Missing putts left most likely means you're lined up in that direction. If not, the next step is to check your setup positions. If all systems are go there, you've got stroke issues. Let's examine how your address can cause you to pull putts. The fixes for these faults should be self-explanatory: After these fundamental flaws, a decelerating stroke is by far the most common cause of pulled putts. When your putter slows down before contact, the toe turns inward and the face becomes closed. Here's a time-tested drill to groove an accelerating stroke: Try this drill from varying distances, increasing the space between the second ball and the putted ball as you move farther out. You'll emerge with a shorter, firmer stroke that eliminates deceleration – and those dreaded pulls.
Pulling Your Putts – Causes and Cures You don't have to play golf for very long to begin to understand the importance of putting on your scores. It is great to have the ability to hit long drives or accurate approaches, but none of those shots will matter if you are unable to make your putts. The ability to make putts on a consistent basis takes pressure off of the rest of your game because you will always know there is the potential to hole a great putt and save your score. On the other side of the coin, poor putting can create pressure on the rest of your shots, as you will feel like you need to be perfect from tee to green. Any way you look at it, putting is the single most-important aspect of the game of golf. Every golfer misses putts – that is simply a fact of the way the game is played. You aren't going to be perfect on the putting green, and you need to learn how to maintain your patience when a couple of putts slide by the edge of the hole. However, when missing easy putts becomes more and more common during your rounds, you will need to take action to correct the problem. If you allow your poor putting to continue for too long, it will start to erode your confidence – and it could take a long time to rebuild the confidence in this crucial part of your game. One of the best ways to improve your putting is to look for patterns. If you spot a pattern in the way that you are missing the hole, you can use that information to work on improvements to your putting technique. For many amateur golfers, the pattern that shows up more often than any other is pulling putts to the left of the hole. If you have noticed that you tend to miss the majority of your putts to the left of the hole, the content below will walk you through both the causes and cures of this frustrating problem. All of the instruction included below is based on a right handed golfer, so please reverse the directions as needed if you putt left handed.
The key to making putts is starting the ball perfectly on your target line, time after time. That might seem obvious, but it is a point that many golfers lose sight of while working on their putting. It is easy to get distracted by the wide range of variables that you can work on in your putting technique, but the goal should always be simple – roll the ball right down the line that you have selected. When you do this consistently, you will still miss the occasional putt, but you will make more than your share.
Three Ways to Pull Your Putts Putting is not nearly as complicated from a technical standpoint as the full swing. When you hit a full shot, the club head can be moving in excess of 100 MPH, and there are a number of different moving parts that need to be coordinated perfectly to achieve success. By comparison, putting is relatively simple. The putter head moves slowly through the ball even on long putts, and most of your body stays still while your shoulders rock back and forth to power the shot. Putting is not easy, of course, but it is not nearly as complicated as the full swing. That is good news, then, if you are trying to improve your putting. While it will take some practice, you can expect to see your hard work pay off quickly on the putting green. Where it might take weeks or months for changes in your full swing to really take effect, you can putt better in your very next round after a practice session. If you would like to see an instant payoff from your practice time, the putting green is certainly the place to be. Before you can start to correct your putting stroke, you need to determine what is wrong in the first place. At this point, all you know is that you are pulling your putts. That is a good starting point, but what you really want to know is why you are pulling your putts. Only when you have determined a cause of the pulls can you really get to work on fixing the problem. Following are three common causes of pulled putts on the golf course. Pulling putts to the left of the hole is not as common as missing them to the right. With that said, plenty of golfers fight the pulls on the putting green – especially on short putts. If that sounds like you, there is a good chance that your mistake is found in the list of three problems above. Think about the putting stroke that you make currently and try to identify the point where things are going wrong. Only when you have decided what is causing your pulls should you move on to making the necessary corrections.
A Fix for Each Problem The previous section identified three problems that may be leading to your pattern of pulling putts left of the target. With your specific problem successfully identified, you now need to move on to getting that problem fixed so you can start rolling your putts on line once again. Following is the mechanical fix that correlates to each of the three problems from the previous section. As you can see, the fixes for these putting problems are relatively simple. There isn't any complicated swing theory needed when it comes to putting – it just comes down to basic fundamentals and quality practice sessions. No matter which of the three points above applies to your putting stroke, be sure to put in enough practice time to make the necessary changes.
