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When you’re faced with a short- to medium-length putt, it is critical to know what your eyes are focused on. A good practice is to ask yourself, “Where am I looking?”
Realizing the importance of having your thoughts well-organized on every shot, let’s consider a few simple ideas that will help you along. For example, say you have a 12-foot putt, slightly downhill, with 6 inches of right-to-left break.
 First, pay attention to the surroundings as you approach the green. Look for the general lay of the land; how it affects the green and the roll of the putt. As you read the putt from different directions, from behind the ball and behind the hole, be sure to look at the putt from the low side. This will give you the best feel for speed and break.You also should check the green for the grain of the grass. By this, I simply mean the direction the grass is growing. If the green appears shiny in one direction and darker in the opposite direction, it’s an indication of grain. This is important because grain affects the speed at which the ball will roll. If the putt is in the direction of the shiny area, it is “with the grain” and will roll faster than a putt struck “against the grain.” In addition to affecting the ball’s speed, the grain will also affect the amount of break in the putt.
Next, it is time to decide how aggressive you’re going to be with the speed of your putt. This strategic decision is best determined by a process of visualizing the roll of the putt, noting the line you must start the ball on, so that when it takes the break, the ball will be headed into the cup.
Once you’ve visualized the roll, you’re ready for the last look. During this last look, I visualize the roll of the ball and plug in a positive feeling or swing-thought for my stroke, such as “accelerate down and through the putt.” Now it is time to stand over the ball and hit a confident putt.
The primary notion I want to convey is that you must know where your eyes are focusing on that last look. To ensure a good putt, you need to be looking at the high-point or the start line. Remember, we have a slightly downhill slope, a 12-footer, with 6 inches of right-to-left break. So many times when I am helping a student who is consistently missing putts on the low side, we determine that his or her last look was at the hole. If that is what you are doing, you must understand that is where your body is most likely going to try to start the ball. That would be at the hole, versus 6 inches to the right, which allows for the break.
Remember, your last look should be on your start line or at the high point in the break of the putt. This will allow you to make a confident stroke that has the ball leaving your putter coming in from the high side of the hole every time.
In August 2007, IMI-sponsored Golf Professional Stan Utley was named "Top 10" in Golf Digest's America’s Fifty Greatest Teachers, a biennial survey of top-ranked golf instructors. In addition to having his teaching philosophy and game improvement methods consistently profiled in Golf Digest, on the Golf Channel, and in his new book "The Art of Putting," Utley's "Short Game with Stan" column is a regular feature in Resort Living magazine. |
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