Most Common Putting Mistakes

Deceleration

A common issue that many golfers have on the course is leaving the ball short of the hole. Everyone misses putts short from time to time, however if you find yourself consistently not getting the ball to the hole, there is a good chance that you are decelerating the putter. A possible reason why so many golfers struggle with this issue is a lack of confidence.

The fix: The ideal speed to hit a putt is so that when you miss, the ball will end up 12 to 18 inches past the hole. Practice making more confident strokes by learning the feel of an accelerated follow through.

A great drill for this is to push putts instead of hit them on the practice green. Set up to a short putt and instead of making a backswing, push the ball with just your follow through and try to get it to the hole.

Alignment

It’s extremely difficult make your putts if you aren’t aimed correctly, however so many golfers struggle with this common issue.

The fix: It is not uncommon that a lot of golfers believe they are aimed completely differently than they actually are over any given putt. In order to see your line correctly, you must be set up over the ball properly.

The first step to this is to make sure your eyes are directly over the ball or just barely inside of it when addressing a putt. Having your eyes too far inside the ball or over the outside of it can make it very difficult to see your line and easier to misjudge your aim.

Another helpful tip is to draw a straight line on the golf ball to match your putter up to at address. No, this is not cheating, but it does feel like it!

Too Much Movement

When watching the very best putters play golf on TV, notice how they are virtually completely still over the ball, albeit for the movement of the putter, arms and hands.

Many players struggle with moving their head too early by looking up at the ball or hole in anticipation, or have too much shoulder rotation. The extra movement often results in putts hit off-line.

The fix: Keep your head as still as possible over the ball, even shortly after the putt is hit. A great way to practice this is to place a coin behind the golf ball.

When you set up to the putt, your putter will cover the coin. Hit the putt and try to keep your eye on the coin after the ball has left the putter face.

For those with too much shoulder rotation, try practicing with an alignment stick tucked under both of your arms. When you putts in this manner, if done correctly, the stick should rock up and down with your putting stroke in a pendulum motion, rather than rotate to the left or right.