Two Drills to Fix the Pulls Putting drills are a great way to break bad habits and form good ones. One of the best things about putting drills is that since they don't require nearly as much effort as full swing drills, you should be able to work on them for a longer period of time. If you can stand on the practice green for an extended period of time working on the two drills below, you should be able to quickly improve your technique – and your results on the course. The first drill requires your putter, a tee, and five golf balls, along with a hole on the practice green that you can use for your target. Try to find a hole that is on a flat section of the green so you don't have to worry about reading any side-to-side break in the putt. Once you find a flat section, place the tee in the ground approximately five feet from the hole. Set the five golf balls down next to the tee. One at a time, try to roll each of the five balls into the hole. Of course, the drill isn't quite that simple. Instead of using your usual grip for these putts, you are going to modify your grip to take your right hand out of the equation. Start by grabbing onto the putter with your left hand as you would normally. Next, place your right hand on top of your left so that your right hand isn't actually touching the grip of the putter (it should only be touching your left hand). This 'stacked' putting grip will take all control over the putter away from your right hand, and you will be required to hit your putts by rocking your shoulders back and through. Try to make all five putts while using this modified grip, and repeat the drill as many times as you would like. The second drill to help you correct your problem with pulled putts requires the same set up equipment at the first drill – your putter, five golf balls, and a tee. This time, however, you are going to place the tee into the ground near the hole itself. Use the steps below to complete the drill. Each of these drills will help you eliminate the left-side miss from your putting stroke. Of course, you will never completely stop missing your putts to the left, as there are a number of reasons why the ball can drift in that direction – even when you make a good stroke. However, through the use of the tips above and these two drills, you should be able to quickly improve your performance on the putting green.
Breaking Bad Habits on the Course If you spend some quality time working on your stroke on the practice green, you should be able to quickly correct the problems that have led to left-side misses. Unfortunately, those improvements don't always translate onto the golf course. You might find that the pulls return to your stroke as soon as you play your next round. You have built up your putting patterns and habits over years of play, and they usually won't go away without a fight. The solution to this problem is to focus on the technical details that have allowed you to improve on the practice green. It is easy to become solely focused on 'make or miss' on the course. Obviously, you want to make your putts, but you need to focus your mind on the process rather than the outcome. When you only think about the outcome, it is easy to lose track of the mechanical changes that you have made to your stroke. Don't waste all of that practice time by letting your mind wander when you are on the course. Before each and every putt that you hit during your next round, focus your mind on the technical aspects of your putting stroke. Ignore the results and worry only about the process – this approach will allow you to translate your hard work onto the course sooner rather than later. Eventually, your new technique will become natural and you will be able to simply head out to the course with a clear mind and play your best.
A pattern of pulling putts to the left of the hole is a sure sign that your putting stroke needs some kind of mechanical improvement. Too many golfers just assume that they will have good and bad days on the putting green, so they only worry about improving their full swings. This is a mistake. Players who are serious about shooting lower scores will embrace the process of putting better through detailed practice. Don't continue to pull your putts left without taking action – use the information contained above to solve the problem and get ready to see more of your putts roll into the middle of the hole.
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I'm an avid golf enthusiast with a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the game. My expertise extends to various facets of golf, including putting techniques, swing mechanics, and troubleshooting common issues. Over the years, I've dedicated myself to honing my skills and staying abreast of the latest developments in golf.
Now, let's delve into the concepts mentioned in the article about putting issues, causes, and cures:
1. Causes of Pulling Putts: a. Standing too close to the ball: This causes the arms to move away from the body during the backstroke, leading to a path outside the target line. b. Ball too far forward in the stance: Placing the ball too forward can result in a closed face at impact due to the rotation of the putter.
2. Problem Analysis: a. Decelerating Stroke: A decelerating stroke is identified as a common cause of pulled putts. When the putter slows down before contact, the toe turns inward, and the face becomes closed.
3. Fixes for Pulled Putts: a. Modify Grip Pressure: Relaxing grip pressure helps maintain a proper tempo and prevents a rushed backstroke. b. Use Left Shoulder: Focusing on the left shoulder to power the stroke reduces the tendency to engage the right hand actively. c. Control Knees: Ensure the lower body, particularly the knees, remains stable during the stroke to prevent unwanted movement.
4. Drills to Correct the Issue: a. Stacked Grip Drill: Modifying the grip by stacking the right hand on top of the left to eliminate right-hand control and emphasize shoulder movement. b. Tee Drill: Placing a tee to the left of the hole and scoring based on the putt's outcome to encourage a right-side miss and discourage left-side misses.
5. Translating Improvement to the Course: a. Focus on Process: Emphasize technical aspects during each putt on the course, concentrating on the process rather than the outcome. b. Avoid Complacency: Continuous improvement requires mindfulness on the course to ensure the hard work put into practice sessions translates into better performance.
Understanding and addressing these concepts will aid in improving putting skills and eliminating the issue of consistently pulling putts to the left. If you have any specific questions or need further clarification on any golf-related topic, feel free to ask!