My putting has gone south. Vamoose. Adios. See ya’ later. Staring down a foot-foot putt has been like challenging a grizzly bear on a mountain trail and guess who win? The bear and the four-foot putt.
When in doubt, “Ask a pro”, is pretty good advice, so I am repeating an article I did a. number of year ago when I interviewed Daryl Daughtry, the PGA Pro at Rivanna Resort. Here goes and I hope I pay attention!
A golf hole is 4 1/4-inches wide. A golf ball is much smaller, a couple inches or so. So it should be a fairly easy task to knock a small ball into the much larger hole when the ball is lying at rest on a manicured, bent grass green. This is called putting, a part of the game that makes golfers wake up in cold sweats on hot summer nights.
Daryl Daughtrey, the PGA Head Golf Professional at the Rivanna Resort & Golf Club in Fluvanna County, is a putting specialist when it comes to teaching golf. He has taken many shots off the scorecards of both advanced and high handicap golfers.
“There are two main concerns when putting,” Daryl explains. “Distance and direction. Rolling the ball the proper distance at the proper speed and in the proper direction results in a good putt. If one concern is more important than the other, it’s distance. As they say, ‘Never up, never in’.”
Daryl teaches that the golf stroke begins with the putting stroke. “We learn to take the putter straight back from the target and follow straight through to the target. A putting stroke is achieved strictly with the arms and shoulders.”
There is no one type of putter that is inherently better than others, he advises. It’s a matter of personal preference.
“Find a putter that feels good and knocks the ball in the hole,” he says. “That’s the one you want.”
Daryl says that a good putting stroke begins with a comfortable stance. Allow the arms to dangle when leaning over the ball and where they join the grip of the putter, that’s the stance to take.
“Imagine that if both arms are gripping the shaft of the putter, it forms the letter ‘Y’,” he explains. “With a light grip, you move the ‘Y’ as one motion with no wrist action whatsoever. Practice one speed backward and the same speed forward in your putting stroke. This helps eliminate variables. And never decelerate through the ball.”
“The reason most golfers miss putts is their fear of missing in the first place,” Daryl stresses. “Putting is a matter of confidence. The more putts you make, the greater your confidence and the better your putting gets.”
That’s why Daryl suggests practicing short putts, not long.
“If you get on the practice green and your first putt is to a cup 50 feet away, chances are you’re going to miss it. It’s a bad way to start. Instead of long strokes, warm up with 2- and 3-foot putts.”
Below are a few more tips from Daryl Daughtrey on improving your putting.
– Try to eliminate tension. Don’t stand over the ball a long time. The longer you stand over the ball, the more tense you become and your putting worsens.
– Don’t follow the ball with your eyes. When you do, the head picks up and everything goes left.
– Don’t jab at the ball. Make smooth strokes.
– Aim at the back of the ball, the spot where the putter makes contact with the ball, not the top or front.
– If the putt is long, pick a spot three or four inches in front of the ball to aim for. It’s much easier to line up on a target a few inches away than one 20 feet away. When you have a breaking putt and have determined a spot you are putting to, don’t let your eyes look back to the cup.
– Finally, see your local Pro for drills that will help improve your putting.