15 Putting Tips to Transform Your Short Game

5. Watch Your Grip Pressure 

A common mistake that most golfers make with putting is gripping the club too tightly. When you use too much grip pressure, it adds tension in your upper body. This makes it nearly impossible to make a free flowing stroke.

Check your grip pressure to make sure you don’t squeeze it too firmly. 

As instructor Nick Foy said, “Decreased grip pressure will ensure that the putting stroke gets powered by the shoulders and not the hands. Imagine holding a bird in your hands, you want to hold it tight enough so that it doesn’t fly away, but you also don’t want to hurt it by holding on too tight.” 

Start with light grip pressure and maintain it to create a more consistent putting stroke. 

6. Keep Your Head Still

I think “keep your head down” is one of the worst pieces of golf advice in terms of the full swing. The head needs to move and actually rotate up (just think about David Duval) to get your body through the shot. But with putting, keeping your head still is pure gold!

A great example is Tiger Woods – his head remains incredibly still on the greens. His upper body does all the work and his head remains completely still which is one of the reasons he’s such a consistent putter. 

If you move your head, it’s easy to change your stroke and hit up or down on the putt too much. This will get the putt jumping and off-line quickly. Plus, miss a lot of putts to the right too. 

Keep your head still the entire putting stroke and only look up once the ball is well off the face. In practice, try to “hear” putts drop inside the cup vs. seeing them to train proper head movement. 

7. Accelerate Through the Ball 

One of the best putting tips I learned from Phil Mickelson was to always accelerate through the putt. The last thing you want on the greens (or chipping/pitching) is deceleration. 

The biggest reason most golfers decelerate is from taking too big of a backstroke. They try to correct this motion by taking a shorter stroke toward the ball, which tends to lead to a short, stabby putt.

Instead, don’t make such a big back stroke so you can always accelerate through the putt.  

8. Have a Short Term Memory

Once you’re outside eight feet, you will miss more putts than you will make.

According to the PGA Tour, even from eight feet the best golfers in the world only make 54% of their putts from this length. Needless to say, it’s important to have a short term memory, especially if you miss short putts, to become a consistent putter. 

9. Create a Pre-Shot Routine

To take your putting to the next level, you need a consistent pre-shot routine. While it’s important with the full swing, it’s just as important on the greens too. 

Your pre-shot routine on the greens will help you read greens better, pick a line, and make the right type of practice strokes. The goal of a good pre-shot ritual is to give your mind a clear picture of how the putt will break and make practice strokes that emulate the one you will make. 

A good pre-shot routine should also keep your breathing regular to block out negative thoughts and avoid panicking over putts. 

10. Practice Short Putts

Remember, the putts you’re most likely to make are ones inside eight feet based on the PGA Tour averages. These are the ones you need to focus on in practice.  

To get closer to 30 putts per round, practice your short putts the majority of the time. Focus on the 3-6 foot range on the putting green as these are the distances you’ll likely have to save pars and keep momentum in your round. 

The best training aid to help make more short putts is the Putting Tutor. This putting aid can fit in your bag, is easy to use, and helps you get the ball on the proper start line. It also gives you instant feedback about your stroke too. 

11. Practice 30-Foot Putts 

While short putts are important, the next best length to practice your putting is about 35-feet. 

Why? Because this is the length you will typically have once you hit the green in regulation.

According to the PGA Tour, during the 2022 season the average proximity to the hole is 36’11”. The goal from this distance is to get it as close as possible to avoid a costly three putt. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think you should try to make every putt you face. Whether it’s 6 or 60-feet, the goal is to make the putt. But statistically, you won’t make a lot from this distance.

Instead, do everything you can to make a solid stroke so you get the ball as close as possible if it doesn’t drop. Having shorter second putts will help you avoid three putting and save shots during the round. Not to mention, maintain your momentum. 

12. Get the Ball to the Hole

A putt that is short has zero chance of going in. 

While a putt that misses long at least has some chance of dropping if you read it correctly. Plus, if you do miss the putt long, you can likely learn the break of the putt too. 

While I’m not suggesting that you hit every putt so hard you have five feet coming back, putt more aggressively.  Too many average golfers putt cautiously and try not to make a mistake vs. giving it a solid, aggressive stroke. 

Get the ball to the hole more often to make more putts! 

Also Read: Lag Putting – The Secret To becoming a Clutch Putter

13. Don’t Skip the Putting Green 

Before the round, don’t forget to spend time at the putting green too. 

So many golfers spend all their warm-up time on the driving range and neglect the putting green. This is a big mistake as you might not learn the green speed well enough and your scores will suffer all day as a result.

After checking in at the pro shop, practice putting before going to the driving range. This will make sure you don’t skip it and have a better understanding of the green speed for the rest of the round.

14. Reset Expectations 

Playing great golf is about managing your expectations. 

As you can tell from the PGA Tour stats mentioned above, statistically you won’t make a lot of putts outside eight feet. But don’t beat yourself, even the best players in the world can’t either. 

This is likely why Ben Hogan said, “There is no similarity between golf and putting; they are two different games, one played in the air, and the other on the ground.” 

By resetting your expectations, you’ll have a better attitude on the greens. This will help you stay more optimistic and not beat yourself up over missed putts. 

15. Buy an Indoor Putting Green 

The last of these putting tips is simple – buy an indoor putting green so you can practice at home. If you don’t get out to the golf course as much as you’d like, an indoor green can help refine your stroke and routine without leaving home. 

Here are our three favorites on Amazon:

• Helixus Putting Mat
• Boburn Putting Mat
• Perfect Practice Putting Mat 

Wrapping Up

These 15 putting tips will have you rolling the golf ball with confidence on the putting greens. 

Make sure to keep a light grip pressure to avoid excess tension. As Bobby Jones said, “Tension and anxiety cause more misses than lack of care.” 

If you need more putting tips, I suggest reading Putting Out of Your Mind by Dr. Bob Rotella. It’s one of the best books that will help you adopt a strong mindset and gain even more confidence on the greens. 

What’s your favorite putting tip?

Let us know in the comments below.