Is there anything worse than hitting a putt short? Certainly, there are many things in this life that are much worse than short-circuiting a putt, such as disease, starvation, and war. But you know what I mean. That stinging feeling when the ball stops spinning before it reaches the cup is unique. What exactly happened? You’ll never know. You had no trouble getting the ball into the hole.
If you’re in a season where you’re often short on putts, try Nancy Lopez’s putting tips. She first shared this in the May 1979 issue of Golf Digest magazine. She is in her second season on the LPGA Tour, winning nine tournaments as a rookie in 1978. Five of those wins were straight wins.
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“Being aggressive is the key to a good bulge, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the only way to putt,” Lopez said in the article. “I’d rather hit it past the cup than end up short.”
Lopez went on to say that amateurs often leave their putts short to avoid three-putting. In fact, she says you should be more aggressive with your putts and aim for the first putt. (It makes sense, of course. If you’re aiming for a 50-foot ball, it’s best to slow it down and do everything you can to avoid three-putts.)
“One of the drills I often use is to imagine a hole one foot behind the actual hole, and putt into that imaginary hole. This is an effective way to overcome the tendency to leave putts short,” says Lopez. “If the putt doesn’t go in, it’s much better to leave it a foot longer than to make it a foot shorter.”
Try out Lopez’s aggressive putting strategy and you’ll be able to put the ball in the hole. Some people may come in.
