Another exercise that has helped me with my putting is to concentrate on following through with your stroke. Like many beginners / high handicappers I found it difficult to commit to a putting stroke; and the consequence is that I was not stroking the ball firmly or accurately enough. The result of this lack of confidence is leaving the putt short of the hole.
Improve Your Putting
To improve your putting, try pushing the ball with the putter with no backswing. Line your putter up against the back of the ball and simply push the ball forward to the hole. This exercise taught me to follow through, resulting in a more confident, positive swing motion.
Despite recently suffering with tonsillitis, Lee Westwood will still be available to represent Europe in this month’s Ryder Cup according to his agent Chubby Chandler. The English golfer missed last week’s European Open and will also miss the Mercedes-Benz Championship that starts in Germany on Thursday.
However, Chubby Chandler is insisting that Lee Westwood is ‘slowly recovering’ from the illness and that there is ‘no concern’ as to whether he will be fit enough to take part in the Ryder Cup. One thing that was admitted by Chandler though and something that will concern all European Golf fans, is that Lee Westwood is by no means 100% fit.
Going into the Ryder Cup without much recent playing time behind you is a big risk and it could affect the way Lee Westwood performs for Nick Faldo’s team. It is even more frustrating when you consider the form he was in before being struck down with the illness. Arguably in the best shape of his life, Lee Westwood finished 3rd in the US Open, climbing to number 12 in the world. I just hope that he can recapture this form when called upon by Team Europe. I’d be a lot happier placing my golf betting money on a European win if Lee Westwood is firing on all cylinders – that’s for sure.
Something that cannot be doubted is Lee Westwood’s record in the Ryder Cup. The 35-year-old has secured 15 ½ points for his team during his five appearances and has been Europe’s leading scorer – along with Spain’s Sergio Garcia – in the last two Ryder Cups. These type of statistics show why it is so important that Lee Westwood is available come next Friday.
Looking at Team Europe, he is one of the more experienced members of the side and his presence would be greatly missed. Along with Lee Westwood, the likes of Padgraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez bring with them a lot of Ryder Cup experience and the loss of any of them would certainly affect Europe’s chances of making it four wins in a row.
Like Lee Westwood’s agent though, we must remain positive. If he says that Lee Westwood is going to be fit, why shouldn’t we believe him? Keeping my optimistic hat on, I would say that Lee Westwood will simply be refreshed and raring to go as he looks to close the gap on Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup record of 25 points.
Once you start playing golf it doesn’t take you too long to realise your putting is the most important part of your game. I’m sure most high handicappers have a similar problem as myself. I can now confidently hit a ball some distance, and more often then not, hit the fairways. But getting onto the greens in two or three strokes is pointless if it then takes you three strokes to get the ball in the hole.
So I am going to share with you some of the tips I have been given over the past few months or so; and it would be great if you had other tips to share with me.
It’s an old cliche in golf, but its true to say - putting is a game within a game!
Improve Your Putting
This tip might sound odd, but believe me it works. It will help you gauge the power of your stroke and also gain confidence in your ability to judge how hard to hit the ball.
I read that when Tiger Woods was very young, his father used to tell him to pick the ball up and roll it towards the hole. If you are throwing a ball to someone else to catch you don’t fill your head with complicated sums trying to workout the distance, you simply look at your target and gauge the amount of power you need to apply to send the ball to the recipient.
By rolling the ball to the hole you are using those same instincts. Try it, if it works then attempt to hit the ball with equal power using your putter.
Trust me, it works; and by doing this exercise you will gain confidence in your own ability to judge the distance and power required to send the ball to the hole without worrying too much about techniques.
I’m currently reading another book by well respected sports psychologist, Bob Rotella, Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect.
In Chapter 9: Let The Short Game Flow, Rotella places similar importance on routines and clearing the mind of any distractions in the same way as for other parts of the game. But helping me make my short game better is Rotella’s focus on three words - trust, feel and confidence.
Like many aspects of psychology, when I read it I can’t help thinking it is nothing more than common sense. But to read it and then keep it in mind the next time I find myself around the green with a wedge & putter to make an impressive par, is when I really appreciate how simple Rotella keeps his writing.
Rotella suggests any golf pro should be thinking of getting the ball in the hole, not near the pin, from 180 yards. For an amateur he suggests the yardage to be more like 60 - 90 depending on the handicap.
Most important he suggests is, when you find yourself around the edge of the green with a wedge in hand, you will need to losen your grip and feel the shot. Take more practice shots and when it feels right, trust your judgment and be confident of your ability to succeed.
Rotella states that the majority of my shots as a high handicapper are going to be made on or around the green, so it makes perfect sense to me when he says I should spend 70% of my practising with my short irons, wedges & putter.
If the three driving ranges I frequent are anything to go by, I meet very few golfers on the chipping green, putting greens and practising over or out of the bunker. Most are trying to hit the back fence with the oversized drivers!
This classic comedy sketch was posted by John Williams on the British Comedy Classics blog last week. The clip is from the 1980’s sketch show Not The Nine O’ Clock News and has Rowan Atkinson introducing the contenders for the Pro Am Silly Trousers Tournament.
I think Ian Poulter could give all these old timers a good run for their money!
