Learning golf – 7 Putting
Director of golf at Canary Wharf's Citybunker Pete Fuller reckons he can take anyone and turn them from a beginner into a confident and competent player. In his Wharf column, Learning Golf, the PGA pro passes on his knowledge through a step-by-step guide. This lesson sees the Pro taking the beginner through the stages of Putting.
As any golf pro will tell you – you drive for show, you putt for dough.
Grip. The grip is different to our normal hold, and it will promote passive hands through impact. Place the right hand below the left with thumbs straight down the grip.
Then place the index finger of the left hand over the last three fingers of the right hand.
Position. Place the ball just left of centre in the stance.
The feet should be at least a shoulder-width apart. Put your weight forward on the balls of the feet. The eyes should be over the ball. Elbows can bend as you bend forward from the waist.
The stroke. When making the stroke, rock the shoulders and the arms simultaneously. Your arms must guide the putter straight back and through on the line you are aiming.
Tip. Don’t let the wrists take over. The wrists must be passive throughout the stroke.
Your eyes must remain focused on the spot where the ball sits for a count of two after you strike the ball. This is vital for good ball striking and accuracy.
Practice. You need to practice from different distances and angles to get used to the feel for these different length putts. It’s all about feel.
Drill 1. Place five balls around the hole so it is surrounded about 1ft away. Then putt all the balls into the hole.
Once you have holed all five balls from this distance move the balls to 2ft away and repeat. Keep extending the distance by a foot. If you miss a putt, you have to start again from the original 1ft distance.
This drill helps you to concentrate. Its object is to get as far away from the hole as possible without missing.
Drill 2. When working on long putts, this is the only time you may need to use a little wrist action to help with the length of the putt.
Place some tee pegs in a circle around the hole on a 6ft circumference. Hit the putt from around 50ft away from the hole and try to get the balls within the circle.
The idea with long putts is to get the ball within a certain distance. If it goes in it’s a bonus.
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