The misreads preventing you from holing more putts.
There’s no way around it; if we want to get up-and-down more often, we need to make more putts.
The first phase of that, as we outlined last month, is to hit your chip shots to the spot that gives you the best chance of holing the putt. Tap-ins are ideal, with short putts from underneath the hole the next best option.
However far you are from the hole, there are two key elements possessed by all the best putters:
1. Speed control
2. Green-reading ability.
Speed control is connected to touch, while green reading relies more on imagination, and amateurs are often guilty of over-reading short putts and under-reading long putts.
On long putts, don’t think of the high point as your aim point. Imagine your ball travelling across the high point on its way to the hole and where you need to start your putt for that to happen. It might be as much as 50 per cent outside the apex of the putt.
On short putts, with the correct speed control, you should rarely need to give the hole away (aim outside the hole).
Getting the read right is key to getting the right result.
If you have any questions or are interested in undertaking some online lessons, e-mail me at [email protected]
Photo by:  GETTY IMAGES – atSushi tomura
