I remember the bad old days when my putting wasn't up to par, so to speak. I was willing to try just about anything. But no matter what, the temporary gains of making a general change to my putting technique would always disappear as quickly as it arrived.
One thing that I learned in the putting struggle was that I, and most other golfers too, have a tendency to try to find something wrong with what they are doing. The search always begins with a technical analysis hoping to reveal some correctable technical flaw.
As an example, I remember reading a little story from a teaching pro on the tour several years ago. He didn't name the golfer, but the player had been in a slump for a while and recently returned to form. The teacher said he didn't find anything technically wrong with the guys swing, but he didn't want to hear it.
The teacher said he decided to "make up" a flaw for the player to correct and he started playing better almost immediately. The player knew in his mind he was doing something wrong, even though he was swinging just like always. The teacher didn't correct his swing, but corrected his minds perception of it.
When it comes to the shorter putting stroke, nothing is technically correct. Nothing is technically incorrect either. There is absolutely nothing technical about rolling a little white ball five or ten feet over smoothly mown turf.
Putting is not a matter of life and death. It is a game that requires you to hit a ball on a particular line at a certain speed. If you are focused on the technique you will use to do that you are overcomplicating a very simple thing.
Let me show you how to make an easy game of putting
