Jun
25
2008
Jack Nicklaus - The most critical of all: Having a positive attitude. Believe you can make em and you frequently will. Believe you can’t and you generally won’t.
I would say that if Jack tells me that it is important to have a positive attitude about your putting then it is important to me to have a positive attitude. So why is it so important to have a positive attitude when putting? Your attitude will tell you that you can make it and you will begin to see the line. Your attitude will tell you that you can do it and you will. Your poor attitude will tell you that you have no chance and you will find a way to not make it.
So if you have a choice between being negative and having a poor chance at making a putt, or being positive and having a good chance at making a putt what would you choose? We know what Jack Nicklaus would choose.
Jun
18
2008
Keep your head and body still during your putting stroke. Without keeping your head and body still you will be inconsistent at best, and have very little chance of making any putts.
Keeping your head still will reduce tension in your shoulders and neck and give you a more fluid swing. Your shoulders will naturally swing around your neck with your head still. This is a loose and tension free swing. If your head is moving there will be additional tension in your swing and this will lead to inconsistent putts.
Also what did every coach tell you when you were young? It did not matter if it was baseball, football, soccer, or golf, what did they tell you? Keep your eye on the ball. With head movement it is difficult to keep your eye on the ball. So keep it still and you will have more consistent putting, and better scores.
Keeping your body still will again reduce inconsistent putting and increase your putting ability. We have spoken about forming a triangle with your shoulders and hands. This triangle hinges on your neck and swings around it. Your body stays still, especially your lower body. There is no need to give extra movement. Extra movement leads to extra putts and higher scores.
The more simple your putting stroke is the more consistent it will be. With practice your putting will get better and better. Without a consistent swing no matter how much practice you do you will not improve your putting.
