Funny Putting Tips: Games and Techniques to Improve Your Golf Game
Putting is often described as the “make or break” aspect of golf. It’s where those crucial strokes are won or lost, and even the smallest errors can have a significant impact on your game. The problem with practicing putting is that it’s nearly impossible to replicate the pressure of an important five-footer on the course during your practice session. This article explores some common putting mistakes and provides practical tips on how to fix them, alongside fun putting games to focus your mind and improve your competitive spirit.
Addressing Common Putting Mistakes
Before diving into the games, let's address some fundamental errors golfers often make:
- Poor Alignment: Proper alignment is the foundation of a successful putt. Ensure that your feet, hips, shoulders, and putter face are all aligned parallel to your target line.
- Incorrect Grip Pressure: Gripping the putter too tightly can lead to tension and a loss of feel. Conversely, gripping it too lightly can result in a lack of control. Find a grip pressure that allows you to maintain a light but secure hold on the putter.
- Neglecting Green Reading: Many golfers underestimate the importance of reading the green. Take the time to study the slope and break of the green before your putt.
- Inconsistent Tempo: Consistency in tempo is key to a reliable putting stroke. Find a comfortable tempo that works for you and practice it regularly.
- Fear of Short Putts: It’s common to feel nervous about short putts, but letting this fear affect your stroke can lead to missed opportunities. Trust your line and practice short putts regularly to build confidence.
- Lack of Routine: Develop a pre-putt routine that includes a few practice strokes to gauge distance and feel.
- Overthinking: Overthinking can lead to hesitation and missed putts. Once you’ve assessed the line and speed, trust your instincts and execute the putt with confidence.
- Poor Follow-Through: A proper follow-through ensures that you maintain a smooth and steady stroke. Focus on keeping the putter moving toward the target after contact with the ball.
By addressing these common putting mistakes and implementing the suggested fixes, you can become a more confident and consistent putter.
Putting Games to Enhance Your Skills
Here are several putting games designed to make practice more engaging and effective:
The Clock Face
This game helps you build the confidence you need to hole the short must-makes. Take 12 balls and circle them around the hole about three feet out, placing them on the numbers of an imaginary clock face. You can vary the distance from the hole a bit to keep it interesting. Play until you knock in 12 in a row.
Read also: Making Sound Driving Choices
Long Putt Challenge
Set 10 balls about 30 feet from the hole, the length of a long lag putt. Assign points as follows:
- 0 points for holing out
- 1 point within 1 foot
- 2 points within 2 feet
- 3 points within 3 feet
If you’re playing alone, set a target score you must achieve to win the game. Or play with a friend and make it interesting with a friendly or competitive wager.
Set Back
Alone or with a buddy, drop five balls in a line about two feet from the hole. Putt out and sink them. For every putt you miss, move the ball a foot further from the hole. Do this for three "rounds" or 15 balls with the winner getting a buck.
Pars or Better
Drop a few balls 10 to 12 feet from the hole pretending you are on the green in regulation. Playing one ball at a time, stroke it as if it were for a birdie putt. If you miss, putt for par making sure to hole out in two. If you struggle with leaving birdie putts short - one of the cardinal sins of golf - use a variation of this drill that requires your “birdie” putt to reach or roll beyond the hole. Any putt left short results in an automatic bogey.
Mix-Up
Set a tee in the green about six feet from the hole. Place a second tee on a different line about 20 feet out. Set a third tee about 12 feet away on a different line still. Mixing up the distance and the line of your putts replicates the variety that will greet you on the course. Ding yourself one point for every putt that finishes outside of 12 inches from the hole and see how low you can go.
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Croquet Golf
This game helps with visualizing your putts. Set up your ball for an 8-12 foot putt that is fairly straight. Halfway between your ball and the hole, place two ball markers just wide enough for a ball to roll through. Practice your putts to roll the ball between the markers and into the hole. This will help you align longer putts and save strokes on the course. The game can be played with others on a point system, with 1 point for making it through the markers and 2 points for also sinking the putt.
Ladders
This is a fun game when you have plenty of balls. Set up parallel lines of markers heading back farther from the hole. Two golfers square off, with the objective being to sink their putts from the markers. Starting at the closest marker, the golfer must hit putts until he sinks the shot, then moves to the next farthest marker as they try and be the first golfer to climb the “ladder”.
21
Pick two holes on the practice green to play your game. You will need at least two people to play this game. For added fun, you can make a 4-putt worth -1 point. After each golfer sinks their putt, turn around and putt for the opposite hole. The winner is the first person to make it to exactly 21 points.
Gold Digger
Gold digger is a fun game to play for money. First, scatter ball markers across the green. Then, tuck an agreed-upon amount of money under each marker, generally a dollar. Each golfer starts at an agreed-upon distance from the scattered markers and takes a putt. If your ball hits one of the markers, the dollar is yours. Retrieve your prize and set up for another round until all the markers are hit. For an added bonus, make one especially difficult marker with an increased prize for the golfers to win.
Around the World
Around the World is a fun game to play if you have a three or foursome. Around the World begins with each golfer starting at a different hole. The objective is to putt into the hole of the other players, with each player putting an agreed direction (for example, everyone putts toward the player to their left). Each player will attempt their putt, with each made putt resulting in a point. If no one sinks their putt, repeat the game until they do. After someone makes it, the players rotate and try again. The first person to five points wins. Alternatively, you can force a “playoff” whenever two or more players sink their putts on the same round. Those players now hit their putts with the golfer closest to the hole taking the point.
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Tripwire
This game practices distance control. Take the flagstick out of the hole and place it a club length behind the hole perpendicular to your putting line. Then drop 3-5 balls, starting close to the hole. The point is to either sink all your putts or for them to go past the hole but not hit the flagstick, acting as a tripwire. If you accomplish this, then start another round a few yards farther back. If you come up short of the hole or hit the tripwire, start the round over.
