Drive for Show aned Putt for Dough

Practice makes perfect, and the more you practice
your putting, the better you should become at it.

The other saying that rings true is, "Drive for show
and putt for dough".

You may get the ego boost of being a long hitter,
but at the end of the day, it's those eighteen greens
that you putt on that will have a bigger impact on
your scorecard than those ten tee boxes that you
were able to launch monster drives from.

The key to becoming a better putter is developing
a consistent putting stroke that you can rely on
every time you reach the green.

Putting is one of the few shots in golf that should
not change significantly based on distance and ball
lie.

The best part about practicing your putting is that
it can be done virtually anywhere, whether it be
on the course, on a practice putting green, on a
practice turf mat, or even on the carpet.

Though the surfaces you practice on may be different,
and may cause the ball to roll differently, there is
no replacement for the muscle memory that your body
will gain with each practice stroke.

If you watch the pros putt, you will notice that they
are perfectly still over the ball, and their heads
do not move.

A good drill to help you keep still is to lean your
head against a wall while you take some putting strokes.

You should be able to feel your forehead move against
the wall if you are not perfectly still.

This perpendicular alignment to the wall should also
show you if you are taking the putter head on a
straight line back and forth.

Playing a game called "golf ball bocce" is another
good practice drill, and one you can play at home.

To play the game, take out about five or six golf balls,
including a colored ball.

Putt the colored ball a distance away from you, and then
try to hit the colored ball with the other white balls.

This is a good drill to gauge speed and distance on
flat surfaces, but it gets really fun on practice
greens that have undulations that will force you
to read the break of the green.

Another good drill is called "around the world, and it
should be played on a practice green.

Take four golf balls and place them at equal distances
around the hole (start at three feet away).

Putt around the hole from the same distance until you
can sink all four balls from the various points
surrounding the hole.

Good luck on the greens!