Golf Putting Lesson

Golf has received some bad PR from a few critics who feel golfer are not athletic and only true athletes if you can perform before 50,000 screaming fans. My answer to that is, all of these other athletes call upon their muscles to perform at the fullest potential most all of the time. Other than Basketball and Bowling, you are not required to push-pull-throw-hit an object to a determined distance. However, I agree in Basketball and Bowling it is the same distance all the time, and in bowling, you have to be quiet too! So my response is, not only is a Golfer required to swing hard to an unlimited distance (driver) but, he or she must calculate a different club before every swing to go a measured distance multiple times. Then the ultimate point, getting the ball into a small hole on 18 very different, uneven surfaces as few times as possible is an exhibition of muscle control by a true athlete.

Putting, the culmination of a hole played with complete muscle control. We have all heard the phrase, "it is not how you hit it, but how many". A 300 yard drive counts the same as a top-in. So why don’t we see more people on the putting green than on the driving range? A person who can putt, can always be taught to play. So let’s go over the basics of putting.

Step One - Set-Up
• It is best to be positioned with your eyes directly over the ball. You can check this by taking your stance and look down at the ball. Take another ball while still in your stance and hold it next to your eye and drop the ball. If it does not land on the same plane as the ball you are putting, adjust your position until it does.


Step Two - Grip
• Both hands should be combined on the club to work together. A good beginning grip should have both thumbs on the top (flat part) of the putter. Taking the putter back should be controlled by the large muscles of the shoulders and not the hands. Keeping the hands together allows the putter face to remain square to hole and the ball on line.


Step Three - Stroke
• To have a consistent and repeatable putting stroke, you must remain still during the entire motion. The stroke must be controlled by the shoulders by a smooth take-away and smooth acceleration through the ball. Keep your head still after impact with the ball and stroke moving until the ball is on it’s way.

With all of this said, there is no one way to putt. But you can be a better putter by repeating the same Set-up, Grip and Stroke. Create your own comfortable putting stance with the recommended basics and start making more putts.