| They are some tips for getting the most out | | | | hurting your confidence. |
| of the time you spend on the practice putting | | | | |
| green. | | | | 6. Putt on a flat part of the practice |
| | | | green. On a practice green, you want to |
| Here's how to do it: 1. Use the practice | | | | practing making putts. That means putting |
| green to guage speed and work on distance | | | | from a short distance - and on a flat part of |
| control. Distance control (sometimes called | | | | the green. Short, flat putts are the ones you |
| speed control) should be the focus when | | | | have to make to get better. |
| practicing putting. | | | | |
| | | | 7. Always end your practice session by |
| 2. Hit your putts at a ball marker, not at | | | | making short putts. Don't walk off the green |
| a hole, to start with. Don't immediately try | | | | on a miss. Force yourselve to make five or |
| to make putts - simply roll the ball toward a | | | | six putts in a row to end the session - even |
| ball marker you've put down about six feet | | | | if you have to putt from 6 inches to do it. |
| away. Think about the stroke and centering | | | | |
| the ball on the putter face. | | | | Some golf tips: 1) Visualize to stay |
| | | | positive. Confidence plays a huge role in |
| 3. Set down distance markers and alternate | | | | putting. As you stand over putts on the |
| putting to different distances. Set ball | | | | practice green, visualize a trough leading |
| markers, clubs or some other markers at | | | | from your putter to the cup and imagine |
| 10-foot intervals, out to 30 feet. Alternate | | | | hearing the sound of the ball dropping into |
| hitting balls to the different distances. | | | | the cup. |
| | | | |
| 4. Hit from one side of the green to the | | | | 2) Put down a chalk line to practice keeping |
| other to practice long putts. Making a | | | | your putter on-line. You can find a chalk |
| 70-footer is something we're very unlikely to | | | | line in a hardware store - it's that string |
| do, it doesn't make sense to aim at the cup. | | | | carpenters snap to a surface to leave a chalk |
| You'll only be disappointed when the ball | | | | imprint. |
| doesn't go in. | | | | |
| | | | 3) Practice keeping your putter on line and |
| 5. Practice making putts, not missing them. | | | | hitting the sweet spot in your living room. |
| Putt from no more than six feet out, and | | | | Use an alignment tool (a ruler, for instance) |
| preferably around four feet out. Even the | | | | and putting aids you can buy to affix to your |
| pros make only about half their 6-footers. If | | | | putter's head that will help with centering |
| you're practicing 15-footers, you're only | | | | the stroke. |