Tip: A consistent putting stroke begins with a consistent pre-shot routine.

By developing a personalized pre-shot routine and repeating it before each putt, you'll promote a more
positive stroke and feel more confident, no matter what the situation. Teaching Pro John Calabria, Golf
Ambassador from Fiddler's Creek Golf Club in Naples, Florida, shares his personal routine:

1. Stand behind your ball and look at the hole.

2. Gauging break and speed, pick a target at which you'll putt.
3. Then take an address position beside your golf ball aimed at that target.
4. Focusing on the hole, take a practice stroke.
5. Pause and look at your ball.
6. Take a second practice stroke, again looking at the hole.
7. Afterwards, take an address position over your golf ball.
8. Place your putter head in front of your golf ball aiming it at the target.
9. Then place the putter head behind your ball and look at the hole one final time.
10. Steady yourself and stroke the putt.
Want a more consistent putting stroke? Begin by modifying and solidifying your pre-shot routine. In
the end, you'll have more success on the green.

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Tip: The most effective putting grip style is the one that feels most comfortable to you.

Here are a few examples of the wide variety of grips you can choose from:

The most typical is the Traditional grip. This begins by wrapping your right hand around the lower part
of the grip, thumb riding down the top center of the shaft. Then with your left hand, wrap your middle,
index, and pinky finger around the grip just above your right hand, thumb riding down the top center of
the shaft as well. Your right hand should cover your left hand thumb while your left hand index finger
overlaps the right hand fingers.

One of the newest styles is the Left Hand Low grip (this is opposite to the Traditional grip). This begins
by wrapping your left hand around the lower part of the grip, thumb riding down the top center of the
shaft. Then with your right hand, wrap your middle, index, and pinky finger around the grip, thumb
riding down the top center of the shaft as well. Your left hand should cover the right hand thumb while
the index finger of your left hand overlaps the right hand fingers.

Another style is the Split grip. This begins by wrapping your left hand around the top of the grip,
thumb riding down the top center of the shaft, and your right hand around the bottom of the grip, thumb
riding down the top center of the shaft leaving a few inches between the two.
The last style is the Claw grip (this is a variation of the Split grip). This begins by wrapping your left
hand around the top of the grip, thumb riding down the top center of the shaft. Next, with your right
hand on the low part of the grip, rest the club between the split of your right hand index finger and
thumb, index finger on top of the shaft and the thumb underneath. Your other three fingers should rest
loosely on the club.

For an example of a putting grip variation, Jim Farrell, Head Golf Professional at Oakwood Country
Club shares his own style. He prefers the Traditional grip with a slight modification. It begins by
wrapping his right hand low on the grip, thumb riding down the top center of the shaft. Next, he wraps
his left hand above his right hand much like the Traditional grip, but turns it counterclockwise slightly,
moving his palm underneath. He then overlaps his fingers slightly.

These are only a few examples. With so many putting grip styles to choose from and even more
variations to consider, you'll have more success with the putting grip that feels most comfortable and
allows your hands to act as one unit.

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Tip: Understanding the composition of greens will help you read putts more accurately.

There are four types of grass used on putting greens: Bermuda, Paspalum, Bent, and Poa Annua. Each
has distinct characteristics and grains that affect the way your putts roll. And, understanding them can
help you read putts better. So, before teeing off at any course, find out what kind, or kinds, of grass are
used on the greens.

For example, on a course in San Diego, CA, with greens composed of Bent and Poa Annua grass,
Teaching Pro John Calabria, Golf Ambassador from Fiddler’s Creek Golf Club in Naples, Florida,
shares his analysis:

 Bent and Poa Annua grass grow toward the setting sun.

 The grain of bent grass flows in the direction of water drainage.

 Looking down grain of Bent and Poa Annua grass will appear shiny. This promotes a faster roll.

 Looking into the grain of Bent and Poa Annua grass will appear dark. This promotes a slower
roll.

 The cross grain of Bent and Poa Annua grass will bend putts down grain.

 Remember to compensate for these movements.

Want to read putts more accurately? It begins by recognizing the type of grass, or grasses, of the
putting green surfaces. Understanding the distinct characteristics of each will allow maximum
readability and more on-target putting.
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Tip: Fixing a Divot & Marking Your Ball.

To properly fix a divot, tightly repack the topsoil and subsoil using a divot tool and your putter. And, to
mark your ball correctly, place a marker directly behind your ball.

Jim Farrell, Head Golf Professional at Oakwood Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri, describes how
to properly fix a divot. Using a divot tool, or even a tee, lightly dig, turn in, and lift the soil around the
divot. The goal is to help “reconnect” the plant, or grass, with its subsoil. Once you’ve adequately lifted
the subsoil, tightly repack the mark by tapping down on the ground with your putter head. Using this
method will help maintain the health and luster of the green.

To correctly mark your ball, place a ball marker, such as a coin, directly behind your ball as it lies on
the green. Once in place, you may pick the ball up and clean it if necessary. If your ball marker lies in a
playing partner’s line, you may move it by lining it up with a fixed position off in the distance, such as
a tree, using your putter for guidance. Remember to return the marker to its original position. Not doing
so results in a penalty.

