Lesson Library
Putting Fundamentals 101.
Green Reading
Before hitting any putt you must have an idea of where to aim as almost every putt has a degree of break due to the slopes and undulations on the green. You also need to have an idea on how hard you will hit the putt.
1. Pace Off Your Putt
Pace off the length of the putt and multiply by 3 to get a feet measurement (after a while your brain will start to remember how hard to hit certain putts).
2. Determine if the putt is uphill, downhill or relatively flat.
3. Crouch down low behind the ball and look at the hole. Imagine water spilling from a bucket near the hole and visualise which direction the water would run to. This will help determine if the ball may veer to the right or to the left.
4. Try and imagine a ball rolling towards the hole and what it would do while it is rolling. E.g. will it veer to the right and if so by how far before it comes to rest? If you imagine it turning three feet to the right then aim your putt three feet to the left of the hole. Every green read is a guesstimate but as you become more experienced your visualisation will become more accurate and realistic.
Setting Up To The Ball - Preparing To Putt
Aiming the putter properly at your intended starting line and standing with correct posture is essential to consistent and effective putting. Having a putter with a large line on the back of the putter is really beneficial in aiming the putter. You can also put a line on your ball and line the ball up to your intended line of putt then line the putter line up to the ball line.
1. Place the putter behind the ball lining the club face square to the intended putt line whilst standing with your feet together.
2. Place thumbs straight down the top of the grip.
3. Stick butt out and bend over from the hips allowing the elbows to bend into your sides making sure your eyes are directly over the top of the ball.
4. Spread your feet apart comfortably so that the ball is positioned slightly closer towards the front foot.
Now You Are Ready - Hit The Putt
1. Rotate head down the intended line you wish to roll the ball.
2. Look back at the ball and without much thought swing the putter back and through of equal distance in pendulum motion.
3. Make sure you keep the same tempo back and through keeping your butt out and elbows in close to your side.
4. Try and hold your finish position until the ball stops rolling.
The Drive.
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The driver is the longest club in the bag and thus has the least margin for error.
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The driver comes in different lofts, lengths and shaft flexes. Finding a driver suitable for your swing is as important as walking in shoes that are the correct size. If you slice the ball or hit the ball too low then we recommend a driver with a higher loft angle - preferably between 12-15 degrees. Also, if you are a slow swinger a high lofted driver is also beneficial and much easier to play with than one with less loft such as a 8-10 degree driver which should be used by a more advanced player.
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It is beneficial to strike the drive with the club on a slightly upward angle of ascent at the moment of impact so that the low point of the swing arc would be slightly behind the ball. To ensure this our stance requires the ball to be positioned forward of middle in our feet and our head should be positioned slightly behind the ball (the swing's low point tends to be directly under the chin so if we position it slightly behind the ball and keep it steady throughout the swing we should hit slightly on the up which is ideal).
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Aim for the low point of the swing arc to be about 4 inches (10cm) behind the ball.
The Fairway Wood.
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A fairway wood is a good club to hit off the tee if not confident yet with a driver or on a shot from the fairway when trying to advance the ball towards the green.
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Most golf sets consist of a 3 wood. I do not condone hitting a 3 wood. I much prefer a golfer to carry a 4 wood or a 5 wood for an advanced player or a 7 or 9 wood for a beginner or intermediate player. The added loft and shorter club helps enable you to hit the ball on a slight decent like an iron shot and still allows you to get the ball up in the air consistently. A 3 wood often is too long in the shaft for the golfer to be consistent within controlling the low point of the swing arc and the loft angle is too small to get the ball high enough when striking down on the ball.
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When in the rough refrain from hitting a wood unless the ball is sitting up nicely in the grass - enabling the club to slide under the ball. In the event that the ball is sitting down in the thick rough take your medicine and use a high lofted club and open the face hitting down steeply on the ball.