- Not in prescribed font
- No references
- Obviously did not get someone else to read paper before turning it in, as instructed. I should not have to be the first to correct words like “bee,” instead of “be” and “put,” instead of “Putt or “Choking” on a putter, instead of “choking down” on it.
The Art of Putting
The most sophisticated part of golf for both beginners and professionals is the putting game. Many games are won not by how far you drive the ball, but the number of additional strokes you use to putt the ball in once it has landed on the green. One putt can make the difference from being one under par to being at par comma and this is a game-winning determinant. There are many techniques that go into putting semicolon and even if you are the best golfer that has ever played the game, you will never make every single putt. Putting involves the most strict fundamentals as well as concentration and focus as well as finesse from all parts of the body. Holding the putter is a skill on its own, how your feet and arms are positioned, where the ball is located on the green, how the green is shaped, reading the green, and where you hit the ball all needs to be counted for when putting. There are many different factors that you will need to consider before you make that putting stroke that can either help you win a game, or lose a game. Combining all these techniques together will not make you make a putt in one shot every single time, but it will get you close. Game management is also determined by putting.
First off we will talk about scoring. Many games are determined by putting. Anyone person can learn to how to hit the ball with an iron or wedge or driver semicolon but it takes patients, precision, and skill to get the ball in the cup in the least number of putts. Many professionals and amateurs will try and get the ball in the cup from the green within two putts. Also, those that have a weak chipping game can use the skill of putting to their advantage because if the ball is outside the green and in the rough even inches right by the green comma you can still putt the ball from that position and save your self the risk of chipping the ball a lot farther away from the hole because of a bad chip. This will indeed save you a shot or two. Making a birdie (which is one shot under par) to par to a bogie (which is one shot over par) is also determined by putting as well. Your course management is also determined by how well you can putt. If you are a weak putter or a strong putter, your over all course management will be geared towards that in a way that will enable you to get the lowest score possible.
The next important step is to find a putter that fits. A miss-fitted putter will definitely add on more shots to your game. A lot of people buy putters off the rack and do not have them custom fitted to their size. This is a big mistake because the putter could be too long for your or too short for you. Having a longer putter means you are not directly on top of the ball when you are lining up for your putt. This can cause numerous miss-hits and putts directed off of where you want the ball to go. Also comma you will hit the side of the face of the putter at an angle comma if you have a longer putter. Having too short of a putter is also a disadvantage because of the way you are going to have to hold it. You won’t be able to make more of a natural movement of a putt if you are bent over too much comma and also you are not going to be able to be directly over the line of sight of the ball comma if your putter is too short or too long.
How you hold the putter and your body position comma as well as how you hit the ball is determinant on your finesse. Even the best of professionals will have missed puts and you will never find a person that has made every single put in their professional careers. So to say, putting is something that we all can improve on by working on our body positioning and finesse. To properly hold your putter you must first position yourself right next to the ball and let the clubface hang right behind the ball. Now if you are right handed, hold the top of the putter with your left hand and let it relax on your hand. Then place your right hand right under your left hand. I personally like to interlock my left index finger in between my right hand pinky and ring finger so both hand move together and not separately. Do not choke on the putter. This means do not grab the putter very tight and press down on it. It should almost hang from your hands. The next important step is your body in position of the ball. You must not bee too far or too close from the ball. The feel of the putter and how tall the putter is will determine this. Now your feet and shoulders should be parallel to each other. If they are not, then your putt will either break right or left from the hole. Now line the clubface directly behind the ball on the line of putt where you want the ball to travel comma and it is important that you are looking directly above the ball. Take a step back and take a couple of practice putts comma and measure in length of putt how far you would have to bring the clubface back to make the ball travel the intended distance. After you have determined the swing length, take another step back towards the ball comma and swing using both of your entire arms in a swinging motion. You should never use your wrists to putt comma for the accuracy of the putt will diminish. Your forward swing should be as far as your back swing comma for this is important for the line of travel for the ball and how far the ball will go. Keep your head down until 2 seconds after the putt comma and then look over towards the hole to see the ball travel. This will help you focus more on the swing and the line of putt rather than focusing on hitting the ball.
The next step in comma which many consider to be more of a learned mental skill rather than a physically acquired skill comma is reading the greens and ball positioning within the green. There are no two same greens in any golf course. Greens are going to have an uphill slant or downhill slant or even tilted areas that confer to the structure to the land of the golf course. Also, the position of the hole is going to be at different spots in the green and not always in the center. So it’s essential to have a great knowledge of how to read greens. You will need to look at the green from the golf balls perspective by crouching down and looking right behind the ball and seeing if there are any slants on the ground on the line of putt. If you are putting up hill comma you want to aim the ball to land 15 inches passed the hole to get the proper ball speed to get to the hole. And depending on how steep the hill shot is comma you will have to adjust this distance. Also with down hill putts, you will be using less momentum on the striking of the ball because you’re not going to face the challenges of an uphill putt. But, with downhill putts, “gravity will act upon the ball sooner on its run towards the hole and force the ball down the direction of the true downhill slope”. And also, the less speed the ball travels with, the more the ball will break (curve right or curve left comma depending on the slant). Uphill putts are a little bit easier than downhill putts because of the fact that they have less break “due to the momentum of the strike required to hit the ball up hill.” It is important to notice where to ball is on the green before you even get to the green comma so you can angle your pitch outside the rough or fairway to the correct placement on the green that will leave you with the best putt angle and distance. Beware of the sand bunkers because those are the hardest shots to get out of especially when you are trying to focus on ball placement on the green. Be sure to take a couple of practice putts on the course’s practice green because how they maintain the practice green is how they are going to maintain the course greens. This will certainly be advantageous of the player and will help the player better read the greens.
Putting etiquette is also very important. Players on the putting green should not step on or stand on the line of another players putt because this could adjust the path of travel for the ball. Also, be aware not to cast a shadow over the line of putt while someone is putting. Players should also remain on the green or close to the green until everyone is done putting and is ready to move on to the next hole.
Continuous practicing of putting is essential as well. There are many different ways you can practice putting but the best way is to find a practice green and practice there. Many course offer practice play on a practice putting green, which is right next to a practice chipping green area. There are a lot of putting aides that are available at many golf retail specialty stores that offer text as well as tools to help you become a better putter with advice from professional personnel. There are also different ways of practicing putting that can make it fun. My personal favorite is the “40 putt”. At the same spot, try and putt 40 consecutive times comma making every single putt. If you miss a putt you have to start over. This will help the putter deal with pressure once he reaches the 30’s and near the 40th putt. Try to putt with a green that is relatively straight comma so you can focus on the motion of the putt instead of the strategy of the putt because then if the putt breaks right or left, you know it’s not the green but the way you putted the ball semicolon and this will help you adjust to that.