5 Tips to Instantly Improve Your Putting

In this guide, I’ll share 5 putting tips that will instantly improve your putting on the golf course. Let’s get started with a quick warm up drill that you should practice frequently to build a solid putting stroke.

Look, it’s okay to want to hit 300 yard drives, we all do. But in reality being a long hitter off the tee will not guarantee better scoring.

Short game is actually the more important area of your golf game to focus on as a beginner. It will help you lower your golf scores quickly.

Putting is a short game component that plays a key part in better scoring. You can become a great putter like the pro’s. It will take lots of time and practice reps but the results are worth it.

How to Get Better at Putting in Golf

Below are 5 putting tips that will have you putting like Jordan Spieth in no time.

• Decrease your grip pressure
• Speed is the most important part of the putt
• Get your eyes over the ball
• Soften the right side of your body
• Square up alignment

1. Decrease your grip pressure

Grip pressure is a key factor in putting. The goal is to grip the putter as light as possible but still have control over the club.

Decreased grip pressure will ensure that the putting stroke gets powered by the shoulders and not the hands.

Excuse the pun but there is no rule of thumb for the ideal grip pressure. However, keeping the following analogy in mind will help you with finding the perfect grip pressure for you individually.

Imagine holding a bird in your hands. You want to hold it tight enough so that it doesn’t fly away, but you also don’t want to hurt it by holding on too tight.

This explains the putting grip perfectly. You have to hold on tight enough in order to be able to control the putter, but you don’t want to “hurt” your stroke by holding on too tight.

RESOURCE: Check out this guide on choosing the best putter

2. Speed of the putt is the most important part

100% of putts that are short of the hole don’t go in, this is a fact that can’t be argued.

It doesn’t matter how perfect your line is, if the ball doesn’t get to the hole it cannot go in.

The same rule applies to putts that are hit too hard. If the ball carries too much speed it will be physically impossible for it to go in.

Amateur golfers spend too much time trying to figure out what line to hit a putt on instead of focusing on the speed of the putt.

Instead of trying to decide whether a putt is going to break either 3 or 4 inches, rather focus on what speed you need to hit the putt with.

In reality, there can be multiple lines to the hole that are correct and will make the putt with. It just depends on the speed that the ball is going to be entering the hole with. If the speed matches the line, the putt goes in.

3. Get your eyes over the ball

Getting your body into a good position over a putt before you pull the trigger is crucial.

Not only does it give you a good chance to make a solid stroke, but it is a factor that you can control without having to physically think about while making your putting stroke.

When setting up, there should be a straight line between the ball and your eyes. This setup promotes a stroke that follows along that eye line, thus a straight back and through stroke.

If you were to drop a coin from your eyes, you would expect that coin to fall straight down and hit the ball on the ground to show that you are in the ideal putting posture with eyes over the ball.

4. Soften the right side of your body

Majority of golfers use a putting grip that is similar to their normal grip, thus the right hand will be below the left hand for right handed players.

Naturally due to the configuration of your hands the right shoulder should be lower than the left shoulder.

Some players tend to think that they need to compensate for this imbalance, but that isn’t the case. Having a “soft” right side is very important, especially with putting.

If the right shoulder and arm are in a tense position it will prevent a smooth shoulder turn, thus having a “soft” right side will lead to a more rhythmic putting stroke.

5. Square up alignment

Alignment is one of the first basic fundamentals that a player learns when they take up golf.

Alignment is extremely important in putting, but most importantly alignment of the body is what’s really matters.

Even though alignment is a basic concept, it is something that golfers need to check on a continuous basis. It is very easy to gradually learn bad habits that can throw your alignment all over the place.

The key components of alignment are your feet, shoulders and clubface.

• The first step is to ensure that the clubface is aligned to your target line
• Secondly align your feet and shoulders parallel to the target line

Overall, try these 5 putting tips to help make improvement to your stroke. Decrease grip pressure, soften your right side, align properly during setup, get your eyes over the ball, and dial in the speed of the putt perfectly.

More Golf Tips & Resources

• All Access Golf Resource Library
• Short Game Practice Plan
• Indoor Golf Practice & Fitness Plan
• 36 Easy to Follow Golf Practice Routines

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