You're Correct!

Having a solid short game or finesse game is all well and good, but if you can not hole a putt when it counts then all your good work has been for nothing.

The majority of the putts you may leave yourself are between two and 10 feet. Yet the amount of practise time spent by the average club golfer on improving this area of their game is less than five minutes a month.

The time spent practising putting is low and there are two reasons for this. Firstly, most golfers think their putting is fairly good, especially if they dont often three putt. The second reason it that they think that they practise their putting before every round, but spending 5-10 minutes on the putting green prior to teeing off does not constitute you practising your putting. The chances of you holing important putts when it counts will be very low unless you start to practise with purpose.

You need to spend at least 30 minutes per week practising the following drills and recording the results. The reason for you needing to record the results is because when you write something down it matters.

The 8 Foot Challenge

Find a straight putt on the practise green and measure it using a tape from the edge of the hole to 10 feet. Place a tee in the ground starting from two feet and then every foot up to 10 feet. Take one ball and hole consecutive putts from each tee. If you miss you need to go back to the two foot mark and start again until you hole from each distance consecutively. Write down how many times it took you to complete. The next time you practise you need to beat your previous number of attempts. If you dont then put $1 in a jar every time you fail to beat your score. Give the money to your better half as a treat every six months.

Dont just practise straight putts. You must select both left to right and right to left putts and do the same drill. Make sure you write down your results and put the money in the jar if you fail to improve your score. The pressure of having to put money in a jar will pressurize your practise for you.

This is something that is easier said than done. Pressure comes in different guises, but at club golfer level it is mainly self inflicted. From the thought of other people watching you on the first tee to not wanting to buy the lunch if you miss a two footer on the last. The only way you can deal with it is to make your practise count.

Whether or not youre a nervous person has no bearing on how you deal with pressure on the course. The best way to deal with your nerves whilst playing golf is to take big, slow, deep breaths in and exhale them slowly. This will help you to slow down your heart rate to a more natural rhythm.

Not playing competitive golf is almost impossible, even for those of you who just want to enjoy a leisurely afternoon with friends. This is because being competitive is not just when you are playing in a competition. When you play for the coffees, you are adding a competitive edge to the game. This edge will add a degree of pressure, especially if you have a three footer on the last to halve the game.