Putting requires a touch for speed and distance to the cup. There are many different styles of grips and you should experiment to find the right one for you. A basic putting grip is similar to a swing grip, but you should rotate your left hand under more to have the back of your left hand facing the cup.
For a basic putting address and stance, ball should be in the middle of your stance and your head should be directly over the ball. Elbows pointing out, left elbow at target. Shoulders should be parallel to the ground. You feet should be in line to your target(draw an imaginary line across the tips of your feet and the line should continue towards the target).
With putting, precision is key. The slightest movement with your head during your stroke can cause the putter face to open or close and redirect your putt. You must focus on the back of the ball through impact; keeping your head anchored.
Tips: Great putters know how to read greens for break and speed. They will be reading the green before they even walk onto it. As you are walking towards the green, study the contours and undulations it has. From a distance, it is much easier to see if the green is tilted a certain way, so take notice as you are walking up to it.
Keep in mind that putts will typically break away from sand traps and break towards water. This is because architects will purposely build the ground up around traps so they drain away from the green; and they will slope the green and surrounding area towards a body of water so any runoff will drain into it.
When reading your putt, take notice of the grain of the grass and what direction it is laying. If it is laying away from you, your speed will be a little faster than if it is laying towards you. Grain can also influence break because it acts as a guide for the ball when it is rolling, so if it is laying in the same direction of your break, count on the ball breaking faster and play it out from the hole a bit more. If the grain is against your break, you should aim for a little less break.
Golf Tips Free: Improve Your Golf - Putting
