Psychotherapist, Founder, StayInTheZone.com, SingleDigitHandicap.com

Over the years, I have coached and counseled many golfers on the psychological

aspects of playing fine golf. Golf pros will tell you that putting and the short game

are the keys to scoring well and winning on the professional tour. Putting and the

short game are very important for the weekend player too.

Although there may still be some frost on the ground, the golf season is just around

the corner, and in a few weeks, your local courses will open for play.

Great putting begins with what you do before the season begins and before you ever

walk on to the green. Here are some simple tips to help you improve your putting this

season.

1. Get a putter that you love. Look for one that is the right length, shape, weight and

design. The putter should also allow you to find your line easily.

Try a bunch of putters in the golf shop and try to discover the one that enables

you to make putts of varying distances. If you don’t love the putter immediately,

don’t buy it. The right putter should feel right instantly. See if your golf pro will

allow you to demo the putter on the course, before you purchase your new putter.

Remember, putting in the store is not the same as putting on the course.

2. Have your eyes examined. Putting is like surgery. It requires great precision.

You can not putt well if you can’t see well. I have had many golfers who

have come to see me because of putting problems. Some of them had

vision problems which were making it hard for them to read the green,

see their line and putt well. In many instances, these golfers were helped

by a comprehensive ophthalmologic exam and new glasses, contact

lenses or surgery.

3. If you have been struggling with your putting, consider changing your grip or

the style of putter you are using. The pros do this often and I have seen others

improve their putting by changing their grip, their putter or both.

One man who came to see me for some help with his putting remarked,

“I could never putt well with a reverse grip.” I immediately suggested

that he try this kind of grip. His putting improved immediately. Be

open to experimenting with your putting and be willing to try different

styles of putting.

My own putting improved significantly when I switched to a belly putter.

4. Decide if you want to be a golfer who putts with your hands or with your shoulders.

This is personal, but no matter how you decided to strike the ball, you must

develop a consistent, pendulum motion and hit the ball square.

5. Determine if you are a front of the cup or back of the cup kind of putter. Again,

this is personal. Some people like the ball to trickle in the hole. Others like to hit it

in with more authority. The style of putting people choose seems to relate to

their personality. I counseled a man who was an aggressive trial lawyer.

He was a back of the cup kind of putter. I coached a violinist who was

front of the cup putter. Interestingly, this man used to imagine the

sound of the ball dropping in the cup as part of his putting routine. He

paid little attention to the visual aspect of putting. Instead he utilized his

acumen for sound to hone his putting skills.

6. Practice putting from different distances every day. Begin with one foot

putts. After you make three in a row increase the distance. Build up

to approximately ten feet.

7. Get to an eighty per cent success rate from ten feet. Most of the pros I

have worked with sink eight out of ten putts from this distance. Try

to get your putting to this level. Even if you are not a great athlete,

you can definitely improve your putting with consistent and intelligent

practice. As I said earlier, if you putt better, you will lower your score

and win more often.

8. Spend twenty minutes a day visualizing yourself putting successfully

from various distances. Just close your eyes and imagine yourself

having great success on the green. If you like, imagine yourself

sinking a putt to win your club championship. There is a fair amount

of research to support the value of this daily visualization exercise.

Seeing yourself putting successfully in your “mind’s eye,”

translates into better putting on the course.

9. On long putts, pick a target to roll the ball over on its way to the hole.

The target should be about the size of a quarter.

10. Participate in darts, bowling, shooting or pocket billiards as these activities

require the same mental skills as does putting. Playing these sports

acts as mental cross training for golfers who want to improve their putting.

11. Before you get to the green, imagine that the green is filled with water.

This will help you to get a feeling for the slope of the putting surface.

12. Before you putt, take a look at the line from both sides of the hole.

13. Develop a simple routine that allows you to find your line and feel

confident, relaxed and focused. If you want to improve your

ability to remain relaxed, focused and confident, try our stay

in the zone program. Visit StayInTheZone.com or click on

use this link http://stayinthezone.com/home.htm to get this program.

14. Don’t putt unless you feel really ready. Ready means your are confident,

focused and relaxed.

15. Commit to a line and speed, roll the ball to your target and enjoy the glorious

sound of the ball falling into the cup.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. a Psychotherapist and founder of StayInTheZone.com

and SingleDigitHandicap.com has been counseling athletes for more than twenty

years. He has been featured in Golf Digest, ESPN Magazine, ESPN Radio, The BBC,

The Golf Channel and The Newark Star Ledger. Granat has written and lectured

extensively on sports, sport psychology and self-help. He works closely with

world class athletes and weekend warriors from a variety of sports including

golf, tennis, baseball, basketball, soccer, the martial arts, bowling, fencing,

billiards, swimming, skating and boxing. Dr. Granat received his graduate

training at The University of Michigan. His undergraduate training was completed

at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has been a university professor

at Fairliegh Dickinson University. Dr. Granat welcomes inquiries from coaches,

athletes and parents of athletes. He can be reached at info@StayInTheZone.com or at

888 580-ZONE.