Master the Art and Science of Putting – Distance Control

Most golfers have difficulty developing Distance Control because they have no idea how far the ball has to roll (they can estimate based on what they see, but this is nothing more than a guess) and they practice in a random fashion.? That is, they just putt from random distances.?

When you file important papers, do you just throw them into a single file or do you organize them in some way?? Most people file important papers in a cabinet that is organized alphabetically or in some other way for easy retrieval.?

The brain also likes organized information.? It can also locate the information easier and quicker if its organized and can adapt the memory stored in the subconscious to new situations efficiently and effectively.? Use the information and tips below to organize your brain to automatically retrieve the “feel” you need to eliminate one source of 3-putts.?

Distance Control is a process of knowing the distance the ball has to travel and the energy necessary to get the ball to roll that far.? The process is no different than the one you use to memorize the multiplication tables. For example, if you say or write 3 x 7 = 21 enough times, then when you hear or see 3 x 7 your mind automatically thinks 21. Now, you don’t have to be good at math to use this process.?

Know how far the ball has to roll (e.g., 10 feet), hit enough putts of that distance and you eventually hit the ball the correct distance instinctively and automatically just by thinking “10 feet.” What’s neat is you can develop Distance Control by working on putts in 10-foot increments, starting at 10 feet and working you way up to 50-foot putts.?

What’s also neat is that once you have the memory for 20-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-foot putts you’ve also developed the memory (Distance Control) for all intermediate (i.e., 27 feet) length putts without having to practice them.? Your brain is so powerful that once the memory for let’s say 20- and 30-foot putts, and you think “27 feet” your mind extrapolates the difference in energy between a 20-foot putt and a 30-foot putt and produces the energy necessary to roll the ball slightly mor than halfway between 20 and 30 feet.?

By increasing the number of the length of the putt your brain adapts instantly to roll the correct distance on uphill and downhill putts.? For example, if you have an uphill 10-foot putt, you can initiate the putt thinking “11” or “12” or and your brain will send signals to your body to increase the energy of the putt so it would roll farther if were a flat putt. Here’s some suggestions for developing Distance Control in putting.?

Measure your stride length using a yardstick.? All stride lengths can be rounded off to 2, 2.5, or 3 feet.? Stride length is the most accurate way for measuring a putt’s length.? Rounding it off will not affect your ability to develop precision in Distance Control.? You are just coming up with a number to use to initiate your putting stroke with.? Let’s say your stride length is 28”.? Four steps would give you 112 inches.? A 10-foot putt is 120 inches.? You’re not concerned with the exact length, but the number associated with the energy to hit the putt 10 feet.? In effect, your 112 inches becomes your 110 feet.

Start with 10-fot putts.? Continue hitting putts this distance until all your attempts finish within 1 foot of the hole.? Now, continue putting by initiating each putt by thinking or saying “10 feet”.

Do the same for 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-foot putts, only allow for 1 1-foot margin of error for every 10 feet the ball has to roll. So, you would accept all putts that finish within 2 feet of the hole on 20-foot putts and so on.

Once you’ve developed the memory for straight flat putts, you can work on uphill, downhill, and side-hill putts of the same distances listed above.? By increasing or decreasing the number you also improve your Distance Control on greens that are faster or slower than the ones you normally practice on. ??????

When playing, simply count the number of steps necessary to walk from your ball to the hole and multiply by 5, 4, or 3 to arrive at the distance the ball has to roll.? Be sure not to walk in anyone’s ball path.?

Please feel free to ask me any questions or make any comments you have about this technique.? Until next time, Happy Golfing.