As you continue to work on using a pendulum stroke rather than a wristy putting action, we hope these tips below will help move you in the right direction.

• Speed, speed, speed. The main skill you should be working on during your practice sessions is rolling the ball the right distance. This is going to be the hardest part of learning your new stroke, since the feel of the putter as it swings is going to have changed dramatically. A wristy stroke is usually a short, quick action, while a pendulum stroke is long and sweeping. This different feel is going to make it hard for you to control your distances at first. Practice plenty of long putts to gradually improve your ability to roll the ball right up next to the cup.
• Hit plenty of short putts. In addition to rolling long putts across the practice green to work on speed control, you’ll also want to build up your confidence with regard to short putts. When you get in close to the hole, you might be tempted to revert back to your old ways by using a wristy stroke. This is simply due to a lack of confidence. If you build confidence in practice by hitting plenty of short putts, you should have no trouble trusting your pendulum stroke on the course – even when you face a tricky three-footer. If possible, try to end your warm up routine before a round by knocking in several short putts in a row. This is a nice little confidence boost before you walk to the first tee.
• Ask a friend for help. To make sure your stroke is as simple as it should be, ask a friend to watch you roll a few putts in practice. Specifically, have them watch your hands and wrists to make sure they aren’t getting involved in the action. For extra assurance, ask your friend to record your stroke on video so you can watch it back for yourself. With video confirmation that your wrists have been taken out of the action, you should have even more confidence to move forward with this technique.

At first, it may seem like putting using your hands and wrists actively is a good idea. And, to be fair, it was a good idea, once upon a time. When greens were slow, a wristy putting stroke was an effective technique. Today, however, greens are generally fast and a pendulum stroke is the way to go. We hope this article has inspired you to get out to the practice green and work on taking the wrist action out of your putting mechanics. It may take some time to get comfortable with your new stroke, but you’ll be rewarded in the long run with significantly improved results. Good luck!