Chapter 6 of the Forget-About-It Guide To Better Golf is all about putting. It’s a must-read for anyone who’s ever yipped a three-footer, but that takes a little longer than six seconds. So here’s a condensed version of one of our most important points:
In putting, routine is EVERYTHING!
On Saturday I scratched and scrambled my way around the new Tom Fazio course at Pronghorn in Bend, Oregon. What a treat! The greens were rolling faster than an olympic speed skating oval. Survival out there demanded that I forget about the outcome of the putt — because some three-putts were a given — and focus all my attention on the routine of putting.
For me, it was six seconds that saved me several strokes.
Most decent players have a routine of sorts, but when the pressure’s on, we tend to forget. We linger over the line. We take an extra practice stroke or second look at the hole. We do a lot of silly little things we’d never do on the practice green.
So on Saturday, my only goal was to have a blast and stick to my six-second routine. Once I had a reasonable idea of the line, I followed these six steps precisely, even counting in my head:
1. Aim the putter head
2. Set my feet
3. Look at the hole
4. Look at the logo on the ball
5. Take it back…
6. And through.
It worked for me, and I guarantee, it can work for you. By focusing on the process of putting you occupy the part of your brain that gets in the way of a good putting stroke.
But don’t try following my routine to the letter. Everybody has his own natural process and tempo. The trick is to find it on the practice green, write it down, and then stick with it, no matter what.
One thing’s for sure… the winner of this week’s PGA championship at Oakland Hills will be the guy who sticks to his routine when the chips are down. Because according to GolfWorld, they’re some of the most severe, challenging and exciting green complexes anywhere in the country.
Kinda like that Fazio course at Pronghorn.
-John Furgurson
Co-Author of the Forget-About-It Guide To Better Golf
Tags: better putting, fast greens, Pronghorn, putting, putting routine, yips
August 13, 2008 at 5:27 pm
The one thing to remember; routine creates rhythm. Your routine needs to compliment your natural rhythm. When you practice you need to practice your routine that will be used when playing the course so it becomes automatic. Most people I have taught have never even thought about a routine. It needs to be practice just as much as swinging a club or hitting a hundred putts. Find a routine that gets you into the shot in the least amount of time so your mind doesn’t have time to debate. Don’t be careless, just care less about the results.