HOW DO YOU LEARN TO HIT YOUR PUTTS STRAIGHT?

Since every putt should begin as a straight putt on a specific aim line, there is no other putting shot to learn. Of course, picking that straight line and then learning to manage your speed will be necessary as well for the breaking putts. But if you read your putt correctly and then start it on the right line, you will always have a chance, if you hit your putts square at impact. Master Golf Instructor Dave Pelz shares some of his wisdom about how to become a great putter. Dave shares that you only need to learn to hit one shot for putting and that is your dead straight putt. 

The Dead Straight Putt

Every putt starts as a dead straight putt. They don't all roll straight to the hole, but they must all start on a dead straight line. If you strike the ball square on your putter face, your putt will begin by rolling straight on your aim path.

Putting Tutor Training Aid

A great way to learn to keep your putter face square to your intended target line is by using an aim line. A training aid like the putting tutor is incredibly helpful.  It's a little learning aid that Dave Pelz developed with Phil Mickelson.

You need to understand that to make breaking putts you have to figure out what straight line do you start the putt on so that it breaks into the hole. As an example, you might start a putt on a line that is two and a half feet above the hole. You can put a tee in the ground as a reference aim line. You putt a straight putt at that tee and then it will break toward the hole.

So, whether it's a dead straight putt all the way to the hole or to a break point, your chances of success depend on your ability to roll your putts straight on your chosen aim line. The putting tutor provides you the aim line visual reference and then instant feedback with the small marbles that sit on the front of the training aid. If your putt is not square the ball will not roll down the aim line but will instead collide with one of the small marbles. The marbles are adjustable, allowing you to make the path very narrow.

Read the Break

But challenge yourself to see even more break. Shift your position more down the slope so that you can look more up the slope.  There's a high probability that you're going to see a lot more break than you saw from your original position. Keep on shifting down the slope. Keep looking more up the slope until you hit your breaking point. That is the point where you say to yourself there's no way this putt can possibly break that much. Once you get there, shift back one position walk into your golf ball and roll your putt. You'll find that the actual break on your putt will be as much as 70 to 80 percent more than you originally saw from looking at your normal position from the ball looking straight to the hole.

Consistent Setup will Equal Consistent Results

No matter how well you read the break, you will still need a good address position, especially getting your eyes directly over the ball. Take a comfortable putting stance that places the golf ball directly below your eyes. This can be tested by placing a golf ball against your forehead, then just gently releasing the ball to the ground. If you are aligned properly, the ball will land directly on top of the ball on the ground.

Hit the Sweet Spot

Ideally, you want your putter face to be striking the golf ball slightly on the upstroke. This will create a little topspin and a better roll. To ensure that you are consistently stroking your putts into the sweet spot of the putter, place tees in the ground that are just a fraction wider than the width of the putter blade. The tees provide instant feedback.  These tees form an alley for putter blade to pass between.  When your stroke it steady and even, the putter blade will pass between to the tee pegs cleanly with no contact. 

Improving Your Putting is Your Fastest Way to Lower Your Golf Scores

Putting represents between 40% to 60% of the score of most golfers. However, if you visit just about any practice facility, the driving range will be full, but the practice greens will usually be empty. The statistic above lets us know that this should be reversed.