How to Become a Great Putter

Golf success demands the composite of a great player and a great putter. In other words, if you wish to have golf success, you must master both your swings and your putts.

Tom Sayers once remarked: “The man who can putt can play anybody.” This attests to the importance of putting in the game of golf.

How can you become a great putter?

To be a great putter, you must possess certain intrinsic characteristics, such as self-confidence and good judgment, and you must be able to apply them to the game of putting:

(1) You must be able to assess the conditions of the green, such as the contour with respect to the green sloping one way or the other, as well as the speed of the green, such as fast, hard, slow or soft. These intrinsic qualities of good judgment can be acquired and learned. Just pay more attention when you survey the green to predetermine the amount of break on side-hill putts. This is important because it helps you determine the “line” of your putt. Detailed observation and vivid imagination can facilitate your accurate survey of the green prior to the game. Your acute awareness of the conditions of the green will go a long way to help you decide on the strategy of the game even before you step on the first tee.

(2) To strike a “specialized” stroke, you need accurate assessment of the distance. Gauging the distance consistently is a factor in your golf success, in particular with respect to your putting.

(3) To be a good putter, you must have mastered your stroke techniques. Such mastery is often reflected in your self-confidence, your targeted concentration, and your relaxed mentality on the green. After all, golf is a mental game.

(4) Just as a carpenter needs different tools for different tasks, a good golfer knows how to select the right equipment for putting. Your choice of equipment should be based on your physique, your height, and your arm’s length, as well as your preference for power deliverance or finesse of touch. Just remember that a piece of heavier golf equipment may give you more power but less control, especially on a slick green. As a good putter, you need to master the art of arriving at a compromise between power and delicacy of touch in your choice of golf clubs.

Putting is an art, and there are no hard and fast rules regarding how you should deliver your perfect putt. Although many golfers would believe that "good putters are born, not made," you can, nevertheless, improve, if not master, the game of putting. Golf is a simple game to play, but difficult to master. There is so much to learn about the art of putting.

Master Your Putt -- Learn to putt like a pro!

This is a complete step-by-step kit providing excellent information on how you can slash up to 12 strokes off of your golf game without expensive golf lessons. This innovative short-game system shows you:

• how to grip your golf club correctly
• how to line up your putt accurately
• how to use your body’s tempo and rhythm to enhance your putting on every shot
• how to create putting strokes dead-on square

If you wish to master golf putting and be a great putter, Master Your Putt is a must.

Copyright©2009 Stephen Lau

How to Drive the Golf Ball Correctly and Powerfully

Golf success requires you to drive the golf ball correctly and successfully. Ben Hogan, the legendary golfer, once said: "If you can't drive the ball, you can't play golf."

So, how do you drive the golf ball clearly and powerfully off the tee?

To hit solid and accurate drives, you must address the golf ball appropriately. Pay attention to how you address the ball.

(1) When addressing the ball, spread your feet narrowly, instead of wide apart - a few inches wider than your shoulder width.

(2) Hang your arms down, instead of extending them outward.

(3) Place the golf ball opposite to your left heel. Make sure you feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are parallel to the imaginary target line.

(4) Set your clubface perpendicular to your target in the fairway.

(5) Now, point your toe-end of your left foot approximately 20 degrees away from the target line, while your right foot should be perpendicular to the target line.

(6) Then, slowly, bend your knees and waist. Make sure you are comfortable with your new body position. Balance is important: you should spread your body weight between your feet - approximately 55 percent of your weight on your right foot, and 45 percent on your left foot.

(7) Now, align your left arm and the club-shaft: they should form a straight line.

(8) Then, position your hands in line with the ball, and you are ready to swing your golf club.

Do not swing your golf club too fast, especially at the initial stage of the swing or during the takeaway, in order to avoid any off track.

Remember, once your takeaway is incorrect, it is almost impossible to correct it: that is, you simply cannot swing the club back on track, and any attempt at that will only destroy your body's natural tempo and rhythm, which is critical to your golf success. After all, the entire golf swing takes place within one or two seconds, and your reflexes do not allow you to correct a bad golf swing.

The Simple Golf Swing explains in detail how to get a perfect golf swing. This book has everything you need to know about simple golf swing.

The lesson here is: always go for a slow, smooth, evenly-paced takeaway. A smooth takeaway enables you to coil your body, and shift your body weight to the right in your backswing. This enables you to swing your golf club powerfully into the back of the golf ball, with its sweet spot finishing square to the target.

For more information on golf swing and golf tips, go to my web store: Golf Success Resources.

Copyright©2009 Stephen Lau