You're Correct!

Speed control is probably the most important aspect of putting. No matter how far away you are from the hole, the speed that your ball travels at will determine how many putts you to take on the green.

Many people believe that the line of the putt is the most important factor, but the line of the putt is determined by the speed the ball is travelling.

For example, if you have a putt that looks like it will break eight inches from right-to-left, you may hit the ball with greater speed and aim two inches right of the hole. The putt could hit the back of the hole yet the chance of the ball going in are reduced greatly due to the ball travelling with too much speed. You could then allow for more break from, say 12 inches, and hit the ball with less speed. The ball travels towards the hole and looks right on line but the putt doesnt have enough speed to get all the way so you will never get that putt into the hole.

If you hit the put with the optimum amount of speed, you would see that the ball would travel no further than 18 inches beyond the hole. If you start the ball on the correct line, the ball will always find its way to the bottom of the cup. At the optimum speed, the line of the putt will be seven to eight inches right of the hole. This will see your ball take the correct amount of break and will roll into the hole with a little speed.

The most important aspect of controlling the speed of your putts has nothing to do with holing more putts but more importantly will reduce the number of times you three putt. If your speed control is good and your putt travels at the optimum speed for the distance then even if you dont quite start the ball on the correct line you will only leave yourself a putt from between one to two feet. Statistically, you will hole the vast majority of putts from this distance meaning you will two putt many more greens than you will three putt. This will result in you taking fewer shots during your round and reducing your handicap very quickly.

If you hit your putts with too little speed then you will never hole a putt for as long as you play the game of golf. If you hit your putts with too much speed, there will be the rare occasion when your ball hits the back of the cup, jumps two feet into the air and lands in the bottom of the cup. But remember, this will rarely happen.

Trying to avoid pitch marks or indentations in the green by hitting your ball with too much speed will only see you miss more putts. There are some indentations on the green that are unavoidable. Make sure you repair your pitch mark and others around your ball correctly and there will be no need for you to try and increase the speed of your putt to avoid the ball being knocked off line.

If you miss most of your putts on the low side of the hole, this will tell you that the speed your ball is travelling at is too slow. Putts hit at this speed never have the opportunity to go into the hole and this will make it more difficult for you to reduce your handicap.