Now that your golf practice sessions have equipped you for any on-course pressure, it's time to check your on-course training and decision making. Your practice and preparation or routine is your manual for success in golf consistency. Watch the exceptional golfers on the course. Their preparation routines often become a ritual and can take on a personality of their own. Keep in mind we all have our own individual little movements and no one golf routine works for everyone.
One of the first steps you want to undertake is reading the green to analyze and estimate how the ball will break and how any changes in elevation will affect the speed of your golf putt.
Start by getting the big picture and approach and read the green. Every green will have a predominant tilt; Look for the high side of the entire green versus the low side. Assess the green and feel for any hills or slopes.
As you stand behind your golf ball, compare the left side of the putting line with the right side. This will help you see the lay of the green. Also look at the cut of the cup. There may be a slight tilt with one side higher than the other, which will provide a clue in the amount of the slope and where the ball will began slowing down, with gravity affecting it more and more. This is why the break of the ball generally increases as it approaches the end of its rolling. Always expect the slope of the green to curve the ball more toward the end of the putt than at the beginning.
For example, you might have a putt that breaks in two directions; left to right for the first half and right to left for the second half. Although the ripple may look the same to you, you may want to aim the ball slightly more to the right because that is the way the green falls through the second half. As you read the green for side-to-side breaks, you will also want to have a feel for uphill versus downhill. This is why getting the big picture and looking at the whole green is helpful.
Once you have read your putt to make a guess as to the direction it will break, you want to select a spot at which to aim. You must disregard the actual cup and aim for this spot.
If the green is higher on the right side of the cup, choose a spot to the right of the actual cup. If the left side is higher, choose a spot to the left of the cup. The more dramatic the slope, the more you should favor the higher side.
Now if you have a downhill golf putt, which will increase the speed at which the ball rolls, you'll want to aim for a spot that is short of the cup. If you have an uphill golf putt, you should aim for a spot past the cup. This system helps your eyes to trick your body into adjusting for the slope of the green.
To become a consistent golfer on the course, your routine should be practically the same with every golf putt, not only in what you do, but in the order and the tempo in which you do it. Remember: practice, practice, and more practice brings about consistency and great golfing.
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