The Worst Putting Mistake You Can Make
By Bradley Turner, Keiser University College of Golf Director of Online Golf Instruction – MBA, PGA
We all have experienced the frustration of taking too many putts during a round of golf. The days when the hole seems to be two inches in diameter will lead many golfers to the wrong conclusion regarding their poor putting performance. They will then compound the problem by deciding to buy a new putter or change their putting grip to the latest fad on the PGA tour. The reality is, the worst putting mistake you can make does not reside in your putting mechanics or a new putter, but rather in your vision.
The Three Essentials to Good Putting
The science behind making putts rests in three important areas. First, the player should strike the ball solidly and on their intended line. If a player can start the ball on their intended line, they will be a very good short-distance putter. Most experienced golfers know when they hit a solid putt on their intended line. The second putting essential is controlling the speed of the putt. A player that is inconsistent with hitting a solid putt will struggle with distance control. Once again, an experienced golfer will know almost instantly if the putt will be short or long. Experienced golfers innately understand these two crucial putting concepts. The worst putting mistake you can make is in the last of the three essentials, green reading.
Contrary to the first two essentials to good putting, experienced golfers do not always know how to read the true amount of break on many putts. The bigger the break, the bigger the mistake in the player’s ability to correctly read a putt. If this is the worst putting mistake experienced golfers make, how can they get better at this important skill? The first step is to understand the reason behind the worst putting mistake. Once this is clear, you can then take action on improving your putting skills.
Autopsy of Poor Green Reading
My many years of playing experience, combined with the chance to watch so many different players and skill levels, have revealed an important aspect of putting. I almost always read more break-on putts than the golfers I played with. Early in my teaching career, I was playing in an ABCD scramble. As the A player, the team looked to me for guidance on reading the greens. It was early in the round when we had about a 15-foot right to left putt for an eagle. I had determined the putt would break about 12 inches. The D player in our group was not convinced one bit by my read and claimed that it was way too much break. He thought right edge was appropriate. So, I asked him to go ahead and play right edge, and the team would watch the putt. He knocks the putt in by hitting the putt about 6” to the right of the cup, and with a lot of speed. The ball hit the back of the cup, bounced up in the air, and dropped in the hole! He turned and looked at me with the smug look of, “you don’t need to tell me how to read a putt.” And that is the worst mistake you can make in putting. In this case, a reward for a poor read will make it that much harder for the D player to improve on this vital skill!
Over the years of coaching, I have measured the green reading ability of all handicap-level golfers. I would ask them to identify precisely where they intend to start the ball on a given putt. I would then watch and measure where they started the putt. On a right to left putt, players will start the ball further to the right than what they stated, essentially pushing the putt. On a left to right putt, players will start the ball further to the left than what they stated, essentially pulling the putt. That was a shocking revelation, especially when I learned that the handicap of the player did not change this finding. High and low handicap golfers under-read the true amount of break in a putt.
How to Get Better at Green Reading
The best way to improve your green reading ability is to set up a practice station to give you the feedback needed. Pictured below is an excellent practice station that identifies the true break in a putt and also provides a visual representation of the break. Follow these steps, and you will mitigate the worst putting mistake and eventually make more putts and lower your score. It does take a bit of time to set up, but the quality of the practice is every bit as important as the quantity of practice.
- Find a 15-foot putt with a good amount of break and place a coin down to identify the starting point of the putt (red coin in the picture).
- Hit a handful of putts and watch closely to see where the ball is starting. Sometimes a practice buddy is helpful with this task. Mark where the ball is rolling and confirm your findings with a few more putts. You then can place coins or tees on the low side of the break, giving you a few inches of leeway for the ball to roll. In the picture below, I used five tees to provide the visual break.
- Next, place an aiming point for the ball to start. This is the intended start line of the putt. With the putt below, the aim point is represented by the ball on a yellow tee, and it is 18” to the right of the cup.
- You now have a perfect practice station that identifies the true amount of break and provides a visual allowing you to “see” the break. Enjoy making more putts!
If you’d like to study with Bradley Turner and other PGA Master Professionals, contact the College of Golf today.
