Sinking more putts is the fastest way to slash shots from your scorecard. Forget trying to add 20 yards to your drive for now, the real scoring happens on the green. This guide will walk you through the essential components of a consistent, confident putting stroke - from reading the green to rolling the ball with a a simple, repeatable motion you can trust under pressure.
Before you ever swing the putter, you need to build a solid foundation. Most missed putts are doomed from the start because of a simple error in the setup. If you can get the fundamentals right, you’re already 80% of the way to becoming a better putter. Think of this as building the platform for a smooth, reliable stroke.
You can make a perfect stroke, but if it's on the wrong line, the ball will never go in the hole. Reading the green is a skill, and it starts with observation.
Your putting grip is different from your full swing grip. In the full swing, your wrists hinge to create power. In putting, you want to eliminate wrist movement almost entirely. The goal is to get your hands to work as a single, stable unit, guiding the putter face squarely through impact.
The most common and effective grip is the reverse overlap:
Grip Pressure: Hold the putter with just enough pressure to maintain control. Imagine holding a tube of toothpaste and not wanting any to squeeze out - firm, but not tense. Too much tension in your hands and forearms will lead to a jerky, unreliable stroke.
Your stance is your base of support. A stable stance promotes a balanced, smooth stroke.
With a solid setup established, the putting stroke itself becomes much simpler. The goal is to move the putter back and through with a consistent rhythm, like a pendulum on a grandfather clock. This keeps the putter face square and delivers the ball to the hole with the right speed.
Great putting is powered by the big muscles in your shoulders, not the small, twitchy muscles in your hands and wrists. To create this "pendulum" effect, focus on rocking your shoulders.
Imagine your arms and the putter forming that single triangle we talked about. The top point of the triangle is your sternum. The motionfor the putting stroke is to simply rock that triangle from that central point. Back and forth. Your head should stay perfectly still, acting as the anchor for the pendulum. Avoid any tendency to help the ball along with a little flick of the wrists. A pure stroke feels less like hitting the ball and more like the ball just getting in the way of your smooth motion.
One of the biggest mistakes amateur golfers make is trying to control the distance of their putts by hitting the ball harder or softer. This destroys your rhythm and feel. Distance control comes from the length of your putting stroke.
Think of it like this:
The tempo - the speed at which you swing the putter back and forth - should remain the same for every single putt, whether it's 3 feet or 30 feet. A great way to feel this is with a "tick-tock" rhythm. The backswing is the "tick," and the follow-through is the "tock," with both sides of the stroke being equal in length and timing. To control how far the ball goes, you just make a bigger or smaller "tick-tock" motion.
Reading about it is one thing, but feel is developed through practice. These simple drills can be done at any practice green and will have a massive impact on your scoring.
Getting the ball to start on your intended line is everything. This drill provides instant feedback on whether your putter face is square at impact.
If you have a tendency to get "wristy" or "handsy" with your stroke, this drill is for you. It forces the larger shoulder muscles to do the work.
This is one of the best drills for calibrating your distance control. By removing your sense of sight, you heighten your sense of feel.
Finally, remember that good mechanics are only useful if you can trust them when it matters. Great putting is as much about confidence as it is about technique.
Improving your putting isn't complicated. It comes down to building a consistent setup and making a simple, pendulum-like stroke powered by your shoulders. By focusing on distance control through stroke length and practicing with targeted drills, you can build unshakeable confidence on the greens and watch a surprising number of putts start to drop.
At Caddie AI, we designed our platform to act as that expert set of eyes that helps you stop guessing. If you’re unsure how to read a tricky, double-breaking putt, we can help you find the right line. If you’re on the practice green trying to fix a recurring miss, you can get instant recommendations for drills tailored to your specific issue. Our goal is to give you that clear, supportive advice right when you need it, so you can stop worrying about your mechanics and focus on sinking more putts. Give Caddie AI a try and see how a little more confidence on the greens can transform your scores.
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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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