How to putt like a pro

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to putting is not keeping a consistent pace or rhythm.

So often, you’ll see golfers change the speed of their stroke depending on how long the putt is. Taking a long backswing and decelerating through impact for a short putt, or swinging the putter the same length but accelerating more for a long putt.

If you change the way you swing the putter every time, you’re always going to putt inconsistently. You’ll hit your putts too long, too short, and you’ll struggle to really get the pace of the greens.

By accelerating too quickly or decelerating through impact, you also increase the chances that you’ll miss the centre of the putter face. Then you’ll struggle to hit the putt straight at all.

The key to guarantee you putt well

To putt consistently well, your putting stroke must have a consistent pace and rhythm.  

Whether you have a long putt or just a tap in, the pace of your stroke shouldn’t change. You should swing the putter at the same speed every time.

The only thing that should change is the length of your backswing. As your putts get longer, so will your backswing.

Here’s a really simple drill to help:

1. On the putting green, set tee pegs at roughly two feet, four feet and eight feet away from the hole, working backwards on a straight line.

2. Do this at four different points around the hole.

3. Start at the tee peg two feet away, and try to put the ball in the hole. Think about keeping a short backswing and a consistent rhythm – don’t accelerate or decelerate through the putt.

4. Now move to the tee peg four feet away, and repeat the drill. This time, you’ll need to swing the putter a bit further back. As you do this, make sure to swing at the same speed as you did before. Remember, the pace and rhythm of your stroke shouldn’t change.

5. Next, move to the tee peg eight feet away, and repeat the drill again. Now you’ll need to swing the putter even further back. But again, swing it at exactly the same speed as you did for the two and four-foot putts.

6. Now repeat on a different side of the hole to experiment with different breaks.

Don’t worry if you don’t hole every putt – that’s not the objective of this drill. Each time you putt, really focus on only changing the length of your backswing. Keep the speed at which you swing the putter the same every time.

Tried this drill? I’d love to know how you got on. Email me to let me know. And if you’re looking for even more ways to improve your short game, check this out.