Have you ever hit your putt right on the line you set up for only to have it come up short of the hole? Or have you run your ball past the hole leaving yourself much more than a tap-in putt coming back? 

A lot of games have been lost on the putting green and in most instances it has been due to poor distance control, rather than the direction of the ball. Most beginners quickly get a feel for the direction the ball will travel, even on sloping greens. 

You’ve probably seen it yourself when a beginner places the ball within inches of the hole on a sloping green time and time again.  However, what you won’t see quite frequently is the golf ball coming to a rest a few inches past the hole.  There are many factors that come into play when determining the distance a ball will travel on the green including the slope, preparation of the green and whether it is wet and slow or dry and fast.  Teeing off early in the morning typically means slower greens while playing a round in the afternoon will present much quicker conditions.  

Concentrating on your speed is central to shaving strokes off your score and getting that ball into the hole.  Once again it all comes back to practice and there is no better way to gauge the speed of the greens than on the day of your round in the conditions that you will be playing in.  Always take some time to have a few practice putts before you start play to ‘dial in’ your distance.

This may seem obsurdly obvious, but remember the golf ball will never reach the bottom of the cup if you don’t get it there.  So, one quick mental tip is to aim for the back of the hole.  Assuming that your alingment is correct (we’ll talk about that another day) you will start saving strokes the next time you go out. 

Make putts with the confidence of a seasoned pro starting today!