- Monitor your knees. The last drill on our list was designed to help you keep your head steady as you hit your long putts. That is important to be sure, but it is also important to keep your knees stable as well. Movement in your lower body during the stroke is going to make it difficult to achieve a clean strike – and a clean strike is the only way to consistently manage your distances. Pay attention to the position of your knees as the putter swings and make sure they are moving very little in any direction. Unlike the full swing, you don’t need to use your lower body actively in the putting stroke. Instead, it should simply provide a strong, stable base on which you can work.
- Don’t get too aggressive. For many amateur golfers, distance control struggles come down to nothing more than an over-aggressive approach to putting. In an effort to make every single putt they attempt, many players force the ball up to the hole – racing it past and setting up difficult comeback attempts. The reality of this game is that you simply are not going to make all of your putts. When putting from long range, set your aggressive attitude to the side and instead think about how you can roll the ball up with a comfortable pace that will ensure a two-putt. Even if you come up a little short with your first putt, that’s okay – as long as the second putt is an easy one, you have done your job.
- Prepare for each round. The speed of the greens is going to change from round to round, even if you are playing the same course. To prepare yourself properly, you need to spend some time on the practice green before the round begins. Instead of just hitting a series of short putts, try to include some longer putts in your warm up routine to make sure you have a good feel for the pace that you will be dealing with on that day. Of course, green speeds can even change within a round, so pay attention to the results of your putts and respond accordingly.
- Maintain a smooth tempo. One of the best things you can do from a technical standpoint for your distance control is to use a smooth tempo throughout your stroke. Don’t use a slow backstroke and then speed up into the ball, or vice versa. Instead, do your best to make an even stroke that flows back and through at nearly the exact same pace the entire time. This method is your best option when trying to manage distance control successfully.
You should have plenty to work with in terms of practicing your distance control with the flat stick. We wanted to touch on some basic tips that can help improve your distance control as well. Some of these tips are physical in nature, while others relate to the mental side of your game. We hope these points are the last step you needed in order to bring together your distance control performance on the greens.
The average golfer does not do a very good job of controlling his or her distances when putting. Rather than spending all of your practice time working on your driver and other full swing clubs, step over to the putting green from time to time to work on this valuable skill. The ability to two-putt from even the toughest positions will help you tremendously when out on the course. Good luck!
