The Hidden Skills of Golf Putting
In general, golfers reach a level of putting quite early in their golf career and then stop improving all together.
An obsession over our stroke mechanics and putting tips often leads players to disregard the numerous other skills involved.
So how can we approach putting in a way that leads to continual development...
2 Ways to Get Started
How To Actually Improve Your Putting
It is time to take the skills of putting seriously
They say that putting is 90% mental and most golfers would agree with that but what does it actually mean?
At no other place on the golf course does the fine link between Action and Perception become so telling. It is for this reason that when we practise our putting stroke in isolation, and with golf putting aids, it feels like we are doing well but we are simply not developing the skills required for the task at hand.
Here is a run down of the top golf putting skills you will need to become the 'Boss of the Moss'.
Golf Putting Skills
- Stroke - can you reliably start the ball on your intended line with a highly developed sense of speed?
- Alignment - The consistent and accurate alignment of the putter face with your intended line.
- Green Reading - Picking the line that gives you a route to the hole at 'perfect pace'.
- Distance Control - This is a very hard aspect to explicitly control. Pace control is generally learned through hours of structured drills.
- Mental Poise - Holding one's attention on the task-relevant cues on all putts. This can be especially challenging on shorter putts that are on our least preferred curve.
- Mental Orientation - Aligning the putter is one thing but keeping a clear mental view of where the hole and intended curve is another 'hidden skill'.
- Resilience to Pressure - All of these skills need to be performed together and in the presence of performance pressure.
Why Golfer's Stop Improving
Simply put. all these factors (above) get hidden as they are meshed together in every putt that we hit. In an absence of real feedback golfers typically look to their putting stroke (or putter) for answers when underperforming. The challenge is to build a putting practise framework that works on all these areas and provides clear feedback on each sub-skill. Often that means working on an aspect in isolation but ultimately we need to bring the skills back together.
e.g If you were to roll a ball with your hand around the putting green then it would give you an accurate view of your green reading ability without the added doubt of stroke mechanics.
The Perfect Putting Stroke
Stroke Mechanics or Fine Skill?
"The best putters are making constant 'online' (during stroke execution) adjustments to their strokes"
Often it is easy to gloss over academic research because the findings are of limited use or not connected to the real world. These findings, however, speak volumes to me and in particular, questions the value of working endlessly on the putting stroke out of context to the task of putting across a slope.
Click the link above for a podcast interview with Dr Rob Neal where he discusses his research of the world's best putters. Please bear in mind that Rob's study is on movement only and there are numerous psychological factors that will influence how your stroke performs.
So what is a good putting stroke?
We know that great putters deliver the putter face with astounding accuracy and consistency but from what we know about Motor Control (and this study), this does not mean that the stroke is a robot like action with no variability (as is the mainstay of putter coaching). To the contrary, the study shows that the best putters have a high level of adaptability and compensatory movements.
Of course, we would all like an action that is as repeatable as possible but this is not crafted through endless repetition on a straight putt with a chalk line to guide us. The drills in this course are designed to help you learn in a way that hones the putting action in synergy with the other, more subtle skills that affect how you move the putter. Notably, focus, green reading, alignment, mindful concentration.
Regularly Calibrate Your Putting Stroke
As you can probably guess, I wouldn't work overly hard on complex stroke mechanics but what is important is that you are constantly re-calibrating your perception of stroke and alignment. That is a key principle of the 'True Putting' Course.
It is extremely common for golfers to aim their putter poorly and then either pull or push the ball back to their intended line. Often it is the other way round; the brains capacity to adapt causes the player to aim offline to allow for a dominant pull or push action. Either way, it is not ideal for long term putting success. The act of calibrating is to simply hit a few balls along tram lines to pull your perception and your stroke into line. This needs to be done as often as possible but only for a few minutes at a time. It is not the same as working on heavy mechanics.
Task Focus for Better Putting
This is an area that gets completely over looked yet good players typically trace most of their poor putting stokes down to some form of mental error during the putting process.
Striking a putt so that the line on the ball rolls true and end over end can be an incredibly effective way to train your concentration and putter control.
As you work on this drill you will be implicitly training your ability to stay focused on the core aspects that affect the outcome (alignment, intended line and club face). When you subsequently face a tricky downhill left to right putt under the pressure of game play, you will then be able to stay 'with the task' and focus on the line and let's face it, after you have set the ball on your intended line, there is nothing more you can do.
That is the sort of hidden skill that makes an enormous difference.
Putting Course - What You Get
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Learning Framework
From stroke calibration to building an effective Putting Process, this is a crucial series of drills and disciplines that will keep you on a path of continual development. -
Green Reading
No longer is Green Reading a mystery. Learn the Zero Line concept and how to use your feet. -
Drills to Improve Skills and Train Putting Under Pressure
You can't be 'told' how hard to hit the ball and what to do under pressure. However, the right drills will help you develop your skills to manage in these situations. -
Drills to maintain a fluid putting stroke
It is an almost universal trait for golfers to get in their own way by 'Over Controlling' the putter. Use these drills to free up your process and maintain a fluid motion.
Your Pricing Options
You can choose whether to purchase my TRUE PUTTING course as a ONE TIME payment OR subscribe to my GOLF COACH ACCESS channel for as little as £7.97 per month.
TRUE PUTTING - ONE TIME PAYMENT
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- Short Game Mastery Course
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- Q&A Feedback Forum with Dr Noel Rousseau on every topic.
- Practical Drills to take to the Range
- Access via any device
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Our genuine aim is for you to become a better golfer and I thoroughly believe in the hard work and research that has gone into this programme. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the content then just email me within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
Dr. Noel Rousseau
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