The next time you go out to play a round of golf, break up your total strokes into three categories: full swing, chipping and pitching, and putting. You will be astonished at the amount of putts you take during a round of golf. It can sometimes be half of the total strokes you take. This week, we will give you some tips and drills to improve your putting.

Putting Fundamentals

We could give you several fundamentals involving the grip, setup, and posture that contribute to all good shots, but we will assume that you are already at that stage. There are two concepts that we like to teach above all else that involve the forearms. When setting up to the ball, the shaft of your putter should be in line with your forearms so you cannot see the top of the grip. If the shaft is too forward or behind at setup, you will be able to see the grip. Another concept is when standing behind another golfer, their forearms should line up to the target. You should have a friend check out these two fundamentals while you are putting.

Drills

This is a very easy drill to practice that is often overlooked when golfers are playing on the golf course. First, pick out the correct line to your target. Then, line up your ball with that line you picked on the green. Then, line up your putter with that line on your ball. For this drill, you will need to have a line on your ball and your putter. This will ensure that you are lined up properly to hit the ball in the right direction.

A great drill to improve your distance control is to grab at least 3 or 4 balls and to drop them around the hole in a circle. Start with a shorter putt and hit all of the balls to the hole. Once you feel you have accomplished the drill, move back to a longer putt and go through the same procedure. This will help you understand the difference in distance.

Finally, here are a few words of advice to improve your putting:

- Most players miss the ball below the hole, so try and play a little more break than usual to see if you hole more putts
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- Remember, putting includes distance and direction. Make sure you factor in both to make a good putt.