There is a part of golf where I can go head-to-head and compete with the likes of Rory, Rahm, and even Tiger.
Now before you scoff at me and leave me a nasty comment – give just a few more paragraphs to explain.
To compete at this pro-level and actually have a chance to win, it does not require me to hit 300 yards, or pure my 8 iron 170, or become a wizard with my 60 degree wedge.
I can compete on a pro-level on the green – putting.
“Delusional!” You say! Well here’s the kicker: so can YOU!
The reality is putting, as a physical act, takes the least amount of effort in golf. It’s the simplest move to make in golf and with practice it can become your greatest equalizer in your pursuit of lower scores.
Stop and consider that in the average round of golf – at any handicap level – 40% of all strokes are on the green. FORTY!!!
Pro-Level score : 65 (26 putts 40% 1.4 per hole)
Low HCP score: 75 (30 putts 40% 1.6 per hole)
Mid HCP score: 85 (33 putts 40% 1.8 per hole)
High HCP score: 95 (38 putts 40% 2.1 per hole)
Higher HCP score: 105 (42 putts 40% 2.3 per hole)
Whatever level you are at on the scale above, image for a second that your putting average was one level higher.
Yet putting is the least area of the game that is TikTok’d, YouTube’d, and Reel’d, etc. Why?
In my pursuit to win tournaments, putting has been a huge focus. When I look at my worst rounds, putting strokes are out of control and my number of 3-putts pile up.
When I look at my three wins from 2023 my scores are:
Score 76 – 35 putts (46%)
Score 75 – 28 putts (37%)
Score 77 – 36 putts (47%)
Amazingly two of my three wins, I was putting at a Mid-to-High HCP level! Almost 50% of my shots were on the green.
Which means for me the path to breaking PAR is not off the tee; not better approach shots; or chipping – its on the green!
Of course those elements are important and if I were to simply maintain those areas of my game and get better at putting, I would certainly break PAR!
Here’s my winning scores again with 40% putts applied:
(76) 30 putts = 71 (-1)
(77) 30 putts = 71 (-1)
So, do I have you at least thinking differently about putting and lowering your score?
Here are three things I am doing to lower my overall putting scores. These have helped me shave an average of 1 stroke per round off my scores in the second half of 2023 season.
Putt with only 1 kind of ball
I see numerous posts on social media about playing varying types of golf balls and whether it matters – IMO the answer is YES – especially on the greens.
In the simplest form, success in putting comes down to consistency. Consistency is the result of a desired repeated action. In order for our brains and body to repeat an action over and over successfully, we need to eliminate variables – putting with different golf balls introduces a massive variable.
I recommend you experiment with different golf balls on the practice green, find one that “feels” right and stick with it.
We will come back to this subject in future blogs.
Practice long putts
Three-putts are the worst. (Full Stop). I struggled with 3-putts since starting tournaments and generally happens when I have a 20+ foot putt and either leave it 8-10 feet short or blow it past by the same measure.
Constant 6-10 foot putts for par or bogey simply wear you down mentally. I feel so demoralized by hitting a great drive in the fairway, excellent iron onto a green to about 15 feet or so and then 3-putt to card a bogey.
“Ugh! What’s the POINT!?”
I decided that I needed to shift my practice time to putting and really work on long putts – getting that first putt close – 1 to 3 feet from the hole.
In mid-2023, that’s when my season really started to turn for the better. I went from 7.5 pars per round (thru 35 rounds) to 8.3 pars per round (thru final 35 rounds). In my three wins, I had 13-11-13 pars respectively! All due to better long putts and less stress pars!
Daily putting
About the same time, I began working diligently on my long putts, I upgraded my indoor putting mat to a BirdieBall mat. It’s now conveniently in my home office. Each morning, after coffee and devotions, I have a little putting practice: 3 footers (about 20); 6 footers (about 20) and 12/14 footers (about 20). My goal from mid-season was to putt every. day.
This did wonders for my confidence. Not only was I getting the longer putts closer, I was actually less concerned with leaving it short because I was much more confident from 6 feet in.
As you might imagine this reflected in my stats for 3-putts:
First half (35 rounds) – 2.5 three-putts/round
Second half (35 rounds) – 2.0 three-putts/round
Last 20 rounds: 1.85 three-putts/round
Last 10 rounds 1.5 three-putts/round
Even the simplest putting mats used daily can make a huge difference. You are constantly training your brain and body to contact the ball. This repetition builds feel for distance and speed (two central factors in successful putting).
Put your thoughts in the comments below or share your thoughts on social media.
English Major Golfer 
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