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One of the most important areas of becoming a good putter is to be able to control the speed and tempo of your putting stroke. Making the putter swing back and through at the same speed is critical if you are to become a good putter.

If you watch any of the best putters, you will see that their stroke looks silky smooth. This is because they are moving the club back at a slow, even speed and then keeping the same speed as they move the putter forward to impact and beyond.

Keeping your putter moving with this degree of control will not only see you judge your speed better but also keep your putter face square to your path, giving you the best possible chance of starting your ball along your intended line. One of the best practise drills to help re-enforce the control of your speed and develop a silky smooth stroke is to putt with your dominant hand.

Even though both hands are used in your putting stroke, your dominant hand has the responsibility of controlling your speed and tempo. For example, if you are right hand dominant, you will have more feel in this hand than in your left hand, so you need to instil all you feel for the speed of the putt required in this hand.

Next time youre on the practise green, drop four of five balls around 30 feet from a hole. Take your set up, and when youre ready to hit your putt, place your left hand (if your right hand dominant) into your pocket and hit your putt towards the hole. Keep the pace of your stroke the same in both directions so you get a good feel for the length of your stroke. Repeat this for every ball. The more you practise this drill, the more your feel and speed control will improve, leaving you with a smooth, silky stroke.

Whether you practise your putting with only your left hand, right hand or both hands on the handle, the chances of stopping your hands jerking through impact are slim. Try changing your grip to the lead hand below or maybe even the claw grip. This would be a better way for you to try and stop your hands jerking through impact.

Accelerating your putter head through impact will result in losing your ability to consistently control the speed of your putts. This is due to the fact that you cant measure the amount of acceleration you apply. This inconsistent speed of the putter head will see the final resting place of your ball greatly differ between shots.

If you spend time practising with your non-dominant hand only, you will find it difficult at first to hit a putt both on line and at the right speed. You should really hold the putter in your more dominant hand to develop your feel further and leave your non-dominant hand to control the direction.