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Tip: Ro make more downhill putts, putt to a spot on your line, rather than the hole.

Begin with a good read of the line your ball will travel, as well as how fast it will roll on the slope of
that particular green. Then based on your read, to manage ball speed, pick a spot on that line to putt to,
rather than the hole. Basically, it's a new target. The faster the putt, the closer your target should be to
your ball. However, if you read a roll that is slower, your target should be closer to the hole.

When putting, stroke through the ball powerfully enough to reach the target, not the hole. Since you've
already picked a line, try not to think about the position of the cup. The momentum of the rolling ball
down the slope, with the right line, will get it there.

Greg Lecker, the Head Golf Professional at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey shares
an example. Faced with a 15-foot putt on a steep slope, he picks a target only three feet in front of his
ball. And rather than putting to hit the hole, he strokes through the ball, as if it were a much shorter
putt.

Be weary of downhill slopes that continue past the hole. Putts that go long are in danger of rolling far
past the hole. Keep this in mind to manage speed more effectively.

Commit to a target in your line. Don't worry about the hole's position. Get settled and stroke through
confidently. You'll sink more downhill putts.

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Tip: To make more uphill putts, putt to a spot on your line, that is at least level with the hole.

Sinking more uphill putts is similar to sinking more downhill putts with a slight variation. Managing
the speed of downhill putts requires hitting to target between the ball and the hole. However, the
slowness of uphill putts requires a target that is at least level with or beyond the hole, depending on the
incline of the green.

The target is a spot you pick, based on the break and speed of the putt, which you aim to hit.
Obviously, a good read and line are necessary to sink any putt. But to compensate for an uphill putt,
your stroke must be confident and firm to get the ball to the hole. The benefit of putting uphill, as
opposed to downhill, is that if your ball rolls past the hole, its momentum is limited and will stop
sooner.

Greg Lecker, the Head Golf Professional at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey shares
an example. With a relatively steep incline and a slight break, his target is the right edge of the cup.
After his read and pre-shot routine, he commits to his target and strokes through firmly and confidently.

Commit to a target at least level with the hole. Get settled and focus. Stroke through firmly and
confidently. You'll sink more uphill putts.

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Tip: Improve your stroke on short putts by playing a modified game of horse.

When you're on the practice green, you can improve your short putt stroke by focusing your attention
on a single hole. Instead of randomly putting around, Dallas Judkins Jr., the Head Golf Professional at
Carlton Woods Country Club in Woodlands, Texas, recommends utilizing your time more efficiently
with a simple game of modified horse.

To play, place three tees in a row, a foot apart, inline with the cup. Then place a ball next to each of
those tees. The game begins by attempting to make the closest of the three balls. If you make the putt,
move back to the second tee and attempt to make that putt. If you sink that, move on to the third.
During your game, if you miss any one of the putts, return to the previous shot (this is your penalty for
missing). When you complete the full line, reposition the tees in another row on a different line. If you
have the time, play horse around the entire cup. This process allows you to practice a series of short
putts - different breaks, speeds, lines, etc. - on a single hole, utilizing your time efficiently.

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Tip: Eliminating the putting yips requires avoidance, routine, or a change to a long putter.

One of the most fearful parts of the game, the putting yips is an odd habit in which a golfer's hands
twitch and twist at impact of their stroke. The result is a bad push or pull of the putt.

Many golfers, including professionals, have suffered from the yips at one point or another. Stu
Ingraham, Head Golf Professional at Overbrook Golf Club in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, was one of
them. He offers three solutions:
1 Avoidance - Basically, not thinking or worrying about putting for an
extended period of time; only heading to the green when absolutely
necessary. In other words, relax your mind by avoiding it altogether.
2 Better routine - Solidify your pre-shot routine. Taking a step-by-step
 process with every putt can relax your mind, making things "second
nature" on the green.
3 Long putter - Switching from a short putter to a long putter helps limit
hand movement during your stroke, focusing more movement at the
shoulders.

After sometime of trying to overcome the yips, Stu Ingraham switched to a 50" Odyssey Putter, which
solved the problem.

Be it avoidance, a better routine, or a switch to a long putter, the key to overcoming the yips is relaxing
your mind and regaining a focus on the green.

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Tip: Sinking a putt with significant break requires a more confident stroke on a straight line to a
higher aiming point.

Curving putts are more difficult for many players because they do not commit to a line high enough to
totally compensate for break. In fact, a majority of putts that break significantly one way or the other
are missed on the low side, because by the time the ball is at its half way point on that line, it is already
level with the hole. And missing low on a sloping putt usually results in a long second putt.

To sink more of these kinds of putts, Stu Ingraham, Head Golf Professional at Overbrook Glof Club in
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, recommends committing to a line high enough for the ball's path to end
level with the hole. Remember that when reading these kinds of putts, the hole should not supersede
your line, no matter how wide it is. In other words, putt confidently on a straight line to your target,
without thinking about the hole.

Commit to a higher point. Don't worry about the hole's position. Stroke through confidently. And sink
the putt.

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