Improving your short putts and your stroke.

November 1, 2005

Monthly Golf Tips by the Mel Sole Golf School.

Having taught the game for more than 40 years, I have discovered that you only need to practice two lengths of putts to become an excellent putter. One is short putts (which we will discuss today) the other is long putts (which we will discuss on another tip.)

Short Putts.

Practicing short putts over and over does two things. 1. It helps you to develop a consistent and repeatable putting stroke, and 2. It builds tremendous confidence in your own ability to putt well. When your subconscious sees the ball going in the hole over and over, your belief system starts to believe you can never miss. That is a huge confidence booster at any handicap level!

The Technique.

Place 5 or 6 balls about 4 to 5 feet from the hole. This is a critical distance. It is a distance that all of us expect to sink but are disappointed when they don't go in. Now I understand that nobody will sing 100% of short putts, which some intelligent practice can increase your percentage and thus lower your scores.

When you start putting, count the number of balls that you sink in a row. If you sink 3, then that is your new level. You now have to sink 4 or more in a row before you can quit. Once you have sunk those 4, quit! Do not start over again. Go and do some chipping or bunker shots, but your putting is over for the day. Why? Because you are leaving your putting practice session with a positive image in your subconscious. It is something your mind will process as a success for the rest of the day.

When you return to the putting green for your next practice session, you have to hole 5 or more. So each time you return, you have to do 1 more than your last session. Once you get to 20, you can start increasing to total in increments of 5.

Your short putt goals.

Your goal is to ultimately get to as many in a row as you can, maybe even 100. Now I know this sounds like a lot, but this is a lifetime process. Set yourself a time limit as well, so you're not there when the sun goes down. My sessions are 30 mins. So I either have to get to my total or 30 mins, whichever comes first. If I miss #45, I start over again, knowing I can quit when my 30 mins are up or reach 100! To put this in perspective, I took about 4 months to reach 100, and I have the putting green right outside my office, so I was able to do this every day.

Remember, you are improving your short putts (and your stroke) at the same time. Even if you reach 30 or 40 in a row, your short putts will improve dramatically! Your eye is seeing the ball go in the hoe, in the hole, over and over. This confirms to your subconscious that you have a good putting stroke, and your confidence starts to soar.

https://youtu.be/eeHEEoHsCSA

In this month's Mel In Motion video golf tip, Mel provides an in-depth look at methods for improving your putting stroke. This is an area in practically every golfer's game that can use improvement. Mel gives you the tips and drills to take your putting stroke to the next level.

Source: Mel Sole Golf School.

Thanks for watching - Improving your short putts and your stroke.

Monthly Golf Tips by the Mel Sole Golf School.

Short Putts.

The Technique.

Your short putt goals.

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