Mastering Four Footers

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Is there any golfer who hasn't taken a four-foot putt for granted? We've all done it sometime in our playing careers. We miss short putts because we fail to execute the fundamentals. Instead, we commit any number of putting errors, from moving our heads to not squaring the clubface. The result: a missed putt and another stroke added to your score. Learn to hole these putts consistently and you'll shave strokes from your golf handicap.

Below are three keys to sinking four-foot putts:



* Keep your head still
* Stroke with your shoulders
* Focus on a squaring face

Peeking is probably the biggest fault on short putts. If your eyes move, your head moves. If your head moves, your body moves, throwing your stroke off line. A good drill to conquer this tendency is to place a dime on the green four feet from the hole. Place a ball on the dime. Now stroke the putt. Make sure you see the dime after the putt.

Another big fault with four-foot putts is not using your shoulders. Because the putt is so short, we tend to use just our hands and arms and pop the ball at the hole. That seldom works. Instead, focus on rocking your shoulders as you do with longer putts. That improves consistency.

A third fault with four-foot putts is failing to square the clubface. Direction is the key on short putts like these. The ball will go wherever you're pointing the clubface. So if the clubface is off, your shot will be off. Trying squaring the clubface before you take your stance. On longer putts, the face will rotate open then closed. On short putts the clubface should always point at the hole.

Don't take four-foot putts for granted. Execute the fundamentals correctly and you won't miss them.

Rhythm of the Golf Swing