Putting is the one thing that can take your golf game from a beginners level to an advanced level. Many golfers argue that putting is by far the most difficult thing in golf. Due to the many factors (grass, slope, speed, etc) that you encounter while putting, the technical aptitude it takes is hard to comprehend. Once you have mastered this art of putting, you will drastically lower your handicap. There are many different putting styles and different ways to read greens, but here are the top 6 most basic golf putting tips for beginners.
The simplest component of golf to enhance and decrease your scores is to eliminate the 3-putting. Eliminating 3-putts can save a golfer three to five strokes every round, depending on their handicap. More birdies, more saving pars, and fewer double-bogeys result from making more putts of 8-10 feet or less and not taking three putts on each hole. Check out what is a lag putt to help you eliminate your 3 putts!
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One of the other key components is the focus. You must be able to focus and imagine where the ball will roll with each different amount of speed. Each hill, bump, or divot on the green in the way of your putt will cause your ball to move in a direction that is not standard to the normal ball-rolling path.
Below, we have the six most basic golf putting tips for beginners that will help decrease the number of putts taken. Following these putting tips for beginners will help you shave off more strokes than practicing any other golf shot.
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Beginners Golf Putting Tip# 1Â
Setting up the golf ball’s position – Addressing the golf ball
After you have repaired your ball mark in the green, the address position should be the first step in any beginner’s guide to putting since the basis of a good stroke is established right here. On the upstroke, you should make slight contact with the ball. At address, you can improve by placing the ball in level with your left eye or just a little beyond it.
A good way to check this is to bring your putter club down from your left eye and ensure that your eye falls in line well with the ball. This position is the perfect position of the golf ball for the right stroke. You can also take a golf ball to your left eye and drop it from there and ensure it hits the putter’s head.
The bottom of the putter’s arc should come as it crosses your chest and will start rising as it contacts the ball from this position. This position will aid in the smooth rollout of the ball and control the distance of your putts from further away. It will also help you make the shorter, dreaded 6-foot putts.
If you observe that the ball jumps off the putter’s head instead of rolling out rapidly, the ball may be positioned incorrectly. Ball location is very critical inputting to improve your score. Take a step back or have someone look at your ball position if you have difficulty putting that day. This is one of the most important golf putting tips to help beginners make their way towards even par. What does E mean in golf?
Beginners Golf Putting Tip# 2
Getting the correct angle of your eyes in relation to the hole
Your ability to see the line overrides what your stroke does or doesn’t do. The reason is that the line determines what you will do with your putter. When aiming at a target, your eyes perceive, your brain receives, and your body reacts.
If your line is off, your putting will be off. It is such a simple task that can be so over-complicated at times.
Since what your eyes see is the task, the target line better be the right one. The angle of your eyes over the ball is very crucial to get the ball into the hole. Your eyes should be somewhat inside or slightly above your aim line.
Your view of where you are aiming is not distorted, and the line does not feel curved when your eyes are vertical over your aim line, and a line from your forehead to your chin is horizontally drawn with the ground.
One way to make sure you are not vertically distorted is to pretend there is a set of railroad tracks between your feet and the putter’s clubhead. Make sure your eyes are over the putter’s head and not your feet. Most amateur golfers will stand with the angle of their eyes above their feet.Â
Beginners Golf Putting Tip# 3
Distance Control
This tip is one of the most important golf putting tips for beginners. To become a great putter, you must have good putting distance control. If you don’t have good distance control and are not placing the ball close on the longer putts, you will have some functional putter problems, which is almost guaranteed to lead to more 3-putts.
Use your core strength
To focus on distance control use more core strength, and your mind should be very clear. For that, the stroke should be pretty simple. A tip for a simple stroke is that you need to grab your putter in front of you and pull your elbows into your chest. It should feel like your arms touch your ribs a little bit.
This fold of the arms and the connection allows you to move more from your core and not with your hands and arms. In this way, there is no active hitting or controlling from the hands, and it frees up your mind to work on distance control.
Consistent Tempo
Being natural and maintaining a consistent tempo using a smooth pace through your stroke is one of the best things you can do for your distance control from a technical perspective. It’s not a good idea to start with a slower backstroke and then accelerate into the ball or the other way round.
Alternatively, try to make a smooth, even stroke that glides back and forth at approximately the same speed throughout the stroke. Think of it as a pendulum with natural back-and-forth speed and distance. By practicing a few strokes in a row, you naturally start to balance out to a pendulum. When it comes to successfully managing distance control, this strategy is your best choice.
Beginners Golf Putting Tip# 4
The Correct Posture and Stance
Effective golf putting tips for beginners will help you excel from the rest of the group. You must maintain the right posture and stance throughout each and every stroke to keep your putting consistent. When you lean forward on your hips, you can adjust your position so that your arms and hands dangle down loosely as gravity pulls on them. Under your shoulders, your elbows should swing freely.
Your back should be flat and not arched to allow you to pivot naturally. Your eyes should be directly over your ball. Your feet need to be shoulder-width apart to give you a well-balanced stroke.
This posture will enable your shoulders to rock freely in a pendulum-like motion with appropriate space from your upper torso. You also want to keep your knees stable so that there is a strong base for the stroke. Movements in your lower body can make it difficult for you to play a smooth strike.
You can use golf alignment sticks to help you with the correct posture and stance. Check out how to use golf alignment sticks here.
Beginners Golf Putting Tip# 5
Rock your Shoulders – not your arms/hands
One of the many secrets of putting is that you control a club by rocking your shoulders, not with a flip of the wrists or separating your arms and the torso. If you are a beginner at golf, practice with something placed under your arms, such as a golf club or a balancing rod, to keep the arms, shoulders, and wrists in concordance. Your objective is to keep everything on the same swing path.Â
Simply swaying your shoulders in a pendulum-like stroke will keep the club or the rod in place and ensure that your arms are not swinging uncontrolled, eliminating all kinds of distance control and movement left or right. Learn more about golf terms for beginners here.Â
Beginners Golf Putting Tip# 6
The Grip – Last but most important
One of the most important things, especially for beginning golfers, is the grip on the putter. You will not be disappointed in this last golf putting tips for beginners. This last tip could possibly be the best one.
For beginners, the tendency is to grip the club like you are taking a full swing by placing the grip down in your fingers. The putter should run down your fingers of one hand, the meaty part of your hand resting on top of the grip, and the grip should be very soft.
You want to put the corner of the putter grip in the crease of your hand, with your thumb on the top of the grip a little bit sideways and not perfectly on the top. The putter should run at more of an angle with your hand. This allows you to lock in your wrist, and the putter shaft feels like an extension of your forearm.
On the other hand, you need to position it so that it is lined up with its forearm. This allows you to play with different grips, for instance, claw grip and light grip, depending on your dominant hand. Just keep in mind that your forearms should be lined up with the putter shaft.
Long Bombs Golf Final Summary
Once you think you have it down, you can try to play the golf snake game with all of your friends. PGA professionals make putting look very easy. Putting can be a nightmare for beginners if you do not follow these best tips. But by just following these simple tips and practicing these tips, you can improve your putting by at least a few strokes.
Your stroke should be balanced in the distance from front to back. Slowly raise it and finish it depending on the distance of the ball from the hole. You must put the ball a little bit ahead of your head position. Your head should be in a steady position during the stroke.
The final piece of advice when it comes to putting is practice, practice, practice. You can even practice indoors! You can find the best indoor putting greens here, where you have no excuse to practice your putting. Challenge yourself while practicing the putting tips, and you will be a more successful golfer.