Techniques Dealing with Pressure While Putting


Techniques Dealing with Pressure While Putting

In this section of this article, we are going to take a bit of a turn to cover a slightly different – but related – topic. That topic is putting under pressure, which is one of the great challenges that golf has to offer players of all skill levels. You might think that you don’t face pressure on the course simply because you don’t play in high-level tournaments, but that is just not the case. All golfers feel pressure at one time or another, and that pressure is usually at its greatest when on the greens.

Your grip is related to pressure putting because your hands are the part of the body which react most significantly to pressure. You are likely to get tight before hitting a big putt, meaning your fingers will squeeze the grip and you will lose some of the feel for your stroke. To get over this hurdle and putt well even when the stakes are high, use the tips below.

  • Get lost in your routine. You never want to stand around on the green while focusing on nothing but the pressure. It does you no good to think about what is on the line or how nervous you are feeling – instead, you should just get down to work on the task at hand. Get a great read, plan out the speed of your putt, and make sure your mechanics are in order. Getting lost in your routine isn’t going to completely eliminate the nerves, but it will help to put your mind in a better place.
  • Accept the outcome before it happens. Some of the putts you hit under pressure are going to miss the mark. That isn’t a big deal, as everyone misses putts from time to time. There is a tendency in this game to aim for perfection when under pressure, but that is not realistic. By understanding that you are going to miss in some cases, you can relax and simply give your best effort.
  • Think about past successes. Unless you are completely new to the game of golf, you can probably think of a time when you faced pressure on the course and succeeded. Use those past accomplishments to give yourself confidence when the nerves start to settle in. After all, if you’ve done it before, you can do it again. Remember what it felt like to have that success under pressure, and then look forward to feeling that sense of accomplishment again when you knock the ball right into the middle of the cup.
  • Building a proper putting grip should start with placing your palms in a flat position across from each other on the grip. This might seem like an extremely simple point, and it is, but it is an important one to work on during your practice sessions. If you can build a solid grip that you don’t have to think about on the course, you’ll have one more piece of the putting puzzle locked into place. You are never going to reach your goals in this game without a reliable putter, and good putting starts with a proper grip. We hope the advice provided in this article will point you in the right direction on the greens. Good luck!