Putting is a head game. Honestly, you can have the most expensive Scotty Cameron in the world, but if your eyes are lying to you and your grip is a death vice, that ball isn't going in the hole. It's frustrating. You drive it 280 yards right down the middle, stick a wedge to ten feet, and then—clank. A three-putt. Most amateur golfers approach golf how to putt as an afterthought, something they do for five minutes on the practice green before their tee time while checking their phone. That’s a mistake.
The green is where the score dies or lives. If you want to drop five strokes off your handicap by next weekend, you don't need a faster swing. You need a better process.
The Setup is Probably What’s Killing Your Line
Most people stand over the ball and feel like they’re aiming at the cup, but they’re actually aiming at the fringe. It's a parallax error. If your eyes aren't directly over the ball—or just slightly inside the line—the perspective shifts. You see a curve that isn't there.
Try this. Drop a second ball from your bridge of your nose while you're in your stance. If it hits the ball on the ground, you're golden. If it hits your shoes? You're too far away. If it lands outside the ball? You’re crowded. Dave Pelz, the literal "Short Game Guru" who has worked with Phil Mickelson for years, has spent decades proving that mechanics matter less than starting the ball on the intended line. If you can't start a ball on a straight line for three feet, you will never, ever be a good putter.
Weight distribution matters too. Most pros, like Tiger Woods in his prime, kept their lower body absolutely stone-still. Like it was set in concrete. If your hips move even a fraction of an inch during the stroke, your face angle changes. And at ten feet, a one-degree face error is the difference between center-cut and a lip-out.
Stop Trying to "Hit" the Ball
One of the biggest issues in golf how to putt is the "hit" impulse. You see the ball, you want to move it, so you jab at it.
Jabbing is the enemy of distance control.
Think of the putter as a pendulum. The backstroke and the through-stroke should be roughly the same length. If you have a tiny backswing and a long, decelerating follow-through, your brain is trying to compensate for lack of momentum. It leads to the "yips." Instead, focus on a rhythmic "one-two" count.
Brad Faxon, arguably one of the greatest putters to ever play the game, often talks about the importance of "releasing" the putter head. You aren't guiding it. You aren't steering it like a car. You’re letting the weight of the metal do the work. It’s a soft feeling. Your grip pressure should be about a 3 out of 10. If you’re white-knuckling the grip, your wrists take over. Wrists are twitchy. Shoulders are stable. Use the big muscles.
Green Reading is a Skill, Not a Guess
You’ve seen guys plumb-bobbing or squatting down like they’re hunting a deer. They’re looking for the "apex."
The apex is the highest point of the break. If a putt breaks right to left, you aren't aiming at the hole; you're aiming at a spot on the high side. Aim for the "pro side." Missing on the "amateur side" (the low side) means the ball never had a chance to fall in. It’s moving away from the hole the entire time.
Look at the feet. AimPoint Express has become massive on the PGA Tour because it relies on what your feet feel, not just what your eyes see. Your eyes can be fooled by backgrounds, mountains, or drainage pipes. Your inner ear and your feet don't lie about slope. Walk halfway to the hole and feel the tilt. Is your left foot higher? Then the ball is moving right. It’s physics.
The Gate Drill and Other Real Practice
Hitting twenty balls to the same hole is useless. Your brain goes on autopilot. It’s called "blocked practice," and it doesn't translate to the course.
If you want to master golf how to putt, use the Gate Drill.
- Stick two tees in the ground just wider than your putter head.
- Put a ball in the middle.
- Make your stroke without hitting the tees.
If you can do this ten times in a row, you’ve mastered "center-face contact." Most people miss putts because they hit it off the toe or the heel. Even a perfect read won't save a toe-strike; the energy transfer is lower, and the ball comes up short and off-line.
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Another thing: practice the "lag." Find a spot 40 feet away. Your goal isn't to make it. Your goal is to get it inside a three-foot circle around the hole. This takes the pressure off. When you stop obsessing over making the 40-footer, your body relaxes, and ironically, you'll start making more of them.
Equipment Myths
Do you need a mallet or a blade?
Mallets (the big, chunky ones) have a high Moment of Inertia (MOI). Basically, they resist twisting. If you have a straight-back, straight-through stroke, mallets are your best friend.
Blades are for players with an "arc" in their stroke. If your putter moves like a swinging door—opening on the way back and closing on the way through—a blade helps that natural rotation. Don't fight your natural stroke; buy a putter that fits it. Go get a fitting. It’s the best $100 you’ll ever spend in golf. They’ll check your loft and lie angle, which determines if the ball skids or rolls immediately. You want immediate roll. Skidding leads to unpredictable bounces on the grass.
Dealing with the Mental Side
Putting is 90% confidence. If you stand over a four-footer thinking, "Don't miss this," you’ve already lost. Your brain doesn't process "don't." It just hears "miss this."
Focus on a specific blade of grass or a mark on the ball. Give your mind a job so it doesn't have time to worry about the outcome. Look at the hole, look at the ball, and go. Don't linger. The longer you stand over it, the more doubt creeps in.
Stan Utley, another legendary short-game coach, emphasizes that the putter should feel like an extension of your arms. It's a natural movement. You don't overthink how to toss a ball to a friend, right? You just look at them and throw it. Putting should have that same athletic "feel."
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Round
To truly change your game, stop searching for a magic tip and start building a repeatable routine. Here is how to actually improve:
- Calibrate your eyes: Every time you practice, use the "ball drop" method mentioned earlier to ensure your eyes are consistently over the line.
- The 3-6-9 Drill: Place four balls at 3 feet, 6 feet, and 9 feet. You have to make all four from 3 feet before moving back. If you miss at 9, you start over at 3. This builds "pressure" that mimics a real round.
- Speed is King: On the practice green, spend 70% of your time on speed and 30% on line. A bad line with great speed leaves a tap-in. A great line with bad speed leaves a five-foot tester or a ball off the green.
- Check your Grip: Ensure the handle is running through the lifeline of your palms, not your fingers. This minimizes wrist hinge.
- Listen, don't look: On short putts, keep your head down until the ball drops. If you look up too early to see if it went in, you’ll pull your shoulder and miss left. Listen for the "clink."
Mastering the flat stick isn't about being a robot. It's about eliminating variables. Keep your head still, match your stroke length, and trust your feet. The birdies will follow.