How to Make a Clutch Putt

There is nothing more daunting in golf than trying desperately to read a putt while knowing if you read it correctly and execute, you get a par to win the hole or miss it to lose to your opponent.

Every golfer has faced the ‘clutch’ putt when all the stakes are riding on the ball simply finding its way into the hole when everything is on the line.

In golf, we hear a lot about learning to trust your swing, but how is this accomplished when you may have missed the putt before and begin to lose confidence in your abilities?

How to Trust Your Swing

The truth is very few players, including the pros, trust their swings on a shot by shot basis. Even after countless hours invested in practice and play and analyzing video, ‘trust’ is still something golfers have to learn to do over and over again.

Many mental game gurus would tell you the real secret is learning the difference between commitment and trust.

Commitment simply comes down to making a purposeful decision regarding the putt you want to make under the conditions at hand.

Normally, a golfer takes a look at the distance, the slope (uphill, downhill, breaking left or right), the course conditions (wet and slow, dry and fast)  and makes the best decision from their read in that moment.

Then, their mind visualizes the path of the ball all the way to the hole as if it had been made already. It is much easier in this situation to commit to a shot because of all the work that has been done in preparation. 

Trust or Commit?

This is why it is important to make the distinction between commitment and trust. You must have some form of commitment to allow yourself to learn to trust.

One of the best quotes ever said on this is from the late Payne Stewart who claimed, “it’s better to be committed to the wrong choice than uncommitted to the correct one”.  

Far too often, a golfer remains uncommitted to the shot they want to take.  When reading a putt, from one side it may look like it breaks two cups right to left.

Yet from another angle it appears to break just one cup. How do you know which one is right?

While it is difficult to know which decision will ultimately be correct, it is critical that you fully commit to a decision and stroke the ball with authority as opposed to hitting it tentatively and offering it almost no chance to get in.

Making a full commitment to your read and the putt you want to make gives golfers a greater chance of success than being hesitant or waiting to “trust” it. As you walk onto the green, take your time reading the surface and conditions for the best option to get the ball in the hole.

Once you’re ready, go through your mental checklist of posture, grip and alignment, then simply follow through on your commitment. This is the fastest, most proven way to learn how to trust each putt you make and ensure your success on the greens.