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 Many players don’t know how to read a putt. I’ve watched as they plum-bob a putt because they’ve seen someone do it on television, but they have no idea what they’re looking for. They become too focused on the area between the ball and the hole and forget about their surroundings. The great putters like Loren Roberts or Ben Crenshaw get a good look at what I call the “big picture topography” by taking note of mountains, slope, drainage and how the cup is cut. All these things can have an impact on how the putt will move. They watch other players in their group to see how their putts react. Most amateurs typically spend this time with their head down, working on their stroke, and are not taking into account what’s going on around them. Most amateurs also have a desire to simply knock the ball in the hole. Great putters know that putting is the act of rolling a ball with a stroke. When a PGA Tour player is locked in on the greens, his body is still, his head is quiet and he is focused on the big picture. He has a natural motion and a great feel for the speed of the green. The most important aspect of putting isn’t physical. It’s accepting the consequences of your actions. Amateurs tend to get so upset when they miss a 15-foot putt that they can’t process the information of why they missed. Did they miss the putt because they misjudged the grain, or was there an outside source that caused the putt to break more than anticipated? They’ll never know because their frustration over the missed putt isn’t allowing them to learn from the experience. Great putters see the putt in their mind’s eye, feel the putt with their body, allow the stroke to come naturally, accept the consequences and learn from the outcome. Jamie Mulligan is the chief operations officer at Virginia Country Club and the SCPGA Golf Professional of the Year. |
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