Putting: The Most Important Aspect of a Golf Game

Across all skill levels of golf putting remains the most important determinant of a golfer’s score. From pure amateurs to the top-level of the PGA, putting accounts for nearly half of the total strokes taken at approximately 40 – 45% of total strokes.

Golf has been around for centuries, and putters have been used since the original golfers putted along dirt paths in Scotland. The modern putter has evolved from a simple club to an intricate piece of equipment with countless variations and some pretty sophisticated engineering; however, whether using that simple stick or an ultra-modern super-engineered piece of equipment, the putter is the single club in the bag that is essential to every golfer’s game. 

Simply put, the putter is the absolute top of the list for importance because mastering this single club will provide the most dramatic drop in your handicap over any other club in your bag.

This article is meant to provide you with the ultimate comprehensive guide to putting, from physical attributes necessary to philosophies on training to selecting the appropriate equipment. 

It has been said by many top instructors and coaches “Drive for show, putt for the dough.” There isn’t anything more true than this statement when trying to lower scores or learn how to putt like a professional. In fact, if every player would spend more time putting on their own without any help from anyone else then I guarantee that they will see improvement across the board in their games. No matter what age , handicap, or skill level a golfer has

How to Putt Like the Pros – Look at the Putting Statistics

Of all the differences between those on the Tour and the rest of us amateurs, the three foot putt is by far the most dramatic.   Over a three year span in the early 2000s Tiger Woods faced 1,540 putts between two and three feet — and made 99.7% of them (1,536).  Most guys in our shoes are happy to play a whole round an only miss a single one of these potential gimmes.

Although you may write that Tiger Woods’ statistic as cherry picking the best golfer in his prime, the reality is that for that one statistic he did not achieve at a much higher pace than his PGA peers. Pros convert three-footers (defined as longer than two, and up to three feet) at a rate of 99.4%.

To best understand how to putt like a professional golfer, I think it is important to understand what the benchmark really  is.  We all see the clips on Sports Center showing PGA players sinking 30-foot putts every weekend and most casual followers of professional golf have come to think of these shots as being commonplace; however, I am here to show you that the reason these ultra-long putts make the highlight reel is that they are very uncommon, even amongst professionals.

• Although within three feet is an easy “gimme” for Tour players, I don’t recommend giving your buddies those freebies when playing skins.
• Even at four feet it is almost guaranteed that a PGA Tour player is going to sink that putt.  To put this 91% number in perspective, that is a higher percentage of makes than the career record for NBA free throws (Steph Curry 90.6% and Steve Nash 90.4%). 
• Even at these close ranges under 10 feet, you can see that for each extra foot of space between the ball and the hole, the average PGA player’s chance of making the putt drops by approximately 10%.

Quick Perspectives on Accuracy

The reality is that becoming a great putter comes down to four core concepts:

1. Physical Demands and Training

2. Understanding Your Putting Style

3. Choosing Equipment that Suits Your Individual Putting Style

4. Selecting the Appropriate Strategy On the Green and Train to that Strategy

• Pros very rarely miss putts under 4 feet.
• On longer putts, they almost never miss by more than 4 feet (Once within 4 feet, see item above). 
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & TRAINING

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The full golf swing is arguably the most complicated and difficult maneuver in all of sports; however, when broken down into its simplest form it becomes a lot easier to understand, but still very difficult to master.  When golfers try hitting balls from any other address position than their natural set-up they have an extremely hard time controlling distance and direction correctly.  The amount of muscle-memory and coordination required to do this well is incredibly high.  To maintain this high level of ability you will see that many of the best golfers in the world maintain a very high level of physical fitness (obviously there are some notable exceptions in PGA, but we won’t mention names here). 

In contrast to a full golf swing, the putting stroke has much less to do with physical ability/coordination and has much more of an elegant, graceful approach.  Putting is about finesse instead of speed,  control instead of power, skill instead of athleticism.

Putting is a skill that absolutely every player has the ability to master regardless of the nature of their golf game. The putter can be one of the most intimidating clubs in a golf bag for players at all levels because it’s not an easy club to get consistent results with.

So why do so many golfers struggle every single day trying to figure out this simple skill? It’s not because putting, as a general rule, is more difficult than driving as far as athletic ability goes, but rather that people can’t accept “practice makes perfect.” Anytime someone starts practicing something over and over again without getting consistent results then golfers get frustrated and quit. This is the number one reason why golfers struggle with their short game in general, but mainly putting.

Putting doesn’t require any special athletic ability other than balance to hit a putt that will travel maybe 30 feet at most. The only real physical activity involved when it comes to putting is getting into your stance correctly, which takes almost no energy for even large muscle groups like hamstrings and quads depending on how you set up over the ball. Putting isn’t an athletic skill because every single golfer has enough coordination between eyesight and muscle memory in order to see where you need to start your put and then hit it with the same speed every single time.

