A little three foot putt isn’t really that difficult. In the big bad world of sport there may not be any skill that is easier – but why do so many of us struggle and better yet, how can we learn to make a short putt with confidence?

In a day gone by I would lose sleep and get nervous just thinking about putting. I ruined potentially good rounds by missing the “unmissable” and gifted victories to other players by three-putting when a one-putt was a possibility. All this led to a golf game that left me frustrated and angry.

When enough was enough (I put up with the putting woes for years) I went to work and fixed the problem. It wasn’t immediate but I now enjoy a better putting game and increased confidence – and I don’t lose any sleep!

Here’s the process that I followed (and still do) and hope will help you make more of those little knee knocking putts;

Stopped thinking

It sounds easy to do but it can be quite a task. The mind likes to spin and go a million miles per hour. It’s the internal chatter that makes putting hard. It disrupts your natural flow and causes you to play safe.

You need to focus on what you want to do – and then commit to the automatic process. I outline the process in more detail here.

Forgot about technique

Yep. This was a biggie. I realised that spending too much time on my technique was not helping the cause. How complicated is putting? It’s not that hard and I believe anyone that’s been playing for a while has technique good enough to be a good putter.

I stopped thinking about the grip, stance, alignment, and the stroke. I threw them in the bin and have never looked back. I put trust in my instinctive ability to roll the ball across the grass and into the hole.

Stopped practising

This might sound radical but I stopped practising putting and I improved. In my hey day I would spend hours on the green, honing my stroke and hoping to find the magic. All this really did for me was to increase the pressure and my expectations. When I didn’t putt well my frustration and confusion got worse. You may need to spend some time adjusting to this procedure (with your added flair) but if you want to make more of those short putts I believe you’ll do so by spending less time practising your technique and more time playing golf.

Get into my own bubble

I’m better now at blocking out distractions. These distractions can come from the outside world (noise, movement etc) but more often they come from the inside. Self-doubt, nervousness, fear and anxiety caused me to miss so many putts that I nearly quit the game. Learning to get into a bubble where I’m in my own little world has enabled to make the majority of short putts.

Here’s three steps that are crucial to getting into the zone so you’ll maximise the chances of sinking more little putts;

• Give yourself a chance to get “centered” or set before making your way to the ball. Clear your head of “how to” or “what happens if I miss” and learn to go on auto pilot. Again, the full process is here.
• Walk to the ball with your eyes focused on the BALL. Do not look at the hole or anywhere else. Keeping your gaze on the ball will help block out distractions that come from the target. Over time you’ll get into a rhythm and routine that will ensure you become “rock solid” with putting.
• Get set before looking up. Set-up to the ball like you mean business. A big mistake is not trusting the line and then fidgeting about. With your eyes still on the ball you want to get into your set-up, and then (and only then) you can look up at the hole.
• A bonus point is to pull the trigger quickly. There’s no need to fumble about and doubt yourself at this stage. Just hit (or putt) the ball!

Forgetfulness

To take your putting to a new level you need to learn to forget the misses. Harping on the misses doesn’t help and only makes you tight and nervous. You won’t make every short putt but I believe you’ll make more by following the above steps. Not remembering when you do miss will ensure you’ll approach the next putt with confidence. The choice is yours. We are free to choose what we think about.

Summary

The above steps will help you putt better. In fact it will help you play better golf. The process works for all shots and can take your game from good to great and to a master level of performance.

Learning to hole more of those short putts is about mental strength and keeping out of your own way than concerning yourself with mechanics. The intuitive thing to do is to look at your grip and stroke and make adjustments. Golf improvement doesn’t always make sense and I believe you need to take counter intuitive steps to see results. If you can make putts when there’s little or no pressure then you have the necessary skill to be a good putter. If you can learn to automate your putting game you can transform yourself into a great putter and there’s a huge difference between good and great!

Let me know how you get on.

After watching Padraig Harrington sink three good putts in a row to win the US PGA I thought I would give you a putting strategy that has turned my putting from my weakest link to the strongest. This putting system is also part of what I taught Aaron Baddeley when he was still a junior. He has since become one of the world’s best putters (check his stats from 2003-2008.)

The key fundamental for great putting is to learn to automate your putting stroke. You must be able to hit every putt with the same mindset – this is the only way you’ll learn to putt consistently. Trying to consciously control the putting stroke doesn’t work and can lead to the putting yips. This is something I know plenty about. To learn more about playing automatically shoot over here and discover how to think less and play more.

Reading greens

I’m not too fussed about reading greens. Dave Pelz, the leading putting guru, has said that golfers can’t read greens correctly. After testing thousands of golfers he discovered that it’s difficult to read the true amount of break on the greens, with even the best players struggling to get it right. When I read that I decided that if the best players can’t read greens correctly then it was unlikely I could too. So I stopped worrying about the line of the putt and it made a huge difference.

I like to get an approximation of the line. I don’t stress about getting it exactly right – near enough is good enough if you ask me. I have since learned that the correct line is also dependent on the speed of the putt. And since you don’t know exactly how hard you’re about to strike the putt it’s impossible to get the line 100% spot on. What I do like to do is look. I look at the putt from behind the ball with level eyes. It’s no good having your head tilted to the side – keep your head and eyes level on all your putts and you’ll improve your consistency. On longer (or tricky) putts I will walk the length of the putt and get a view from a different angle. All this helps my subconscious get all the necessary information it needs and I’m also consciously able to get an approximation about the line and speed of the putt. All this gives me the confidence that I’m doing everything possible to make the putt. I’m not wasting time or energy thinking too much about the line – my trust is in my subconscious to work out all of the minor details.

Getting to the ball

I think a neglected area of golf instruction is the walk to the ball. Without knowing the best way of doing this you allow self-doubt, fear and tension enter the system. Not a good thing if you want to make a slick and breaking three footer with all the money on the line. Once you’re ready to go I recommend you start counting in your head. Walk to the ball with your eyes focussed on the ball with your conscious mind focussed on counting.

Note: This helps you get into your own little world. You’ll become immune from distractions like other players, the target and your inner voice. This one step is crucial and will allow you to become the best putter you can be.

The set-up

Once you get to the ball you want to get set first and look at the hole or target later. I like to say, “set up like you mean business first and then look up at the target if you feel the need second”. Too many golfers get distracted by the target early into the set up – avoid this by making sure you keep focusing your eyes on the ball while you get into your setup position. And don’t forget to keep counting!

Pulling the trigger

If you’ve followed the above steps you’ll be in good shape. Your mind should be uncluttered and you’ll be ready to pull the trigger automatically. There’s not much to do other than trust the automatic process. Keep counting and let your subconscious strike the ball in any way that feels good and right to you. Don’t undo all of your good work by over thinking and trying to control the stroke at the last second. You have to let go and allow your natural instincts to take over. I can promise you that this is an easier and more effective way to putt. It will allow you to make more of those pressure putts and keep three-putting to a minimum.

Summing up

Improving your putting doesn’t require that you overhaul your technique. I believe that putting technique could be the simplest of all sporting tasks and to improve it requires that you get out of your own way and stop thinking so much.

Your objective is to roll the ball along the grass – this doesn’t require any special talent or physical gift. All golfers possess enough skill and talent to become great putters – the real trick is to get out of your own way and let it happen automatically.

If you’d like to learn more about my putting system you can do so by downloading my FREE putting book. To do so please visit, www.perfect-putting.com.