Quit Tinkering With Putting Technique And Start Building Confidence On The Putting Greens
It never ceases to amaze me at how difficult most people make putting. Short putting, in particular, is very easy.
When we are young, putting is a breeze. A three footer doesn't even get a second thought. Have you ever wondered why that is? I did for a long time while I fought the yips.
I concluded that the main reason golfers begin to lose confidence in their putting is residual memory. When you were a young golfer just starting out, you had no memory at all of missing a short putt. Or any putt at all for that matter.
But eventually you will miss your first short putt. Over time, when you consider the best putters make about 90% from 5 feet, you are going to see at least one out of every ten putts you hit from 5 feet miss the hole.
As is human nature, we tend to store the bad things in our subconscious. It is easier than dealing with them. The successes we can deal with on the conscious level.
As we continue playing golf, and missing those short putts, eventually we see enough missed putts to plant the seed of doubt in our minds. As the seed sprouts and grows in our mind, the thought of a miss becomes stronger.
The stronger the thought of a miss, the more likely it is to occur. Before long you have turned the possibility of a miss into a probability.
At that point, the golfer usually turns to tweaking their putting stroke or grip. They change equipment and anything else they can think of.
All of these changes ignore the problem, which is a loss of confidence.
The best way to build confidence is to watch putts fall in the hole. Even if it is from only a foot or two away, your eyes see the ball going into the hole and send the message to the brain that you made the putt.
Even with the flawed putting method used by golfers today, if you can get that signal sent to your brain enough your confidence will be restored and you will start making more putts.
Practicing on two footers may sound like doing it the hard way, but it will last you a lot longer than the results of a grip or equipment change.
Let me show you the proper way to putt.
