You're Correct!

The putting stroke is one of several types of swing you make to play golf, and did you know it accounts for approximately 43% of all swings made. Thats almost half of the shots you hit during a round of golf.

Practising your putting is potentially more important than practising any other part to your game, yet it is probably the area you practice the least. It is the one area of golf that you can be exceptionally good at no matter what your age, mental or physical strength, speed or size. But to be good at putting you need to spend time on either the practice putting green or the carpet at home to improve your fundamentals and stroke mechanics.

Twice a week you need to spend 30 minutes practising the following steps to become a better putter:

• Firstly, you need to either draw a line on your ball or use the logo and place your ball down with this aligned at your aim line. From here its easy to get the putter face square to the aim line. Make sure your eyes are above your aim line, your arms are relaxed and hanging straight down from your shoulders and, most importantly, that your shoulders, feet, and hips are parallel to your aim line.
• You need to work on your arms. They should move freely from the shoulders and swing so that your hands and wrists are passive. A good way to check your arm swing is to take a straw and put it into the hole in the end of your grip. If your arms are working correctly, the straw and the putter head will move as one unit towards the target.
• If youre on the putting green then create a rectangle that is 12 inches wide and 24 inches long with four tees. Now take six balls and start two steps away from your rectangle. The aim is to get all six putts to finish in the centre of the rectangle. Move two steps away and repeat. If you have the room to keep moving further away then do so. If you are at home, place a piece of A4 paper on the floor as your rectangular target.

Not getting a feel for the greens before you play is a big mistake. If you havent got a feel for the rhythm of your stroke or more importantly the speed of the practice putting green then youre going to struggle with your distance control.

Although its important to hit a few putts before you start your round, this is not classed as practising your putting. You spend almost 95% of your practice time making full swings and the other 5% is split between chipping and putting.

Change your practice habits and youll lower the number of strokes you take both in a round and with your putter.

Golf, like most things in life needs to be practised, and your putting stroke is no different. You can not turn up to the course and expect to make lots of putts, you need to practise the art of putting. If you spend your time learning not only how to execute an effective putting stroke but also how to read greens then you will become a good putter.