Why is Putting difficult?
Putting on greens is widely regarded as the most critical aspect of the game of golf; however, it is also widely overlooked by most golfers. Despite its seemingly straightforward nature, it is a skill that poses significant challenges to even the most seasoned golfers. The intricacies of putting lie in the mastery of three essential skills: Start line, Speed control, and Green Reading.
Start Line
First and foremost, the start line sets the foundation for a successful putt. Ensuring the ball begins its journey on the intended line is no easy task. Minor deviations in face angle, stroke path and face strike location can lead to a missed start line.
Speed Control
If you can master start line you must also then master the delicate art of speed control. Green speeds will vary from course to course, making it imperative to adapt quickly. Controlling the ball’s velocity to match the green’s speed is a challenge in itself. Misjudging the required force can result in a putt coming up short or travelling too far past the hole. Achieving optimal speed control demands great technique, finesse and touch.
Green Reading
Equally important is the skill of green reading. Each green possesses its own unique characteristics, including uphill, downhill and side slopes, different gradients of slope, and subtle breaks. Deciphering these intricacies and accurately predicting the ball’s path is essential to sinking putts. Green reading requires a keen eye, experience, and the ability to analyse the nuances of the surface using either your eyes or feet to feel the amount of slope.
You must take into account the green speed, the influence of surrounding elements including weather conditions such as wind which will have an effect on the ball and any potential subtle slopes that could affect the roll of the ball. Mastering green reading allows you to make the necessary adjustments to your start line and speed control, enhancing your chances of sinking putts.
In conclusion, putting on greens is a formidable challenge that tests you in multiple dimensions. With one degree of error at 10ft we can miss the hole. With more than 5% speed error on many putts, the speed can be mismatched.
The mastery of start line, speed control, and green reading form the foundation of successful putting.
Visio is focused on helping you to improve your putting and lower your scores…
We have designed a range of putting specific training aids to help you master those skills. They are tour-proven and have come from over 30 years of experience working with all levels of golfers in this beautiful game. So if you want to try and make this game a little easier let us help you along the way.
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Do the alignment lines on your putter enhance your accuracy, or could they be hindering your performance?
Most golfers use the lines on their putters to aim the face precisely along their chosen start line. This is especially common if you also use a line on your golf ball to assist with aiming. But have you ever considered whether these lines are actually benefiting you?
ou step up, address the ball with your putter, and make a smooth stroke, only to watch the ball veer off line like it had a mind of its own. You swear you aimed it right. But did you? For most golfers, the issue isn’t the stroke. It’s misalignment, starting the ball in the wrong direction from the very beginning.
Do you ever stand over a putt and second guess your read, only to watch the ball miss wide, breaking too much or not enough? You’re not alone. And there’s a chance, the problem isn’t your stroke, it’s the read.
Putting is often lost before the ball even moves. distance, slope (angle & gradient), grain and other factors can all influence how the ball rolls. If you misread those pieces of information, even a good stroke can send the putt off line.
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