Nothing sinks your score and spirit faster than three-putting from 15 feet. Making your golf ball roll straight and true isn't about some secret technique, but a simple combination of getting your alignment right, understanding the stroke, and trusting your feel. This guide will walk you through the fundamentals, giving you actionable steps and drills to turn those frustrating misses into confident makes.
Most putts are missed before the stroke even begins. A flawed setup forces you to make split-second compensations during the swing, which is an inconsistent and frustrating way to play golf. If you want to putt the ball straight, you must start by aiming straight. It sounds obvious, but this is where most amateurs go wrong.
Your number one priority is aligning the putter face directly at your intended start line. Not your body, not your feet, not your shoulders - the club face. It's the only thing that actually contacts the ball.
With the putter face aimed, now you can lock in your setup. The goal is to create a stable, comfortable, and repeatable position.
Eye Position: Get your eyes directly over the golf ball, or just slightly inside the line. An easy way to check this is to hold a second ball at the bridge of your nose and drop it. It should land on or very near your golf ball. This position helps you see the line correctly without distortion.
Stance Width: Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart, or whatever feels most stable and balanced to you. You are creating a solid base that won't sway during the stroke.
Posture: Bend forward from your hips, not your waist. Your back should be relatively straight, allowing your arms to hang freely and naturally from your shoulders. There should be no tension. Your arms should feel like they are "hanging" and relaxed, not reaching nor crowded.
Ball Position: The ideal ball position for most golfers is just slightly forward of the center of their stance - about one to two inches. This placement helps ensure you make contact with the ball on a slight upswing, which promotes a better roll and reduces skidding.
With a solid setup, we can now focus on the motion. A straight putting stroke is powered by your larger muscles (shoulders and torso) and guided by your hands and arms. The two things that control this motion are your grip and your tempo.
While there are many styles of putting grip - from the traditional reverse-overlap to the cross-hand and the claw - there is no single “correct” way. The best grip for you is the one that accomplishes two things:
The real secret isn’t the style, but the pressure. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is gripping as hard as possible, your grip pressure should be no more than a 3 or 4. Light pressure quiets the small, twitchy muscles in your hands and forearms and allows the larger, more reliable muscles of your shoulders and back to control the stroke. Think of your hands as connecting you to the putter, not powering it. They are just passengers.
The best putting strokes look like a grandfather clock's pendulum - smooth, rhythmic, and effortless. It’s a rocking motion, not a jerky hit. The energy is created by the length of the stroke, not how hard you accelerate.
Knowing what to do is one thing, feeling it is another. These simple drills will help you ingrain the fundamentals and give you immediate feedback, so you can build real confidence.
This is a classic for a reason. It gives you instant, undeniable feedback on your putter face at the moment of impact.
This drill trains your ability to see a straight line and align your putter face squarely to it. There's nowhere to hide with this one.
Stopping a ball from veering offline comes down to mastering the real basics: aiming the clubface first, building a stable setup around it, maintaining light grip pressure, and using a smooth, shoulder-driven pendulum stroke. By focusing on these elements and using drills like the Putter Gate and Chalk Line, you can replace manipulation and hope with a simple, repeatable motion that sends the ball exactly where you aim it.
Perfecting your stroke is the mechanical side, but confidence on the green also comes from knowing how to read the line and manage the situation. That’s why we built Caddie AI. Our app acts as your personal coach and on-course strategist, analyzing your game and providing the kind of clear, simple advice that takes all the guesswork out. When you're standing over a tricky breaking putt or unsure of the best play on a hole, our AI-powered insights help you make smarter decisions, freeing you up to focus on what you've just practiced: making a confident, straight putt.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
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