There are two parts to every green side up and down attempt. You need to hit a nice chip shot to start things off, and then you need to finish the job with a good putt. In this section, we are going to address the second piece of the puzzle. An excellent chip shot won’t mean much if you can’t knock in the putt, so let’s make sure you have a plan for doing just that.

The tips below should help you improve your performance on short putts moving forward.

• Acceleration is key here, too. Previously, we discussed how it is important to keep the club moving through the ball when chipping. It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that this point is important when putting, as well. Unfortunately, many golfers go wrong here. The average golfer makes a backstroke which is much too long when facing a short putt, and that player is then forced to slow the putter down on its way through the ball. If you are going to become a reliable putter from short range, you need to break this habit. Use a relatively short stroke and accelerate smoothly through impact to hit your target line with great consistency.
• Practice with your eyes closed. Keeping your head down may be harder on short putts than it is anywhere else on the course. You know that you should keep your head and eyes down, but sometimes you just can’t help yourself from looking up early to see where the ball is going to go. To break this habit, try practicing some short putts with your eyes closed. When your eyes are closed, there won’t be any temptation to move your head early – since you wouldn’t be able to see the ball, anyway. You may be surprised to find how solid your stroke feels when you keep your eyes closed. Make this little drill a part of your regular practice routine and you should be able to break the bad habit of looking up early.
• Take a moment. It is common for amateur golfers to rush up to the ball after a chip shot, hurrying to knock the putt in and move on. However, rushing through your short putts is not a good idea, and it can lead to a miss from time to time. Take a moment before any short putt to collect your thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Remember, there are no easy shots in golf, so respect every putt and give them all your full attention.

The ability to get up and down is often what separates golfers at the end of the day. If you hit the ball at a similar level to the other players in your regular group, it will be your ability to get down in two from the side of the green that allows you to come out on top. Of course, you aren’t going to get up and down consistently if you struggle with thin chip shots. Use the advice in this article to make progress on this frustrating short game issue. Good luck!