This skill set is so difficult for two reasons:

1. People don’t practice enough by themselves to hone the fine mechanics.
2. They try to change something in their swing each time they play.

TRAINING

I know this may not be the answer you want to hear, but if you would putt every day for 30 minutes or so, then that you will get results without anybody’s help. If you needs a training partner, then one simple practice method is taking turns hitting balls back and forth with one putting each time until both golfers are happy with their consistency (basically like playing catch to improve your throwing motion). This way you can work on speed control as well by just slowing down or speeding up your stroke depending how far away from the hole you are trying to hit it.

Understanding Your Putting Style

The first important thing to understand about a putting style is to realize that a putter is not intended to swing as a pendulum, meaning that there is some arc in every putting stroke.  This is because USGA rules require at least 10 degrees of “lie angle” on the putter (in other words – the shaft cannot come straight up from the putter at 90 degrees).  If the shaft came straight up from the center of the putter then we could speak more about a completely straight putter path to the ball, but that is not the case.

Understanding that it is incredibly difficult to have a perfectly straight path with your putter while keeping the head parallel to the ground is fundamental to understanding the putter stroke.  Just because there is some inherent arc to the stroke does not mean that the amount of arc should be the same for all players, rather there are varying degrees ranging from nearly straight (sometimes called square-to-square) to a wide arc that can all be used effectively by different players.

Because of the inherent arc seen in the putter path, taking players away from a true “pendulum-style” stroke there are many different ways that players have adapted in order to compensate for this.  Some of these are legal and some are not, below we describe a few of the more popular putting variations used and their main advantages:

Putting Grip:

1. Standard Grip – Reverse Overlap Grip
2. Lead Hand Low Grip
3. Back Hand Low – Pencil Grip – Claw Grip
4. Prayer Grip
5. Arm Lock Grip – Forearm Lock Grip

Illegal Putting Grips

Belly Anchor

Chest Anchor

Arm Anchored to Leg

Putting Stance and Posture:

1. Wide vs Narrow Stance
   1. Some coaches will say that there is a certain correct
2. Upright vs Hunched Posture
   1. More natural swinging motion vs attempt at pendulum
   1. Eyes over the ball when hunched
   1. Shortens distance to the ground

It is all about comfort and alignment.  You need to be able to test out a fair number of combinations to understand how to create a CONSISTENT stroke.

What putting style should I use?

The most important reason to understand which swing path you use is so that you can purchase a putter to fit this style and maximize accuracy for your swing.

Choosing Equipment that Suits Your Individual Putting Style

As previously mentioned, it is VERY IMPORTANT to pick putting equipment that compliments your putting style.  There is no single best putting style and there is no single best piece of equipment; however, there are a lot of combinations that just do not go together.  Understanding the components of the putter and how variations in these affect the putting stroke are incredibly important to picking the correct setup for your game.  **Let me put in a recommendation for a custom putter fitting here.  I know many golfers love to get custom irons or driver fittings, but are perfectly happy with an “off the rack” putter.  I cannot repeat enough that the putter alone accounts for nearly HALF of all of your strokes and the variations in putter styles are widely different to accommodate different styles, so if you are going to spend money on a custom fitting your money is best spent doing that for your putter.**

Below are some of the characteristics to evaluate when choosing a putter:

Blade Style

Generally suits players with straight putting strokes. They typically like harder, faster greens and need a delicate touch.

Peripherally Weighted

The next logically step from blade putters. Still gentle to use, they are longer and thinner than blades.  The primary feature is additional weight in the heel and toe for greater forgiveness.

Mallet

These are the most forgiving putters.  The deep head designs give them a lower center of gravity.  This lower center is designed to improve performance on off-center hits. They generally also include alignment aids along the head.

Moment of inertia is the clubhead’s resistance to twisting when the face hits the ball.

The higher the MOI, the more resistant it will be to twisting when the player misses the sweet spot of the face.

A heavier putter will also affect the MOI – in the case of our example in the image above, mass has been removed from the center of the putter and been redistributed at the heel and the toe to increase the MOI.

Hosel

The hosel is often referred to as the “neck” of the putter and is the small bit that connects the head to the shaft.  As previously mentioned there must be at least 10 degrees of “angle” between the head and the shaft, but the ways in which this is achieved vary dramatically and the hosel is the key  place where this difference occurs.

Shorter necks or shaft bends result in a putter that swings more freely in an arc.

The hosel also determines toe flow by creating offset from the center of the club head.  The further from the center of the club head the more “flow” is allowed to the toe of the club.

