Putt for the Money

“Putts get real difficult the day they hand out the money”. - Lee Trevino

Putting can make or break a round.

At times all golfers have struggled with putting. From the best golfers in the world to the beginners just starting their golfing journey, putting can be the most frustrating part of the sport. It’s not a mystery lining up a putt, but the merest unseen variation of any factor of the putting stroke and how you see the line of the putt, will determine the result of the putt. Frustration or joy that’s putting.

Professional Putting Woes

• How is it possible to miss a short 2-foot (60.96cm) putt? I have many times, as have occasionally, the very best putters on the professional circuit. To 3-putt from that distance is embarrassing, to 4-putt is unheard of. Would you believe that the great Ernie Els, suffering from the “’yips’ at the 2016 Masters, 6 putted from a distance less than 2 feet. The yips, I know all about yipping.

• Nick Faldo is famous for his wins at the majors. Remember his duel with Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters? Seven years earlier, again at the Masters, Scott Hoch missed a 2-foot putt to win at the first playoff hole. Unfortunately for Scott Hoch he lost the 1989 Masters to a determined Nick Faldo.

• “Putts get real difficult the day they hand out the money”. Some say Hale Irwin missed a really short putt on a hole in the back nine of the last round of the 1983 Open Championship. One inch was the estimate, it must have been longer, who misses a putt from one inch? Apparently, Irwin did, at least he took second place, that’s some consolation. Lee Trevino, right again.

The Yips

The yips, it happened to me three years ago. I was invited to join a friend for twilight golf, played over nine holes. My full swing was way off, filtering down to every swing I made. At least with a full swing you have a short time to adjust, minimising the error. There is no forgiveness with a yip. Somehow the twitch, a yip, is programmed in. No matter how conscious you are of it, the unconscious mind takes over. It is applicable to very short distance putts. At two or three feet in, you are expected to make most of them, way inside that distance you shouldn’t miss. Tap-ins cannot be taken for granted when you have the yips. For me, after seeing the line and addressing the ball, I take the putter back, then as I come into strike the ball, just before contact, my hands twitch, I can’t help it, it just happens. It is devastating, confidence goes out the door. I can imagine how Ernie Els felt, I’ve been there. 

Putting Can Get Better

It took practice, a lot of practice, but I overcame the yips, and my putting improved. It’s often-said putting is a mini swing. I set up square to the direction of the putt allowing for any break. I address the ball the same way as in a normal swing. Ball position is in the middle of my stance. I keep more weight on my lead foot. Grip is soft with thumbs down the shaft. Take a practice swing to get a feel for the putt. I rock my shoulders to takeaway, then rock them back to contact, with my lead shoulder as the guide along the line you wanted.

Putting is personal, the same way you choose a putter that suits your style. Find a method that works for you, one that helps you get the ball into the hole for the least number of strokes. When you putt for the money or the for the shout at the 19th, your method stands up.