the less break it will have as it moves toward the hole. Now, you have to remember that if you smash a putt 100MPH to take the break out of it it will never go in the hole (it may scoot right over the top of it), but, in general, if you want to take some of the break out and make a putt a bit straighter, hit it a bit harder. If you need to hit a putt gently and delicately like, say, a downhill putt you don’t want to fly past the hole, maybe play a little more break and hit it softer. 

This is such a basic, foundational concept in putting, yet it’s often overlooked because of all the technical work that people tend to gravitate toward. And don’t think that I’m crapping on the technical work that goes into putting, I’m not. I value the work of making a good putting stroke. The reality, though, is that understanding the relationship between line and speed will help you hit much better putts because it simplifies reading putts and making the stroke. Instead of focusing on finding the perfect line and hitting the perfect putt, you can simply determine how firmly or softly to hit the putt to, essentially, define the break/line yourself. I think that’s a much better way to approach putting, not to mention the fact that you will give yourself more confidence standing over putts knowing that you are in control of the putt instead of being at the mercy of the putt (metaphorically).

When it comes down to it, no one has all the answers when it comes to putting. I certainly don’t have all the answers; shoot, I barely have any answers, to be honest. But I know that many people overcomplicate putting when it really should be a simple thing. See the direction the putt is going, determine the speed to hit it, and be confident in your stroke. It’s as simple as that. I’m not suggesting that you throw away all your training aids or quit doing your putting drills. Just the opposite. Use the tools you have and the training you do to your advantage so that when you leave the practice green and head out to the course you can be confident in your ability to read the green and judge the speed. Then trust in your stroke and make a good putt. Match up the line and speed and you’ll drop more putts, I promise.