Okay, let’s talk putting. For the longest time, my putting was just… awful. Honestly, it was costing me so many shots every round. I’d hit a decent drive, a good approach, and then three-putt like a total beginner. Drove me nuts.
Starting Over
I figured I had to do something different. All the fancy grips and stances I tried from magazines just felt weird, unnatural. So, I decided to strip it all back. Forget the pros for a minute, what feels right for me?
First thing I did was grab my putter and head to the practice green. No targets, just trying to get a feel for the club again. I focused on just letting my arms swing, like a pendulum. Sounds simple, right? But I realized I was trying to steer the ball too much, getting tense.
Finding What Worked (For Me)
After a while, a couple of things started to click:
- Eyes Over the Ball: This was a big one. I started making sure when I took my stance, my eyes were directly over the ball, or maybe just slightly inside. I checked this by dropping a ball from the bridge of my nose. If it hit the ball on the ground, I was good. It helped me see the line way better.
- Quiet Hands, Rocking Shoulders: I stopped trying to use my wrists. Seriously, locked ’em up. I focused on just rocking my shoulders back and through. Smooth, no jerky movements. Made the stroke much more consistent.
- Distance Control Drill: This became my go-to practice. I’d drop three balls about 10 feet from a hole. Then three more at 20 feet, and three at 30 feet. My only goal wasn’t making them, but getting every ball past the hole, but not more than a putter-length past. Did this over and over. It really helped dial in the feel for different distances.
The Practice Grind
And that was pretty much it. Nothing revolutionary. I didn’t buy a new $500 putter or get some high-tech lesson. I just went back to basics and drilled those simple things relentlessly.
Consistency was key. I started spending more time on the practice green than the driving range. Maybe 15-20 minutes before each round, just doing that distance drill and focusing on a smooth stroke with my eyes over the ball.
It wasn’t an overnight fix, you know? Some days are still better than others. But my three-putts went way down. I feel way more confident standing over those short-to-medium range putts now. It’s still a work in progress, always is with golf, but simplifying everything and just grinding on the basics made a huge difference for me.
