You're Correct!

There are many times that you will hear people tell you to listen for the ball falling into the hole. This advice is good in part as it gives the image of a stable body and head.

s advice is good in part as it gives the image of a stable body and head. There is one slight issue with this, and that is to be able to control your speed and judge the distance of your putt you need to be able to see the ball roll out. The longer your putt, the more important it is to watch the roll. This is so you can tell if the length of your putting stroke rolled the ball at the correct speed for the line you selected and the distance you need the ball to travel.

When it comes to short putts, it is possible for you to keep your head still and your eyes in the direction of where your ball started from and then once you have hit your putt, you will be able to see the ball roll towards the hole and disappear into the cup through your peripheral vision. Once you get to a distance where you are no longer able to see the ball fall into the hole in this manner, you will need to slightly turn your head once your putt is on its way to watch the ball roll out.

A fantastic drill to help you would be to place a coin on the ground around 20 feet from the hole and place your golf ball on top of it. Take your set up and make your putting stroke. Once your ball is on its way towards the hole, count to two while you are still looking at the coin, then slightly turn your head to watch your ball roll out. This will help you to maintain your stability throughout your putting stroke and learn the length of stroke required to hit the ball 20 feet.

Repeat this drill but to move your coin to a spot that is four feet away from the hole. Take your set up and make your putting stroke, keeping your eyes focused on the coin after you have hit your putt. You should now be able to see your ball roll towards the hole and hopefully disappear into the cup through your peripheral vision.

If you watch your ball all the way from its start point to where it finishes rolling then the chances of you hitting your ball along your intended line become considerably reduced. This is due to the amount of movement you will have in your upper body as you move your head to follow your ball. This will mainly cause you to pull your putt towards the low side of the hole.

The only way you will get an idea of how the ball will roll on your next putt is if your putt runs beyond the hole. Here, you will see the direction it falls as it loses speed on the opposite side. As your putt slows down, it will take more of the break so if you allow the same amount of break but with more speed, your putt would not move the same amount and you will miss the hole.

Keeping your head still and your eyes looking at the spot where your ball was is good, but if you dont look up to watch it roll then you will never be able to learn the skill of speed control.

Controlling the speed is the most important part of putting, so it is essential that you watch some of your putt rolling out to enable you to learn the feel of the stroke for the distance required.