OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
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WINTER 2016
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obsports.com
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YOUR GAME
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HOW TO MAKE
MORE PUTTS
n simple steps to becoming the boss of the moss
BY scott watkins, pga
All great putters have one trait in
common: incredible distance control.
Distance control to me is the single
most important part of putting
because the better the distance
control you have the easier it is
to read greens.
Always remember, except for
a straight putt, the speed of a
putt determines how much the
putt breaks.
•••••
Here's my best tip for reading
greens: First, get at least 10 feet behind
the ball and crouch down. This will
give your eyes a shallow angle to the
ground where it is easier to determine
the slope of the green.
Also important is where you posi-
tion yourself behind the ball. After get-
ting a read from directly behind the
ball, I eventually move to a position
where my eyes are looking in the di-
rection that the ball will start to break.
In other words, if you were to aim
the ball to play for the break and drew
a line backwards from where the ball is
aimed, that is the line to straddle when
reading the green.
If you always have your eyes be-
tween the ball and the cup in a straight
line on breaking putts, you are always
looking low of the actual line you need
to hit the putt on. This is why most
golfers almost always underread the
break.
•••••
A good practice routine for speed
control is the 20-foot drill.
Find a spot on the practice green
where you can have a 20 footer both
uphill and downhill. Using three balls,
I
've seen a lot of great putters apply their craft on the PGA Tour
over the years. From Jack Nicklaus, Dave Stockton, Brad Faxon and
Loren Roberts when I was growing up to Phil Mickelson, Tiger
Woods (until recently), and Jordan Spieth among today's golfers, all of
these players display certain traits that allow them to rise above the
rest. Here are a few ways you too can learn how to putt like the pros:
