If you are experiencing putting issues, it is possible that it is more than just a mental issue.  So it is very important that you see a knowledgeable professional.  After working with some of the game’s best putting teachers, I will tell you that a good teacher has a way of making adjustments in your putting stroke that are very simple and easy to understand. 

 After you have spent time ingraining your stroke it is time to work on the mental side of putting.  As with all parts of golf, there comes a time when thinking becomes a block to a player’s success.  In the movie Bagger Vance, the caddie “Bagger”, was working with the golfer Randolph Junah, on getting him to find his “authentic swing”.  It was later stated in the movie that “Bagger” was trying to show Junah how to “stop thinking without falling asleep.”  Junah’s perfect swing was accessed when it wasn’t interfered with by excessive thinking.  This is the state beyond the thinking mind that the greatest mind game coaches are trying to lead their respective golfers to.

 Stopping the excessive thought processes going on in a golfer’s mind is easier said than done for the golfer who is so tightly wrapped up with the results.  Dr. Bob Rotella took the next easiest route by first drawing some comparisons of other sports with the putting stroke in golf.  He would point out that when a basketball player is shooting a jumper in a basketball game, he or she isn’t focusing on the mechanical aspect rather he or she just lets the shot go.  Or the outfielder in baseball that is trying to throw someone out at home plate…  They are surely not thinking about the mechanics behind throwing the ball, they simply look and throw.  In other words, in these sports, the thinking mind is not interfering with the action that is taking place.  Unfortunately golf is not a reaction sport and most of a golfer’s time on the course is spent with their thoughts.  So when it comes time to putt, it is much easier for thought to come in and interfere with a player’s authentic stroke. 

Here are some ways you can move forward if you are still experiencing trouble putting after getting a lesson. 

1. Create a consistent pre-shot routine.  This should include visualization of the ball’s path to the hole, and practice strokes to “feel” the speed.

2. Turn putting into more of a reaction sport.  Dr. Bob Rotella showed me a drill that helps you once you setup to take your putt.  What you do is take one look at the path of the putt, follow it from the hole all the way back to the ball, and without a second thought or look at the hole, start your putting stroke.   This enables a more fluid, natural, feel stroke to take place rather than a mechanical stroke. 

3. Learn how to MAKE every putt.  Peter Jacobsen was once asked how he could handle the fact that he missed a putt on the last hole that could have cost him the tournament.  His remark was “I didn’t miss it, I made the putt, it just didn’t go in the hole.”  So learn how to be disciplined enough to go up to every putt with full commitment and release thoughts from the past.  Control what you can, give each putt your complete focus and attention, and then let go of the results. 

4. Focus on the process, and let the results take care of themselves.  Brad Faxon does not measure his putting success by how many puts he makes, rather he rates himself on how well he mentally prepared and executed every stroke throughout the round.

5. Let go of the thinking and analyzing of your stroke while on the course. 

What we are trying to create here is a new mindset when we walk onto the putting green.  Having fun doesn’t have to be conditioned to making lots of putts.  Learning how to give up control allows you to gain it.  Have fun out there and as always I look forward to hearing how this works for you!

This technique lets you see the true line more accurately

By Dave Pelz GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher

Read the break in reverse to hole more putts. This technique lets you see the true line more accurately
• Why you should read your putts backward
• The truth about topspin, backspin and sidespin when putting

The problem
You just never feel confident that you’ve determined the proper line for any putt.

The solution
After studying the dynamics of reading greens and how putts break for the better part of three decades, I’ve developed a simple and uncomplicated method that will help you improve in both areas. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Walk from your ball to a spot behind the hole that’s on a direct line between the ball and the cup. From this vantage point, imagine the last three feet of your putt and how the ball will roll as it slows down and curves at perfect speed into the hole.

Step 2: With this last three feet of curve in mind, picture the ball rolling backward to where your putt starts. Connect the two to get the curving track that the ball will roll on once you stroke the putt.

Step 3: Walk back behind your ball and then slide from the ball-hole line [yellow] over to what I call the AimLine? of the perfect ball track [green]. Look down the AimLine? to see where you must start the putt in order for it to curve into the cup.
Align your body and putter to the AimLine to start your putts on the perfect arc.

Step 4: Move to the ball and “feel” your practice stroke rolling the ball at perfect speed to allow it to break along the perfect ball track. Step in, square your putterface to the AimLine?, pull the trigger and… voila.
Why it works
You’d aim a rifle by getting one eye looking directly down the barrel through the sights.You wouldn’t aim it from the side.This phenomenon also applies to putting; you can’t see the aim direction or imagine the break trajectory if your eyes are positioned away from the starting line of the putt. Aligning your putts with your eyes on the AimLine? is the same as looking down the barrel of a rifle. It lets you “see” your stroke target and makes it easy to aim your body, stroke and putt.

THIS MONTH
• Why you should read your putts backward
• The truth about topspin, backspin and sidespin when putting

The problem
You just never feel confident that you’ve determined the proper line for any putt.

The solution
After studying the dynamics of reading greens and how putts break for the better part of three decades, I’ve developed a simple and uncomplicated method that will help you improve in both areas. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Walk from your ball to a spot behind the hole that’s on a direct line between the ball and the cup. From this vantage point, imagine the last three feet of your putt and how the ball will roll as it slows down and curves at perfect speed into the hole.

Step 2: With this last three feet of curve in mind, picture the ball rolling backward to where your putt starts. Connect the two to get the curving track that the ball will roll on once you stroke the putt.

Step 3: Walk back behind your ball and then slide from the ball-hole line [yellow] over to what I call the AimLine? of the perfect ball track [green]. Look down the AimLine? to see where you must start the putt in order for it to curve into the cup.

Align your body and putter to the AimLine to start your putts on the perfect arc.

Step 4: Move to the ball and “feel” your practice stroke rolling the ball at perfect speed to allow it to break along the perfect ball track. Step in, square your putterface to the AimLine?, pull the trigger and… voila.

Why it works
You’d aim a rifle by getting one eye looking directly down the barrel through the sights.You wouldn’t aim it from the side.This phenomenon also applies to putting; you can’t see the aim direction or imagine the break trajectory if your eyes are positioned away from the starting line of the putt. Aligning your putts with your eyes on the AimLine? is the same as looking down the barrel of a rifle. It lets you “see” your stroke target and makes it easy to aim your body, stroke and putt.