Do you ever get those really long putts? Like 75 feet or more? Yeah I know it is crazy long, and you have to swing your putter way to long to make a proper putt. So what do you do?

Play it just like a chip shot. Open up your stance a little bit (to the left if you are right handed). Play the ball a little further back in your stance. Not extremely far back but only two balls further back than normal. And use your chipping stoke.

Opening the stance up will allow you to make a little longer backstroke and give it a little more pop than normal. It will also involve your body a little more with the stroke.

How much further? Just as much as a normal chip. Practice a few times and you will see that it makes those long long long putts a little easier.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Warm up routines are very important to having a good round. It is probably more important to warm-up on the putting green to get ready to play.

A good warm-up routine is to start with short putts. Use no more than three balls to start out with. Hit 9-12 shots or all three balls 3-4 times.

Then go to a medium length putt. Medium is different for everyone, I would say from 10-15 feet. Do that for 9-12 shots or all three balls 3-4 times.

Then try a few long ones. Go as long as possible. You don’t have to spend a whole lot of time doing this, you don’t even have to make them. Practice getting it as close as you can to the hole. If some go in it is a good boost. If they do not go in but get close then you have the right speed. Again don’t spend too much time on the long putts. Focus on getting the right speed and distance.

Finally finish up with some short 3 foot putts. Start off with trying to make 3 in a row. Once your skills are getting better make 6 and 9 in a row. This is a great boost getting ready to play, and will build the confidence in the short putts. Knowing you can make 6 in a row on the practice green will help you with those tricky putts on the course.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Golf is learned little by little one step at a time.
Not exactly a modern American game, is it?
Well, if your heart is set on “convenience” sports, you might want to consider kickball or four-square. Golf isn’t learned in a day. Or even a year. According to some players - even a decade is too short! There’s no such thing as a perfect golf game. That’s all part of the “beauty and beast” nature that makes up this simple, complicated game.
I certainly do not claim to be an expert on the long game, but here are some fundamental tips, though, that can shave a few years of frustration off your career! Some golfers disagree on even the basics. So I guarantee you’ll find somewhere someone who will disagree with me. But here’s what I’ve found to help golfers tremendously in improving their game.
The three most important steps that you want to keep in mind all the time are

• keep your head still
• keep your club head traveling in a straight line while in contact with the ball
• relax your muscles.

I really can’t say enough about the importance of keeping your head perfectly still throughout your shot. I’ve seen frustrated golfers of all sizes improve immediately upon concentrating on this one step.
When your head is still, you can see the ball clearly. And how can you hit something that you can’t see?
Keeping your club head traveling in a straight line while in contact with the ball will help you avoid slicing and a host of other ills.
Relaxation of your muscles aids tremendously in keeping your balance. Balance is paramount to a good golf game and you don’t want to have to brace your muscles all over your body. Stand comfortably so you can reach the ball easily. As far as propelling the ball is concerned. the muscles which add to the force are the muscles which twist the body around. They’re the most powerful. So relax those arms!
If your game is off, go back to these three important steps. Don’t change your stance or swing. Just go back to the three basics and you’ll get back on track.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

How do you get the feel for really long putts? Try tossing a ball underhanded and let it roll to the hole. This same movement that you use to underhand the ball to the hole is the same force and movement that you need to swing the putter. It is a simple little drill to get your distances down.

Now what if you have a putt that is so long that you putting stroke is becoming uncomfortable? It will happen from time to time. The putting stroke is only meant to go so far. If you are uncomfortable making a putting stroke use a chipping motion.

Open your stance up slightly and play the ball off your back foot. Swing the putter as if you are playing a bump and run, or use your usual chipping motion. Concentrate on delivering the putter square to the line that you want the ball to start on.

With extreamly long putts don’t worry too much about the line. What you want to think of is the underhanded toss. You are not really going to look at the line and try to figure out where the ball is going to break. All you do is toss the ball in the general direction of the hole and hope it ends up close. With putting we are not going to hope it ends up close, instead we are going to putt the ball in the general direction that we think the putt should go. Instead we are going to concentrate on the distance of the ball. I like to say “we are just going to throw it up there and see what happens” Again back to the underhanded toss. The mentality and the action are all the same.

Good luck and let us know how things are going. We would love to hear from you.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Difficulty Level: Pro

So are you ready to get out and play yet. April 15^th always seemed to be the day that we started playing in Northern Michigan. For most of you in the US you are already playing and battling through those spring conditions.

Here is another great drill that I do all year long to help my game. Again it is a little putting drill that not only gets you to groove your putting stroke, but it also puts pressure on you. It is a very simple drill.

You will need 10 balls.

I start with the first ball about 3 feet from the hole. After that line up each ball in a straight line about 1 and a half to two feet apart. I like to line them up far enough apart so that the next ball does not interfere with the putting stroke.

Doing this will put you about 20 feet from the hole.

Here is the drill. Putt each ball into the hole one after another. If you miss one, then take all the balls out of the hole and start again.

Have you ever had a 20 foot putt to win a hole? How about a 20 foot putt to win a match? How about a 20 foot putt just to make bogie? How do you know that you can make it?

Use this drill and you will see that a 20 foot putt is not impossible to make. Make sure that you have some time set aside for this drill. Sometimes it can take a little while to finish.

Good luck and Good Putting.

Coach Kip

Bookmark It

Hide Sites