Hosel impacts the “balance” of the putter:

Face Balanced Putters

These putters have a face that faces upwards when you balance the shaft on your finger. This means that the center of gravity is directly below the axis of the shaft. Face balanced putters will tend to open less on the backswing and close less on the follow-through, which is why they are recommended to players with a straight putting stroke.

Toe Balanced Putters

These putters have a toe that points to the ground when you balance the shaft on your finger. This means the center of gravity is not directly below the shaft axis. Toe balanced putters are more inclined to open and close throughout the stroke and are therefore better suited to players with an arc in their putting stroke.

Not all putters are fully face or toe balanced. Most putters fall somewhere between, and golfers will find if they can match their stroke type to the correct balance of putter, they will be more consistent on the greens

Length

EYE POSITION IS SET BY LENGTH

If your putter is too long, your setup position will be with be too vertical.  This will set your eyes too far inside the target line.

If your putter is too short, your setup position will be with be too slouched.  This will set your eyes too far outside the target line.

The ideal length sets your eyes 1-2″ inside of the target line and allows you to execute a putt with an accurate, arcing stroke without disturbing your posture and balance.

Simply Put: Finding the right length is key because the wrong length of putter will cause incorrect posture and inconsistent contact with the ball.

The rules state that a putter shaft must be at least 18 inches long (measured from the sole of the putter below the hosel to the top of the shaft); other than that one rule you can go any length you want as long as you can avoid an illegal grip.

It is critical that you choose a putter that flows naturally along the proper arching path. Proper length can reduce the tendency we all have to manipulate the putter face with your hands. The way to find the best toe flow for  your stroke is to hit straight/flat putts from 15-20 feet to see the results.

Grip Size

Another key to producing a consistent putting stroke is finding the correct grip size.

All sorts of different diameters and sizes are available to improve your ability on the greens.

Putter grips are available in different thickness, shape, weight, length and materials.

As a general rule, the lighter the grip is, the heavier the putter will feel, and vice versa.

Firm grips will provide more feedback as less of the impact is absorbed, while soft grips will tend to enhance feel and rhythm but may provide less “touch” on your stroke.

Thicker grips are very popular because reduce the influence of the player’s fingers and wrists, allowing more of a rocking movement with the shoulders; however, a thicker grip means that you won’t get the same level of feel of a standard grip as the vibrations coming up the shaft will be dampened down.

Select the Appropriate Strategy On the Green and Train to that Strategy

There are two key tenants to keep in mind when approaching training  (taking our que from the Tour players):

1. Pros very rarely miss putts under 4 feet
2. On longer putts, they almost never miss by more than 4 feet (Once within 4 feet, see item above).  If they can do these two “simple” things it results in very very few three-putts. 

So what strategies help achieve this?

1. Give Yourself an Eye Exam!
   • FACT: You can’t read putts if you can’t see properly.
     
2. Find Your Distance
   • When talking green-reading, we tend to focus more on breaks rather than on distance, because golfers think distance is easier to discern than tilt.
     • Ask yourself these two questions:
       • how many times in your golf career have you missed a putt by more than 15 feet DUE TO BREAK? 
       • How many times have you misread distance/speed and missed by more than 15 feet?

If the answer to question number one is higher than the answer to number two then you are lying to yourself.

• Distance is best judged from the side of the putt, not from behind the ball. This perspective will give you a much better appreciation of the overall putt length. Take note of the overall distance, then go back to the ball to complete your read on the path/breaks of the ball.

• Find your speed with these simple steps:

1. Walk off the distance with your stroke.
   • From the side of the putt, point your putter at the ball,
   • Pass it over an imaginary line running from the ball to the cup at the same speed you want the putt to roll (above).
   • Match your putter head to this desired speed
     • Proper speed comes from proper rhythm, PRACTICE

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• DO NOT put extra zip on the ball because “Putts left short never go in”
  • When you miss, your putts should end up 17 inches past the hole.
    • Remember Tour players almost never miss by more than four feet and when you miss by large distances, it is almost always due to speed.

• Assess the Green from the Low Side
  • Always assess from the low side
    • Looking “up” at putts makes reading breaks easy

• DO NOT exclusively assess from behind the hole or behind the ball
  • Reading the putt from behind the hole or ball is very hotly debated, but the correct answer’s a no-brainer: It depends and sometimes do both.
    • Different putts demand different perspectives in order for your eyes to accurately assess both distance and slope.
  • Remembering the tip above also comes into play (read from the low side):
    • If your putt is downhill, read it from behind the hole.
    • If your putt is uphill, read it from the behind the ball.

The most important tip of all: Be patient

Sometimes poorly executed putts go in and well-struck putts miss.

Sometimes badly-read greens compensate for poorly struck putts.

If you don’t understand the fundamentals of putting then you will be confused by focusing only on results.  Having the patience to learn the art of putting will allow you to elevate your game and truly understand why your intended results may or may not have happened.