Master your putting game: Zeon’s three tips to sink more putts!
Whilst it doesn’t happen often, there are few things in this world more satisfying than sending a drive 300 yards down the fairway. However, on the odd occasion that does actually happen, you almost certainly duff the second shot and despite being 20 yards short of the green on a par 4, you’re lucky to escape with a bogey.
So it has dawned on us. To achieve that low-teens handicap that we know (somewhat deludedly) we should be, it’s the putting green where we need to put in the practice. If you’re a weekend golfer like us and want to improve your putting skills, then you have come to the right place!
Here are Zeon Golf’s three top tips:
1.The Stroke
One of Zeon Golf’s ambassadors, Craig at Scratch at 50, has produced a video on this very subject so for more information, give it a watch!
Developing a reliable and consistent putting stroke is the foundation of any process to improve your putting. As Craig talks about in his video, there are a number of training aids that are available out there to help build confidence in your putting stroke. The great thing with these training aid, as his video demonstrates, is that it can be used on the practice green or at home.
Here at Zeon Golf, we have been paying close attention to our putting strokes over the past week or so in preparation for this blog and we noticed two main problems. The first, the putter club face was slightly open when connecting with the ball. Now I’m not entirely sure where this has come from, potentially my right hand opening during the backswing, but since identifying this, I have found I’m missing far less putts to the right of the hole.
The second development area with my putting stroke was the arch of the stroke. I found that I seemed to have a different arch to my putting stroke each time, so again, this is something that I’ll need to work on in the coming rounds!
So the first step in improving your putting is mastering the putting stroke! In particular, pay attention to your club face and the arch of your putting stroke; hopefully if you fix any issues here, you’ll immediately see an improvement!
2. The Bin Lid
We all dream of that 25-yard putt for birdie. You know the one; you’ve smashed a drive and surprisingly managed to hit the green with the second shot. You are wearing your Zeon Nephele Polo shirt,looking good and for once, you seem to be playing good! Now, you know what your brain is saying… “just put it close, tap in for par”. But that’s not what your heart is saying. Your heart is telling you that the stars have aligned and there is no way you can possibly miss this 25-yard putt.
You take it on. And predictably you miss. And what’s more, you go 8 ft past the hole, meaning you miss that too, and you walk off with a bogey.
We are here to tell you, don’t listen to your heart! Instead, think of the bin lid. Whenever you have a putt over 12-15ft, just aim to put the ball within 3 yards. Like an imaginary black bin lid has been placed over the hole. Whilst that illusive 25-yard putt is always there in your dreams, it is best to leave it there and when you are on the course, play for the bin lid!
3.Take your time!
Our final tip, is take your time! So so simple yet it’s the most common mistake people make when putting. You may feel that the group behind are putting pressure on you, you may just be desperate for that end-of-round beer, or your mates might just be giving you some stick. But if you are like us, you’ll have rushed a putt and then kick yourself for missing it.
Just take your time. No matter how long you feel you are taking on the putt, I can promise you it isn’t as long as it feels in your head. Instead of rushing, take a moment, walk around the green to double-check your read of the slope. And breathe. Only when you are ready, then step up and take the putt. Heck, you may miss it anyway, but at least you can’t blame yourself for not taking your time!
Hope you can put these three tips into action and let us know if you have any top tips we should try!
Swing easy out there brothers,
Team Zeon Golf