Your Guide to Golf Putting
By Mark Owen
The majority of recreational golfers do not focus enough on their putting skills until the time comes for a round of golf. Yes, it’s good to practice on your full golf swing, but you can’t avoid putting during the real game. You should allocate at least one half of the time you practice on putting.
The Fundamentals
First, work on your stance. It should generally be the narrowest of all the shots you play, meaning, not wider than your hips. It should also be close enough to the ball, but not too close as to have the likelihood to force the clubhead to the outer part of your target line in the backswing. You should turn your feet open, squared or closed, considering how those alterations affect your swing’s path, with the right foot being the main influence to your ability to perform the right way. Your weight should be balanced a bit toward the inside of your left heel.
When it comes to the ball placement, play the ball in the area between the middle of your stance and the left instep. This enables both the clubhead and path to square up to the aim before the strike. As for the stroke, your aim is evidently to hit the ball with the clubhead so that it follows through to the target precisely and surely. For a good grip, lightly position your hands on the club in a manner that it is easy for you to swing the clubhead squarely, of course aiming at the target.
Preparations
Do some simple exercises to ease the play. Make sure to warm up your hips, back, shoulders, ankles and knees. It is essential to take regular breaks during long periods of practice to avoid strain and injury to your neck, back and legs. In between, do some self-massage and keep muscles relaxed instead of stiff and tense. After every session, flex your body by forward-bending.
Try Not To Look When Putting
While this should be some kind of last resort, it doesn’t hurt to practice. The best golfers sometimes even close their eyes, as this has shown to help improve putting. Why is this so? This is supposed to help one concentrate on the hole rather than on the ball, particularly when losing confidence in the game. The ideal effect of this is to gain more mental clarity and really feeling and gaining control over where the ball goes. This has been adequately researched and concluded to help with brain-muscle control.
Making Constant Improvements
Give yourself some drills. Begin with your ball in line and ascertain you are facing down straight at the ball. Utilize your judgment and analyze the green so that you can establish the force and speed that you will incorporate into your shot. The putter should be around 10 inches away from the ball. Now attempt to take your putter directly back from the ball and swing it directly through. This raises the possibility of the putt going in the right direction. Your follow through should be like your backswing as well. Distance control is the major technique in the putting stroke. Always attempt to practice the back swing and forward swing with various distances.
Mark has been an entrepreneur and business owner for nearly 20 years. Come visit his latest website over at http://www.youthgolfclubs.ws/ which explains some of the reasons to buy youth golf clubs for your young children.
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