While trying to decide if you are going to be a cautious or aggressive putter, you might want to keep these few tips in mind.

• Think about local green conditions. If you play golf in an area which typically allows courses to keep their greens fast, it might be tough to maintain an aggressive style of play with your putter. Quick greens will cause your aggressive putts to roll out even farther, especially when playing down a hill. On the other hand, if you usually face slow greens, putting with an aggressive style will be a natural fit. Since most golfers play the majority of their rounds on just a handful of courses – or even just one course – it makes sense to tailor your putting method to your local conditions.
• Positioning is critical for aggressive putters. If you are going to putt aggressively, it is especially important that you manage to position your ball below the hole more often than not. If you can play intentionally to the low side on a regular basis, you can be aggressive putting back up the hill without too much worry of having the ball get away from you. Of course, even if you are a conservative putter, it is still a good idea to play to the low side whenever you can.
• Take your time on second putts. This is another tip which relates mostly to aggressive putters. If you let the ball race past the cup time and time again, you are going to deal with a lot of tricky comeback attempts. Rather than rushing into those putts, the better plan would be to take your time and collect your thoughts before proceeding. Mark the ball, read this short putt, and pick out a line. Then, make a smooth stroke and knock the ball right into the middle of the cup. It will take a few extra moments to reset yourself for these comeback putts, but that time will be well spent when you avoid three putt greens.

It’s up to you to decide how you want to approach your putts. Putting aggressively has its benefits, as we’ve seen in this article, but so too does playing it safe. The right plan for your game is the plan which yields the best results over the long run. Once you have decided how you will putt, don’t give up on your plan just because you have a bad round or two. Your confidence should grow over time, and your average score should come down as a result. Good luck!