Five Putting Pitfulls

Putting is a big part of the game of golf. You will certainly make at least one putt for every hole you play. Indeed, you will probably make more putts during an average round. Lots of putts on the green will inflate scoring, so here are a few of the pitfulls to note when putting.

Select the Wrong Putter

Let us first consider the putter itself. Putting with an inappropriate putting club could raise your putting averages. Putters can come in various shapes and sizes, so make sure that the putter you use is suitable. Overall, the putter will need to be of a suitable size, and not be too heavy.

Not Reading the Green

When on the golf course there are a few things to consider when putting on the green. Before you even step on the green make sure you pay attention to the topology. Do not forget that few greens are exactly flat, and will likely have a variety of upward and downward slopes. If you hit an uphill putt as you would a putt on a flat putting green then the ball will likely not reach the hole, and could even start rolling back depending on the steepness of the slope. A downward putt needs to be a little lighter as the ball will roll further. It should also be noted that longer putts will break towards or away from the hole on more sloped greens. Balls also roll further on dryer greens than wet ones.

Underhit Putts

Even if you are lagging a putt towards the hole, do not underhit the putt so that it doesn't reach the hole. Evidently, an underhit putt will never go into the golf hole. As such, with lag putts you should really try and over hit the putt slightly, so it goes a little past the hole leaving just a short putt to finish. With a degree of luck such a lag putt may even go in the hole! I've put a few longer distance putts in the hole myself. But over hitting the ball a little is more essential for short putting.

Hit lag Putts Like Short Putts

Lag putts and short putts are not the same. While short putts are aimed to go in the hole, this is not necessarily the case with lag putts. Most of your longer lag putts will probably not go in, and so you need to aim to finish just a few feet off the hole (within three feet would be great). As such, accuracy is not so important with these, but how hard you hit the ball, and the tempo of the putt, is more so. While the setup is the same, lags require a longer, sharper putt.

Forget to Remove the Flag

Remember that in the game of golf you should remove the flag before you putt on the green. This is because if you do not, and the ball goes into the hole touching the flag, then you should add a two stroke penalty to your score. So overall, it would be good to remove the flag from the hole!

Those are five putting pitfulls. Make sure you have a suitable putter, read the green, don't underhit putts, do not play longer putts the same as shorter and also remove the flag from the hole before you putt on the green.